美国当前住房保障政策面临问题与解决方案——以马萨诸塞州为例

Barriers to Effective Implementation of U.S. Affordable Housing Policy and State Solutions——a case study of Massachusetts

美国当前住房保障政策执行过程中,低收入群体和保障性住房在社区遭遇"邻避效应",很多地区限制用地规划与开发用途、拖延行政审批流程、提高基础设施配套费,开发商难以用获批的优惠在合适地段建设保障性住房,住房供应量减少导致房价、房租上涨,低收入群体在得到租金补贴的情况下仍然难以匹配到合适的住房,使得住房保障政策效果大打折扣。为了应对上述问题,以马萨诸塞州为代表的州政府推出了一系列干预和激励政策。解剖美国住房保障政策的问题与对策可以帮助中国更加全面而有预见性、针对性地制定住房保障政策,为建立多渠道保障、租购并举的住房制度提供借鉴。

Currently the affordable housing policy of the United States primarily focuses on providing financial benefits and subsidies to both supply side and demand side,including offering rental housing vouchers to low-income tenants and lowering the cost of developing affordable housing.However,barriers arising at local level caused by the NIMBY syndrome of ten impede the implementation of federal housing programs.Municipalities and communities can limit affordable housing development through regulatory and procedural approaches including restrictive land use regulations and zoning laws,inefficient administrative processes and excessive impact fees,making it difficult for developers to find a convenient location for affordable housing. Housing prices and rents increase due to the lack of supply.As a result,low-income families can hardly afford an appropriate place to live even with federal subsidies.In order to reduce barriers to affordable housing development,some states have taken a variety of approaches to address the issue.Massachusetts is a typical example which carried out both mandates and incentives to serve as the"carrot andstick".The analysis of barriers to effective implementation of affordable housing policy of the United States and their solutions can offer important insights to China's housing affordability issues and help policy makers formulate housing policies with a broader vision.