ABSTRACT
A housing analysis for a city or county comprehensive plan will typically provide an inventory of the existing housing stock and an assessment of its adequacy and suitability for serving current and future populations. Planning establishes goals, policies, strategies, and objectives to guide future policymaking and programming. Housing analysis takes on great significance, because it is intended to lead directly to proposals for policies and programs. A community's total population is usually driven almost entirely by changes in the household population; exceptions include places with military populations and localities with colleges housing large percentages of students in dormitories. Housing occupancy as a variable relates closely to another variable of interest: average household size. A community's vacant housing stock should be examined closely by the housing analyst. It is important for the housing analyst to look beyond total occupancy and vacancy rates of the existing housing stock in the study area, and to examine the causes of housing vacancy.
