Research Reports

This report provides an analysis of the production of housing relative to projected needs in the state of Washington. It considers permanent housing affordable to households at various income levels, as well as housing intended to serve the homeless. Permanent housing is analyzed for the period from the baseline year 2020 through 2022, which is the most recent year for which the relevant data are available. Emergency housing for the homeless and permanent supportive housing (PSH) are analyzed for the period from 2020 through 2025. This report is required by SSB 5587, which was enacted in 2025 and codified as RCW 36.70A.610, paragraph (1)(e).

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The Washington Center for Real Estate Research is pleased to release our report on the methodology for tracking production of emergency and permanent supportive housing. Under the Growth Management Act, fully planning counties and their cities are required to “plan for and accommodate housing affordable to all economic segments of the population of the state”.

This new publication presents WCRER’s methodology for assessing progress in the production of housing for the homeless. The report shows how WCRER will comply with its legislative mandate to compare the production of emergency housing and permanent supportive housing with projected needs. The report complements a previous report on the methodology for assessing progress in production of permanent housing affordable at various income levels.

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The Washington Center for Real Estate Research is pleased to release our report on the methodology for tracking production of permanent housing at various affordability levels. Under the Growth Management Act, fully planning counties and their cities are required to “plan for and accommodate housing affordable to all economic segments of the population of the state”.

This report is the first of two that will explain how WCRER plans to implement SSB 5587, which was enacted in 2025 to help the Washington Legislature track progress in production of affordable housing at the county level throughout the state. A second report, to be published later, will focus on the methodology for assessing the production of emergency and permanent supportive housing for the homeless.

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In recent years, the Washington legislature has enacted significant legislation intended to increase capacity for residential development in urban areas and thereby make housing more affordable. It is well understood that unnecessarily restrictive regulatory constraints are among the key factors leading to the inadequate supply and high cost of housing. The recent legislation directly targets these kinds of constraints.

This report focuses on the possible impacts of two key pieces of legislation: HB 1923 and HB 2343, enacted in 2019 and 2020, respectively. These provided planning grants to help municipalities develop and implement housing action plans intended to identify potential actions, including code changes, to enhance residential building capacity.

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Finding common ground: UW researchers issue state-level policy recommendations for transit-oriented development to address transportation and housing needs

Transit-oriented development (TOD) can address both housing and transportation needs with dense, mixed-use, vibrant neighborhoods that have travel options to reduce car dependency and related greenhouse gas emissions. While there is general agreement about these benefits, it can be difficult for decision-makers to reach consensus on how to support the development of TOD and what the role of states might be in creating an equitable and sustainable framework.

A new report out of the Mobility Innovation Center at the University of Washington (UW), led by the Washington Center for Real Estate Research (WCRER), evaluated policies in California, Oregon, Massachusetts, and British Columbia, and also interviewed policy experts, developers, and legislators to identify key themes and elements for transit-oriented development from a state-level perspective to promote private investment.

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