Mapping Housing Affordability in D.C.

Low and middle-income families are being priced out of the housing market in Washington D.C. according to the D.C. Policy Center. Their report into housing in the District, Taking Stock of the District’s Housing Stock, includes a number of interactive maps which illustrate the pressures on the housing market.

In each of these interactive maps D.C.'s building footprints are colored by a number of different variables. The first map in the report colors individual buildings by housing unit type to show the distribution of single family homes, coops, condos and apartments. The map shows how restrictive land use practices that favor single-family units in the District have led to the dominance of single-family homes. The prevalence of low-rise, low-density buildings has in turn contributed to the lack of affordable housing in the city.


The second map in the report looks at the ownership of homes in the District. This map shows that home-ownership is prevalent in the north of the city. A third map shows the value of property in the city. This map colors building footprints by the estimated value per square foot. The most expensive property is in the northwest of the city. Property values as a whole increase as you mover from east to west in the District.

Later in the reports a series of static maps are used to illustrate where affordable housing may be available for different family types in Washington D.C..