Last updated 13 May 2024.
Aidan Ayer, ENS Major
Chloe Barnes, GEO/ENS Major
Hayden Hancock, GEO Major
Savannah Hunsucker, AENS MA Student
Graciela Martinez, ENS Major
Sophia McKay, GEO/ENS Major
Gabrielle Morey, GEO Major
Matt Wilson, Mapshop Director
Abstract:
Housing affordability and access to rental housing are key questions for the City of Lexington. In this study, Mapshop investigates the reported median rents in the American Community Survey of the US Census Bureau, analyzing 2017 5-year estimates and 2022 5-year estimates. Following this analysis, seven census tracts were selected to analyze for current rental housing. Online rental listings were utilized to pull available rental housing. A LiDAR analysis was also utilized to demonstrate areas of new development.
Description:
During Spring of 2024, Mapshop students looked at changes in the rental housing landscape in Lexington, Kentucky. Beginning with an analysis of sample data from the 2017 and 2022 5-year estimates in the American Community Survey from the US Census Bureau, census tracts were divided into quartiles, and selected for further investigation if there was a shift in quartile between 2017 and 2022 (and if those tracts had a high percentage of renter occupied housing units). For each selected tract, the median rent was calculated for 2017 and for 2022, as well as the margin of error. Using Zillow, Trulia, and Apartments.com, data was then collected for available rental units in March and April 2024 and the median rent was calculated, to test the currency of the ACS sample.
Census tract 13 is the Russell Cave area that is one of the seven “Opportunity Zones” within the LFUCG but there were no 2024 rental listings to gain information. The primarily student-occupied Red Mile area, Census tract 9, showed a decrease from Q3 to Q2 between 2017 and 2022, but the median rent was second highest of the tracts from the 2024 listings. Another area is census tract 1.02 that includes part of downtown and Rupp Arena. While the data from American Community Survey showed a decrease in median rent between 2017 and 2022, the information collected in 2024 shows it has almost doubled since 2022 reported data.
Hayden Hancock used KyFromAbove’s ArcGIS Server to retrieve rasters of land cover classifications from 2011 and 2021. Hancock used ArcPy to create a new raster that showed areas of land that changed into urban areas, which were then overlaid on the map using the census tract data. Hancock also collected height data from LiDAR in 2011 and 2019 and used ArcPy to convert the 2D images showing the height of the land and how it has changed.
In 2014 LFUCG established the Affordable Housing Fund, allocating $38.5 million, to provide financing for the construction and preservation of affordable housing. In March of 2024, WKYT reported that Lexington hired EHI Consultants to survey and collect data to help determine if there are areas that could be developed or redeveloped. This comes after a November 2023 council vote to expand the Urban Service Area by 2,800 acres. Lexington is currently developing a 2024 Urban Growth Plan.
Further reading:
Lexington, KY outpaces national average for rent cost growth (Aug 17, 2023)
Rising Rental Costs Impacting Central Kentucky Tenants (April 29, 2024)
WKYT Investigates: Rent on the Rise
