An Inflection Point for Affordable Housing : The Promise of Inclusionary Mixed-Use Redevelopment

Today, the aims of inclusionary housing are converging with the new realities of both the workplace and consumer housing preferences. This century finds neither viable nor likely the prospect of having a life-long job at a blue-chip company and settling down in a nearby single-family home in an exclusively residential subdivision. Demographic trends reveal a growing population of millennial and their successors whose digital conservancy, lifestyles and work routines favor accessibility, flexibility, independence, mobility, environmental conservation and ease of access to work, housing, recreation, goods, services and transportation. Simultaneously, the demand for affordable housing remains acute, compounded by rising gentrification, mounting student and consumer debt, escalating housing costs and increasing costs of living. In cities, the last several decades' cultural preference for urbanism has displaced or shut out low-income residents. In prime suburban and city locations, the need for affordable inclusionary housing can be met in partnership with the wants of growing populations across all income levels for denser, walk-able, mixed-use communities. This Article sets forth a template for advancing the aims of housing equity and inclusion amidst the opportunities presented by mixed-use redevelopment