December 9, 2004

CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu

UIC EVALUATES NEW HOUSING IN LOW-INCOME AREAS

As developers build more and more upscale housing in low-income
neighborhoods, the University of Illinois at Chicago will begin a
one-year study in January to determine how such housing affects
property values.

In six Chicago neighborhoods where the poverty rate exceeds 20 percent,
researchers will compare different types of developments built since
1992 and having at least 24 units.

"Our hypothesis is that there are three kinds of new development," said
Brent Ryan, UIC assistant professor of urban planning and policy.
"There are enclaves, which shut themselves off with a gate and don't
face the street; traditional housing, which faces the street and
engages with the community; and infill housing, which is scattered
throughout the neighborhood."

Each development's construction materials, unit size, design and other
characteristics will be considered as they affect the price of units
within the development and prices of nearby older properties, said
Rachel Weber, UIC assistant professor of urban planning and policy.

Ryan expects that the effect of both old and new housing will depend
largely on the design of the new housing.
"If you live in an enclave, chances are your property values won't rise
as much as those of more traditional units, and that your development
has less effect on the community than other developments," he said. "Or
if you have a traditional home, less valuable properties nearby may
lower your values more than they would lower those of an enclave."

The Lincoln Institute on Land Policy, a teaching foundation based in
Cambridge, Mass., funded the study.

For information on the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public
Affairs, visit www.uic.edu/cuppa/

UIC ranks among the nation's top 50 universities in federal research
funding and is Chicago's largest university with 25,000 students,
12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public
medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities
Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with
community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of
programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around
the world.