Atlanta

Creating Affordable and Equitable Housing Opportunities in Atlanta

CitiesAtlantaCreating Affordable and Equitable Housing Opportunities in Atlanta

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms unveiled the One Atlanta: Housing Affordability Action Plan, outlining a bold vision to provide a pathway for current and future residents, at all income levels, to have access to affordable housing.

My vision is to ensure that we provide a pathway to affordable and equitable housing opportunities for all who desire to call Atlanta home.

Keisha Lance Bottoms, Former Mayor of Atlanta

Relevant Expertise

Improve Public Space and Neighborhoods

Housing Supply and Inventory

Challenge

Though Atlanta was ranked the third-fastest growing metropolitan region in the United States in 2017, its wages have not kept pace with rising rents over the past decade. From 2000 to 2017, median income increased by only 48 percent, but median rent increased by more than 70 percent. According to federal guidelines, which say that households should spend no more than 30 percent of their income on housing and utilities, more than half of Atlantans were considered housing-cost burdened in 2016.

Approach

Bloomberg Associates worked closely with the Atlanta team to help create a comprehensive strategy to plan for Atlanta’s rapidly growing population – one that included all Atlantans. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms released the One Atlanta: Housing Affordability Action Plan in June 2019, which provides a pathway to affordable and equitable housing opportunities to Atlanta residents. The plan has 13 initiatives and 45 actions designed to achieve four key goals:

Create or preserve 20,000 affordable homes by 2026 and increase overall supply
Invest $1 billion from public, private and philanthropic sources in the production and preservation of affordable housing
Ensure equitable growth for all Atlantans and minimize displacement
Support innovation and streamline processes

Impact

Bloomberg Associates worked closely with the city’s Chief Housing Officer to convene six public agencies to develop the plan and facilitated working groups, identified leading practices in other cities that could be applied in Atlanta, and developed public-facing metrics to track the city’s progress. The plan outlines strategies to leverage $500 million in private and philanthropic capital to match public investments.