Albuquerque Housing Needs Assessment

The Albuquerque Region Housing Assessment: Identifying Needs and Driving Solutions

Key Findings: The Housing Crisis in Albuquerque

The Albuquerque Region Housing Assessment highlights critical issues affecting our city’s housing market:

• Severe Housing Shortage: Albuquerque needs over 55,100 and 59,850 additional housing units to meet current and future demand.

• Mismatch of Housing Types: The region lacks diverse housing options like duplexes, townhomes, and apartments, which are essential for families, young professionals, and seniors.

• Affordability Crisis: A growing number of residents are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing.

• Barriers to New Development: Outdated zoning laws and excessive regulations make it difficult to build the types of housing the city desperately needs.

These findings underscore the urgent need for bold action to create housing opportunities for all Albuquerque residents.

Proposed Solutions in the Assessment

The Housing Assessment outlines several strategies to address these challenges:

1. Increase Housing Density: Legalize duplexes, triplexes, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) citywide. The report suggests legalizing missing middle housing and incremental density is a vitally important step we must take to address our city's needs.

2. Promote Transit-Oriented Development: Focus new housing near transit corridors to create walkable, connected communities.

3. Streamline Development Processes: Reduce bureaucratic hurdles and reform zoning to make housing construction faster and more cost-effective.

4. Expand Affordable Housing Programs: Support initiatives that provide affordable options for low-income residents.

5. Diversify Housing Types: Encourage a mix of housing types to meet the needs of diverse households and income levels.

Strong Towns ABQ’s Commitment

Strong Towns ABQ fully supports the findings and proposed solutions of the Albuquerque Region Housing Assessment. Our advocacy efforts align with these goals in the following ways:

• Legalizing Diverse Housing Types: We advocate for policies like the Housing Forward Ordinance and duplex legalization, which directly address the shortage of diverse housing options.

• Supporting Transit-Oriented Development: We push for zoning reforms and infrastructure investments that prioritize walkable, transit-friendly neighborhoods.

• Engaging the Community: Through education and outreach, we empower residents to understand and support housing policies that create abundant and affordable housing.

• Promoting Equity: We champion housing solutions that prioritize affordability and accessibility for all, ensuring no one is left behind.

Join the Movement

Albuquerque cannot afford to delay action on housing reform. Every resident has a stake in creating a more livable, affordable, and resilient city. By supporting the findings of the Albuquerque Region Housing Assessment and advocating for these solutions, we can make a real difference.

How You Can Help:

• Sign up for Strong Towns ABQ updates and action alerts.

• Contact your City Council representative to support housing-friendly policies.

• Share your housing story to help others understand the stakes.

• Volunteer as a team member on our Housing Task Force to learn, strategize, and advocate for housing policy reforms while also helping keep our larger Strong Towns ABQ community informed.

Together, we can transform Albuquerque into a city where everyone has access to safe, affordable housing.