Multi-family housing development in suburban communities: Does it contribute to housing affordability and socioeconomic diversity?

This study investigated the association between multi-family housing development and housing affordability and socioeconomic diversity at the census tract level in suburban communities in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Metro Area in California. While the association in urban contexts has been well documented, this topic in suburbia is understudied. This study found that the lower the proportion of multi-family housing in 2010, the higher the increase in the proportion of multi-family housing between 2010 and 2019 in the study area. While reflecting the effect of California's housing policy on increasing multi-family housing stock, this study found that the increase in the proportion of multi-family housing was not statistically significantly associated with the changes in housing affordability and socioeconomic diversity in suburban neighborhoods. This may indicate that increasing multifamily housing does not necessarily mean affordable enough to attract population cohorts that increase the social mix in suburban communities. The findings of this paper will contribute to deepening the discussion about multi-family housing development and reinventing suburban communities in a more environmentally and socially sustainable way. • Suburban multifamily housing development is limited to improving housing affordability and social diversity. • Luxury multifamily housing limits housing affordability and the influx of people that can contribute to social mix. • Multifamily housing, considered a different housing market from single-family homes, has minimal impact on housing value. • This study argues for the positive roles of inner suburbs, where urban amenities are available in suburban communities.