ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the different elements that make up the need for affordable housing in the United States. Some may need to be demolished or extensively rebuilt, while others could be rendered sound by only modest improvements or in some cases simply by more conscientious maintenance and upkeep. Millions of households in the United States live in substandard or overcrowded housing conditions, or face excessive economic burdens in their effort to find decent housing that meets their needs. Understanding how to meet these needs and why creating affordable housing to address these needs is so important, however, takes more than simply recognizing that these needs exist. Building codes exist because they reflect widely held norms of what constitute reasonable housing standards, either in terms of specific health and safety considerations or a less explicit but equally powerful social consensus of which features are needed for a decent living environment.
