May 14, 2014
By Bob Dubinsky (Board Chairman, IHC)

On May 6 the IHC sponsored a very interesting and important seminar on rental housing at the Washington offices of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Andres Blanco of the Inter American Development Bank was the principal speaker. Barbara McMurray moderated the event, and Larry Hannah, former economist at the World Bank; Eric Beksky, Director of the Harvard Center for Housing; and Ira Peppercorn of the World Bank commented on the presentation.

Rental housing is a much neglected and overlooked development initiative. This is despite the fact that many cities around the world have more renters than homeowners. The seminar explored the demand for rental housing, why the need for rental housing has been overlooked and identified programmatic options for expanding the supply of rental housing, particularly for those of modest income.

The IHC plans to continue to increase decision makers’ understanding and awareness about the importance of expanding the supply of affordable and  rental housing in order improve housing conditions around the world.

Click here to read about or download the IADB  publication “Rental Housing Wanted: Policy Options for Latin America and the Caribbean” (A Blanco, VF Cibils and A Munoz).

Click here to read about or download the World Bank publication “Rental Housing: Lessons from International Experience and Policies for Emerging Markets” (I Peppercorn and C Taffin).