MAP: The Miami Affordability Project

Housing affordability is a significant and growing challenge in Miami-Dade County, as it is in numerous metropolitan regions around the nation. Access to housing that is affordable for a wide range of residents is crucial for attracting and retaining a talented workforce and promoting economic growth and prosperity in our cities. Currently Miami ranks as one of the cities with the highest cost burden in the country, with a significant percentage of residents paying more than 30% of their income for housing.

The University of Miami’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement began a “Focus on Affordable Housing” initiative to bring together resources from across the university in partnership with local and national housing experts and practitioners to explore challenges and find solutions. Using data generously made available by the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies at the University of Florida, Miami-Dade County Public Housing and Community Development, the City of Miami Department of Housing & Community Development, and the Miami-Dade County Information Technology Department, we have produced this interactive map as a tool for housing and community development practitioners, urban researchers, and community members to explore Miami’s housing landscape, address needs, and promote informed decisions about housing policy.

Technology:  MAP is a is a multi-tier web-based application, with the front-end being written in HTML and Javascript (bootstrap, jQuery and leaflet). The middle-tier consists of servlets written in Java. The back-end data storage is managed using PostGIS, with Apache Solr providing advanced search and filtering capabilities.