Several real estate organizations, including the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), have joined forces to urge Congress to fully fund the 2020 Census and the annual American Community Survey (ACS) in its 2016 budget, which lawmakers are currently debating.
Developers, builders, and contractors rely on these government data to gauge, among other things, changes in population demography and mobility, factors that play major roles in planning and construction plans.
Last year, the industry dodged a bullet when Congress failed to approve a measure that would have made participation in ACS voluntary. “This would have reduced the survey’s accuracy and made it more costly by requiring additional effort to ensure a representative sample,” NHMC states on its website. The Council notes, too, that the industry wants Congress to restore three-year data collection methods that got changed last year.
In its 2016 budget, the Obama Administration is requesting $1.5 billion for the Census Bureau in fiscal year 2016, including $663 million for the 2020 Census (a 91% increase over the previous Census budget) and $257 million (plus $15 million) for the ACS, according to the Census Project, a collaboration of state and local governments, advocacy and business groups, and research organizations interested in a fair and accurate census. Obama is asking Congress for an extra $1 billion for hiring and promotion for the decennial count, after plans to automate door-to-door interviewing in the 2010 Census failed to muster Congressional support.
Population data are of critical importance to municipalities, too. The Arizona Republic reported last month that the city of Chandler, Ariz., will pay the Census Bureau more than $4 million to conduct an updated population count for that metro later this year. Chandler is hoping that the new count will show how its population has increased significantly since the 2010 Census, which put Chandler’s population at 236,326 residents. (Arizona allocates state-shared revenue based on a city’s population.)
The Census Project notes that the Bureau is trying to save as much as $5 billion over the census lifecycle by investing early in research, testing, and development of new methods and technologies. For example, later this year the Bureau plans to hold focus groups with people who would be affected by a new classification being considered for Americans of Middle Eastern and North African descent. The 2013 ACS—with a sample size of 3 million addresses nationwide—estimated that there were about 1.5 million Arab Americans in the U.S. in 2006-10. If this test proves successful, the new classification could be included in the 2020 Census, according to the Associated Press.
Related Stories
Mass Timber | May 31, 2022
Tall mass timber buildings number 139 worldwide
An audit of tall mass timber buildings turned up 139 such structures around the world either complete, under construction, or proposed.
Legislation | May 20, 2022
Arlington County, Virginia may legalize multifamily housing countywide
Arlington County, Va., a Washington, D.C.-area community, is considering proposed legislation that would remove zoning restrictions on multifamily housing up to eight units in size.
Codes and Standards | May 20, 2022
Wildfire threat score now available for all U.S. homes
The non-profit First Street Foundation has made publicly available a database that assesses the wildfire risk of all U.S. homes.
Coronavirus | May 20, 2022
Center for Green Schools says U.S. schools need more support to fight COVID-19
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council released a new report detailing how school districts around the country have managed air quality within their buildings during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regulations | May 20, 2022
Biden’s Clean Air in Buildings Challenge aims to reduce COVID-19 spread
The Biden Administration recently launched the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge that calls on all building owners and operators, schools, colleges and universities, and organizations to adopt strategies to improve indoor air quality in their buildings and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Codes and Standards | May 19, 2022
JLL launches non-profit aiming to mitigate climate change
Real estate and investment management firm JLL recently launched JLL Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to making a long-term impact on environmental sustainability.
Biophilic Design | May 18, 2022
Horticulturalists conduct research study to understand the value of biophilic design
Benholm Group, horticulturalists that have pioneered the use of plants for interiors over the past 27 years, are collaborating on a research study to understand the value of biophilic design, according to a news release.
Building Team | May 17, 2022
MKA’s Embodied Carbon Action Plan will include reporting on carbon reductions for selected projects
Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) recently released its SE 2050 Embodied Carbon Action Plan (ECAP) for 2022.
Codes and Standards | May 16, 2022
AIA releases Justice in the Built Environment guide
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently published a new supplementary edition of the Guides for Equitable Practice, titled “Justice in the Built Environment.”
Codes and Standards | May 12, 2022
Solar industry creates non-profit to remove barriers to clean energy deployment
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is launching a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to accelerate the transition to carbon-free electricity.
