Main Street Housing

In cities big and small across the United States, concerns about the supply and cost of housing are widespread. Main Street communities are no exception. Housing challenges are clearly on the minds of Main Street practitioners.

With the generous support of the 1772 Foundation, Main Street America’s Research team launched the “At Home on Main Street” project in Spring 2022, a four-part housing research initiative that aims to provide action-oriented recommendations and support the network in strengthening Main Streets through thoughtful housing development.

View the first two publications that were developed as part of this project in the Spring of 2022 and 2023 below.

Hover over the flipbook to view menu options for printing, downloading, sharing, or viewing full screen.

This interactive flipbook is accessible to individuals with visual and/or auditory impairments, and is compliant with third-party reading apps that can translate plain text. Click on the "accessibility" icon in the upper left corner to activate these features. 

The first major release from this effort, At Home on Main Street: A Report on the State of Housing in Downtown and Neighborhood Commercial Districts, provides a data-centric report on the state of housing in Main Street districts. The report, includes insights from Main Street leaders and Main Street-oriented housing developers who recently participated in a virtual convening on this topic. It also includes analysis of brand-new census data focused on housing density, vacancy, age, cost, and more.

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Hover over the flipbook to view menu options for printing, downloading, sharing, or viewing full screen.

This interactive flipbook is accessible to individuals with visual and/or auditory impairments, and is compliant with third-party reading apps that can translate plain text. Click on the "accessibility" icon in the upper left corner to activate these features. 

The second major release associated with this effort, At Home on Main Street: A Housing Guidebook for Local Leaders, is a practical and easily digestible report containing practical recommendations for identifying housing opportunities, keeping inventory of buildings and vacant spaces, making sense of housing finance, understanding the common code and regulatory challenges encountered with housing development and vacant space activation, and more. The Guidebook incorporates the stories and expertise of Main Street Coordinators, local directors, and partners who have experience with housing and is intended for an audience of beginners who have limited experience in housing development.

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This quiz is most easily viewed on a computer or laptop. 

The third component of our housing work, the At Home on Main Street Housing Quiz, is an experimental tool designed to help local leaders assess strengths and challenges related to housing in their downtowns or commercial corridors. Respondents are prompted to answer 12 questions to find out the "personality" of their district and are directed to resources that cover related housing topics. The intent of the quiz is to provide a quick assessment of a local organizational approach to a unique housing situation; assist Main Street leaders in navigating the numerous housing resources available through Main Street America and beyond; and create a platform for data collection and resource sharing that supports the network and influences the direction of our ongoing housing-related efforts. 

TAKE THE QUIZ

Access the full housing quiz resource library here >