ABSTRACT
Mixed-income housing is a prominent approach to housing policy and new housing development around the world. It has widespread appeal and garnered support from elected leaders, developers, investors, and affordable housing advocates. Studies find that mixed-income housing developments are associated with improvements in residential quality and safety but few positive social interactions between subsidized and unsubsidized residents. Although mixed-income housing is not consistently defined, it can be characterized by several dimensions: the proportion of subsidized and unsubsidized units, the spatial scale of income mixing, the balance between rental and homeownership units, and the length of time that housing unit affordability is required. Building on prior work, this paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding income mixing in mixed-income housing. It incorporates household moves, income differences, and the neighborhood context. Selected examples highlight the variation in these characteristics. The framework helps distinguish different forms of mixed-income housing and their expected effects.
