The increases in housing supply needed to help address the state’s growing shortage of affordable housing sit in stark contrast to the risks of declining water available to meet these housing needs. At the same time, climate change is increasing the frequency and magnitude of drought, resulting in loss of water supply and water shortages across the state. Water suppliers often project out water demands to inform supply development or management plans; yet much of this planning fails to consider local land use plans or other urban development needs. Similarly, housing policy, housing needs assessments and related planning focus on social, economic and demographic factors influencing housing needs and do not consider the constraints on growth due to climate change. There is a core need to better integrate these planning efforts and research communities to consider the direct and indirect effects of climate change. This project will assess the implications of climate change on future water availability with the goal of understanding how that may place limits on growth, as well as developing actionable strategies to address affordable housing in California.
Report Information
CCCA5-CNRA-CCRP-P33
Lead Principal Investigator: Michelle Miro
Lead Organization: RAND Corporation