Knowledgeplex and the Brookings Institution will present an online discussion on the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index, a new analytic tool that examines transportation costs for a given location along with traditional housing prices. Transportation costs – which have been increasing due to higher gasoline prices – are often ignored or underestimated when considering overall housing affordability, which can have significant budgetary implications. The new index, which considers both transportation and housing costs, is designed to present a “truer” affordability measure.

In “The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index: Understanding What Makes Houising Affordable,” Dr. Peter Haas of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and Mariia Zimmerman of Reconnecting America, will discuss how the new index was developed, its pilot in the Twin Cities, and implications for other municipalities in a webcast set for January 19, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). (Note: Only registered users of Knowledgeplex will be able to log onto this webcast; registration is free and available on the Knowledgeplex web site.)