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This map details the viability of multifamily housing in an area roughly circumscribed in the Greater Hartford and New Haven sections of Connecticut. Multifamily housing is a type of house that contains more than one residential unit, thus allowing its occupants to split costs amongst themselves. The greater the number, the higher the potential that the average zoning-regulated housing unit in that area can accommodate more than one family. The scale was developed by A. Taub and ranges from 0 to 2, and most likely indicates how many additional families can reside in a single house of that area.

This exercise teaches us about how data can be skewed by simply altering a few numbers. In both graphs the same data is used and everything is identical besides the range of the numbers. The second graph contains the same data but it has a range of 0-100 instead which gives it a much less dramatic slope. In the first graph it looks to be much more vertical than the other, this is because the range is from 40-80. The range shows exactly how data can be skewed in order to best serve whoever is providing the information. This can be a very useful tool in attracting possible investors, buyers, or whatever else one could be looking for and it is incredibly important that we know how to read graphs and data in order to be able to call out the b.s.

Current Potential for Multi-Family Housing Rating by Municipality
click any town for more information

Rating Scale
0          0.5          1.0          1.5          2.0
Lightest                                   Darkest

Explanation
This map shows the current potential for multi-family housing in Connecticut. The potential assigned to each town reflects a rating from 0 to 2 (2 being the highest potential) created by Adam Taub, based upon the existing zoning maps in each municipality. Multi-family housing signifies dwellings for two or more families. These could be apartment complexes, condos, or houses divided up into multiple units (such as one family per floor).

In towns with a high rating (darker shading), there is a greater possibility that multi-family housing will be developed. Towns with a lower rating (lighter shading) are less likely to see new multi-family developments, and towns with a rating of zero do not permit multi-family housing.

The rating on potential for multi-family housing is based upon each municipality’s zoning regulations. Zoning can be exclusionary in the sense that it prohibits the development of certain kinds of housing, whether directly or indirectly. Some towns (such as Rocky Hill, Hartland, and Bethany) simply do not allow multi-family units, but indirect exclusions are more common. Examples of zoning practices that indirectly restrict the development of multi-family housing are minimum lot sizes, maximum density for multi-family units, upper limits on the number of bedrooms in a unit, and special review procedures for the approval of multi-family construction. These all work to increase the cost of building multi-family housing and therefore discourage developers from investing in them. The more exclusionary zoning provisions a town has, the lower its potential for multi-family housing.

Multi-family housing is typically more affordable than a single-family home. Therefore, towns with a larger quantity of multi-family housing units will also have a larger population of low- and moderate-income families. In Connecticut, these families are also disproportionately minorities. The effect of the disparity in potential for multi-family housing, then, is to limit the places where low-income and minority residents can afford to live. Developers will build more multi-family units in the towns (such as Hartford, Waterbury, and New Haven) with a high current potential rating because it will be more economical. The greater availability of multi-family units, in turn, will attract an increasing number of low- and moderate-income families. On the other hand, developers will be unlikely to construct multi-family units in the towns with low ratings (such as Middlefield, Granby, and Haddam) because it will be relatively more expensive. The low availability of multi-family units will result in a smaller population of low- and moderate-income families. Over time, this will result (and has resulted) in the concentration of low- and moderate-income and minority families in a few towns and the concentration of higher income families in the other towns.

Legal zoning regulations can, therefore, result in economic and social segregation.

The data presented was collected by the Connecticut Fair Housing Center and was last updated in September 2011.

The map shows the distribution of Affordable Public Housing in the state of Connecticut by town. It appears that this data set covers only the central part of the state, excluding both the Eastern and Western areas (including the largest city, Bridgeport). The data shows that affordable housing is concentrated in the larger cities, Hartford and New Haven, which would be expected because of the concentration of lower income residents there. I would expect to see a similar distribution in other states.

This map examines the maximum density for multifamily housing in the Hartford area. The areas in the Hartford zone that are not included in the data, (the white sections on the map) are those that do not have any information thus far and therefore cannot be incorporated. They are: West Hartford, Berlin, Asonia, Derby, Devon, East Haven, Guilford, Middlebury, North Guilford, Northford, Short Beach, Totket, Union City, West Simsbury, Whitneyville, Wolcott, Cobalt, East Hampton, Fenwick, Higganum, Ivoryton, Killingworth, Lake Pocotopaug, Middlesex, Moodus, Rockfall, Saybrook Point, Westfield, Winthrop. As for the sections in the Hartford zone with the appropriate data, these display the amount of apartments/units that can be in one building’s ground per square feet. They are scaled from one to 90, lightest red to darkest red. The areas with the least amount of units permitted on a lot tend to be those that are subside in wealthier areas, where real estate is more expensive and only multifamiliy homes with a steady, sufficient income can be accepted. In the areas like the city of Hartford itself, 75 units per square feet are accepted in one lot therefore the apartments allowed would be a lesser cost and a family with limited income would probably be able to afford such a unit. The greatest amount of units per square feet permitted in a lot is in East Hartford, ranking 87.12 units. This would mean that the majority of families who would reside in this lot would be a low-class, probably minority, family. In a racial extremist terms, most multiracial and minority families would not be able to provide the funding to live in such areas leading us to question whether housing segregation still exists and if so, is this an indirect way to discriminate against the Hartford population?