CMRPC Regional Housing Study
Project Dashboard

This dashboard was created by CommunityScale as a public platform to access and engage with the CMRPC Regional Housing Study. The objective of this dashboard is to outline the study's objectives and priorities, share key observations and findings about the local housing landscape, and highlight recommended strategies to increase housing production and address affordability challenges.

The CMRPC Regional Housing Study's purpose

The Regional Housing Study is intended to offer a regional perspective to complement local planning and policymaking as communities across the CMRPC region confront and manage housing challenges and opportunities.

The study's goals are to support the range of actions and strategies needed to address today's and tomorrow's key housing challenges across the region:

Establish a regional platform for housing planning and policymaking

Provide resources and technical assistance to help communities navigate local housing issues

Convene dialogue and collaboration between leaders, municipalities, and stakeholders

Overview

Three questions help set the stage for the CMRPC Regional Housing Study and frame core findings from the analysis. What constitutes "attainable" - or "affordable" - housing, why are we facing this housing shortage, and how many units do we need to build to start catching up?

Study Findings

Key findings from the CMRPC Regional Housing and Transportation Study

Pedestrian Potential

Central region is by far the most walkable, with 93.6% of parcels walkable (92% highly walkable)
Northeast and Southwest have moderate walkability, with about half of parcels walkable and over a quarter highly walkable
Southeast and North have similar walkability levels (around 31–33% walkable)
West is the least walkable at 24.1%
Non-walkable areas dominate in all regions except Central, reaching over 75% in the West

Region	% Walkable	% Non-Walkable
Central	93.6%	6.4%
Northeast	54.6%	45.4%
Southwest	44.5%	55.5%
North	32.7%	67.3%
Southeast	31.2%	68.8%
West	24.1%	75.9%

Transportation Diversity

All places with any capacity for walking or transit use

High transportation diversity is extremely rare, present only in the Central region (1.5% of parcels)
Marginal transportation diversity is concentrated in the Central region (45% of parcels), with smaller shares in West (2.4%), Northeast (2.5%), and Southwest (3.5%)
Vehicle-locked areas dominate most regions, with nearly all parcels in Southeast, North, West, Northeast, and Southwest falling into this category
The Central region is the only area with a significantly lower share of vehicle-locked parcels (53.5%)

Region	Vehicle Locked	Marginal Diversity
North	98.6%	1.4%
Southeast	95.5%	4.5%
Northeast	95.5%	4.5%
West	94.3%	5.7%
Southwest	91.1%	8.9%
Central	51.8%	46.7%

Vulnerable Population Distributions

Key patterns across the CMRPC region:

Central Region Concentrations

Workers: 33%
No High School Diploma/GED: 54%
Below 200% Poverty: 55%
No Car Households: 61%
Jobs: 42%

Suburban Distribution

Southeast: 19-20% across most categories
Southwest: 16-18% across most categories
Northeast: 14-15% across most categories
North: 8-10% across most categories
West: 7-11% across most categories

Transportation Access

High Transportation Diversity: 100% in Central
Some Transportation Diversity: 70% in Central
Vehicle Locked: Concentrated in outer regions (12-30%)

Roadway Networks, Vehicle Access, and Commuting Patterns

Source: ACS 5 year 19-23

Driving alone dominates commuting in all regions (65-79%)
Carpooling is most common in the Central region (11.6%), nearly double that of most other regions
Public transit usage is low overall, peaking in Central (2.7%) and Northeast (1.7%)
Walking is significantly higher in Central (5.5%) compared to other regions (near or below 2%)
Work-from-home rates vary greatly, highest in Northeast (23.6%) and lowest in Southwest (10.1%)
Jobs-housing mismatch: Regional total shows 47,746 more jobs than workers

Region	Drive Alone	Walk	WFH
Southwest	77.8%	0.9%	10.1%
West	79.4%	1.4%	11.6%
North	74.6%	1.3%	16.3%
Southeast	74.2%	0.9%	17.5%
Northeast	67.1%	1.2%	23.6%
Central	65.8%	5.5%	10.7%

Housing Cost Estimate

Source: CommunityScale

Methodology: The housing cost estimate captures the typical shelter cost (housing + utilities) for a household moving to a block group, based on recently available homes for rent/sale and current mortgage rates.

Estimate includes: Rental costs (median prices 2020-2025, inflation-adjusted + utilities), ownership costs (monthly mortgage at 6.63% rate, 20% down + property tax + insurance + utilities), and typical monthly utilities cost of $339.

Note: Estimates are higher than Census data due to current high mortgage rates and rental market conditions.

Region	Housing Cost	Households
Northeast	$4,414	37,435
North	$3,777	20,603
Southeast	$3,800	36,445
Southwest	$2,988	39,723
West	$2,851	18,869
Central	$2,808	79,089

Transportation Cost Analysis

Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Estimates: Average 17,259 miles per household, ranging from 9,753 to 24,214 miles. Cost per mile: $0.82 (Bureau of Transportation Statistics).

Transit Diversity Impact: Clear relationship between car ownership and transit diversity - for every 5 households with access to diverse transportation options, 1 household will not own a car. This is reflected in reduced VMT estimates for locations with good bus service.

Region	VMT Cost	Workers
North	$17,158	25,927
West	$17,045	23,160
Southeast	$16,352	62,186
Southwest	$15,836	49,062
Northeast	$15,039	43,481
Central	$10,892	100,375

Combined Housing and Transportation Cost Burden Analysis

Cost Burden Definition: H+T cost (housing + transportation in 2025 $) divided by household income. Cost burden > 45%; Severe cost burden > 60%.

Key Patterns: Transportation share decreases as total costs increase. 20th percentile: $3,400 total (25.9% transportation). 80th percentile: $5,241 total (26.8% transportation). Maximum: $9,408 total (17.4% transportation).

High Housing, Low Transport

Central areas with transit access

High Housing, High Transport

Expensive suburban areas

Low Housing, Low Transport

Affordable walkable areas

Low Housing, High Transport

Rural/distant suburbs

Next Steps: Identify areas where combined cost burden is highest and where housing and transportation cost trends diverge.

CMRPC Regional Housing Study Project Dashboard