Affordable housing in National Register districts: recognizing the advantages of historic urban neighborhoods in Louisville and Covington, Kentucky, USA

Abstract

This paper draws attention to the public policy opportunities created by the spatial characteristics of urban historic districts. Using the Kentucky cities of Louisville and Covington as case studies, the research uses geographic information systems (GIS) to demonstrate that Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units developed in historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places are closer to libraries, transit stops, parks, and schools than are LIHTC units developed in ‘non-historic’ areas of these cities. The findings are particularly relevant for policy-makers adopting a neighborhood-oriented approach to improving the quality of affordable housing, and for those seeking strategies for bringing new life to declining urban areas.

Keywords:

• National Register of Historic Places
• Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
• transit
• schools
• parks
• libraries

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank his colleagues at the City of Louisville and the City of Covington, the Kenton County PVA, and the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission for their assistance in obtaining the needed GIS data. The author would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.