GIS and Housing

GIS and Housing: Principles and Practices discusses one of the challenges that has not been addressed by Geographic Information Science thus far: how can we use GIS to deal with the complex issues underlying the housing crisis? This book provides GIS technicians and analysts with an overview of US housing challenges and examples of how to effectively integrate spatial thinking to address housing policy questions, while simultaneously introducing housing policy analysts to advanced GIS concepts and techniques to create livable neighborhoods that include housing alternatives beyond the single family. Through numerous examples, the authors advocate for a collaborative approach that encourages professionals, policymakers, and analysts, across different ideological and political perspectives, to confront the multifaceted housing crisis.

Features:

• Examines the historical aspects of housing provision, societal attitudes, demographic shifts, and government policies
• Bridges the gaps between housing professionals and GIS experts, facilitating an interdisciplinary approach to address the housing crisis
• Explores different challenges that are facing urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods in different US regions
• Provides professionals with the necessary tools for informed decision-making
• Proposes solutions that leverage the integrative capacity of GIS to address established housing issues.
• Advocates for denser housing alternatives to address issues of affordability, supply shortages, and homelessness

This book is intended for graduate students and professionals in housing, community development, urban planning, architecture, and GIS, and anyone curious about learning more about the American housing crisis.

Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Ph.D, AICP, is a professor of urban planning with extensive experience in using GIS concepts and tools to facilitate community-based planning and policymaking. She currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at San José State University. She was the first urban planner to serve as the President of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, UCGIS from 2012 to 2014 and currently serves as the President of the Association of the Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP). She served as a member of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) from 2016 to 2018 representing academia. The NGAC is a federal committee that provides advice and recommendations on national geospatial policy and management issues. Laxmi previously authored GIS and Public Participation (2010).

Dr. Jochen Albrecht, GISP, is a professor of Computational and Theoretical Geography at Hunter College and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). He is the author of Key Concepts and Techniques in GIS, (2007) and co-author of Essential Methods for Planning Practitioners, (2018) with Dr. Ramasubramanian. In addition, Dr. Albrecht published over 60 refereed articles and conference proceedings and received the national GIS Educator of the Year award from the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS). He served on the Board of Directors of several professional organizations and is currently the President of the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI).

Deborah Rojas De Leon, RA is a licensed architect in New York. She is the owner and founder of Rojas AP, an architecture and planning firm in Jamaica, Queens. Over the past decade, her work has been dedicated to enhancing the quality of neighborhoods through architecture and urban planning. She consistently seeks out opportunities to collaborate with local community organizations and stakeholders, ensuring that her projects reflect the unique needs and aspirations of the people she serves. Deborah continually works towards a more equitable and harmonious urban landscape for all. She teaches Graphic Communication at Hunter College in the Urban Planning and Policy master program where she empowers future planners to effectively share their spatial stories, enhancing their ability to communicate effectively.