Updated December 3, 2008 - Click here to download a PDF version of this strategy.

Metro Boston will need to develop 349,000 new housing units from 2000 – 2030 in order to accommodate projected population increase and continued declines in household size.  Simply building a certain number of units is not sufficient to meet the region’s increasingly diverse housing needs, for low and moderate income residents, seniors, non-traditional households, and others.  Local, state, and regional housing policies must address these diverse needs by promoting a range of housing types and affordability, by expanding programs that connect residents with housing opportunities, and by ensuring equitable access to these opportunities for all of the region’s residents.

Although we are now seeing a slump in the housing market, we should remember that the region always sees ups and downs in the housing market.  It is unwise to predict housing needs based solely on the high or low point in the market – that is why MetroFuture recommendations are based on long-term trends.  Over the long arc of recent decades, the dominant factors in the Metro Boston housing market have been high demand and limited supply, with particularly harsh impacts on low-income families.