Through the housing market’s many turbulent decades as well as the significant effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the greater economy, many small, historical towns are struggling to maintain an affordable housing market for their residents. Due to these unforeseen circumstances, residents of these towns are often faced with many challenges regarding the local economy and a continuous increase in cost of living.
The Town of Clarkdale has partnered with ASU in an effort to identify current standing issues present within these small towns regarding the matter of affordable housing, as well as exploring potential solutions on how to remedy these issues and proceed forward in a sustainable manner. During the Spring 2021 semester, 26 graduate students in PUP 579: Planning Methods II course conducted diverse research to further identify issues of housing affordability by conducting peer community analyses on towns with similar profiles to Clarkdale both within and outside of the state of Arizona. Each reviewed community provides unique recommendations for maximizing affordable housing efforts in the context of a small, and often tourism-driven town. Students utilize research methods including content analyses, windshield surveys, interviews, and the like to gain insight on each town’s unique situation and from there, were able to synthesize their research data and propose solutions inspired by their findings.
The research, findings, and recommendations put forward by these students have the potential to profoundly benefit Clarkdale and its current efforts to positively address affordable housing, future developmental plans, and continue to assist residents within these communities. The following report is a summary of eight individual student research reports and recommendations on how to increase the local housing stock, remedy increasing market price, and address the needs of the communities in question.