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10 Markets Making Affordable Housing Units Available In Better Quality Neighborhoods

Affordable housing has a long history of going up in low-income neighborhoods, concentrating those developments in areas with fewer resources. But new research shows that today's affordable housing policies are driving more affordable housing into desirable high-quality neighborhoods.

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Affordable housing trends are fast changing as developers receive incentives and tax credits to build affordable housing units for low-income Americans within nicer, less racially and financially segregated neighborhoods.

In studying affordable housing units within 125 U.S. markets, Yardi Matrix found roughly two-thirds (or 58%) of those units are within partially affordable apartments in nice neighborhoods — meaning landlords have both market-rate and affordable apartments available within these buildings.

Yardi Matrix and RentCafé used A-D letter grade rankings (A represents really high-quality neighborhoods and D represents poor-quality neighborhoods) to rate the quality of the neighborhoods where these affordable units are being built. The rankings take into account access to higher-quality schools, decent job opportunities, aesthetically pleasing and well-kept properties, proximity to shopping and entertainment facilities, crime risk and median household income.

Below are 10 markets that provide affordable housing units in more desirable, high-quality neighborhoods. Affordable housing is broken into whether it is in a partially affordable building, one that is fully affordable or partially affordable buildings under construction within different types of neighborhoods.

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1. Seattle

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 96%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 4%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 89%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 11%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 3%

B-Rated Neighborhoods: 97%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 0%

2. Washington, DC

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 95%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 5%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 81%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 19%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 43%

B-Rated Neighborhoods: 57%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 0%

3. Riverside

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 91%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 9%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 52%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 48%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: NA

B-Rated Neighborhoods: NA

C-Rated Neighborhoods: NA

4. San Diego

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 89%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 11%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 53%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 47%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 53%

B-Rated Neighborhoods: 47%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 0%

5. San Francisco

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 86%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 14%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 59%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 41%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 44%

B-Rated Neighborhoods: 47%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 9%

6. Los Angeles

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 86%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 14%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 47%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 53%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 26%

B- Rated Neighborhoods: 62%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 12%

7. Boston

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 84%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 16%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 68%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 32%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 37%

B-Rated Neighborhoods: 53%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 10%

8. Denver

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 79%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 21%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 49%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 51%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 100%

B-Rated Neighborhoods: 0%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 0%

9. Minneapolis

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 64%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 36%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 49%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 51%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 0%

B-Rated Neighborhoods: 100%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 0%

10. Houston

Partially Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 62%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 38%

Fully Affordable

A/B Rated Neighborhoods: 62%

B/C Rated Neighborhoods: 38%

Partially Affordable Under Construction

A-Rated Neighborhoods: 22%

B- Rated Neighborhoods: 48%

C-Rated Neighborhoods: 30%