A Spatial Analysis of Housing Vacancy in the United States - 2000-2011 (Working Paper)

Author(s): Hollander, Justin, Colin Polsky, Dan Zinder, and Dan Runfola
Publication Date: November 2011

14 pages; Inventory ID WP11JH1; English

FREE DOWNLOADS BELOW


A Spatial Analysis of Housing Vacancy in the United States - 2000-2011	PDF	2.28 MB

Abstract

Housing vacancy has been recognized to decrease the quality of life in neighborhoods. Recently, researchers and policymakers have reframed this problem as an opportunity for adaptive redevelopment. This study is the second stage of a research effort to identify vacancy hot spots, analyze why these areas have declined, and tailor policy recommendations to planners and policymakers for encouraging neighborhood revitalization. It utilizes GIS technologies to analyze housing occupancy data provided by the United States Postal Service to show how housing occupancy patterns changed during the recent foreclosure crisis. It also utilizes Global Moran’s I and Local Indicators of Spatial Autocorrelation (LISA) spatial analysis techniques to identify clusters of declining zip codes. It is found that formerly expanding regions in the South, West, and northern Midwest were heavily impacted by the foreclosure crisis. Suburban areas recorded a higher net increase in declining zip codes during the foreclosure period relative to other areas.

Keywords: land use change, vacant properties, foreclosure crisis, shrinking cities, neighborhood decline, boomburbs