Residential cost: what are we talking about ?

This publication on residential cost is the result of a cycle of production workshops organized by the Cerema Territoires et Ville between December 2014 and May 2015. Residential cost, or the combination of the cost of housing and transportation, the common thread throughout the workshops, was approached in several ways, but mainly in terms of household budgets and the relevance that this cost can have in terms of public policy. The workshops brought to light several questions: what expenses should be considered? How can households optimise their housing project? What tools are available today to help with decision-making? How can local authorities get a grasp of residential cost? Through examples of regions involved in this issue and the presentation of tools developed in France and abroad, this publication highlights a number of lines of inquiry and actions on residential cost intended mainly for local decision-makers.

Introduction       What is household residential cost? A very broad concept The distribution of housing and travel expenditure in household budgets        How can residential cost be measured? Precarity or vulnerability? Occupancy/cost ratio or amount remaining? Individual or regional vision? Which databases should be used for which measures?         Regions involved and existing tools Incorporating the notion of residential cost into a planning document: the example of the Métropole Savoie SCoT (regional integrated development plan) Developing household decision-making tools: e-mob and MobiCost The development of the H+T® Affordability Index in the United States:combining the cost of housing with the cost of travel to access affordable housing         Some ways to inform public policy Broadening the concept of residential cost Support for decision-making by local and regional authorities Public regulation of housing-transport-climate-air-energy Recommendations for urban forms? Bibliography