HOUSING ACCESSIBILITY: THE ROLE AND PERSPECTIVE OF DEVELOPERS IN PHILADELPHIA

Abstract

This study focuses on how real estate developers in Philadelphia view their responsibility to build housing units that are accessible to people living with disabilities. It relies on data collected by interviewing major developers who build several different types of housing, including high-end condominiums, university residential housing, mid-price townhouses, loft conversions, rehabilitation of historic properties, and affordable housing projects. The researcher finds that developers possess only limited knowledge about accessibility requirements. They do not regard people with disabilities as a submarket of consumers to whom they could sell their units. Interestingly, virtually all of them cited a family member or close friend with a significant disability, creating both awareness and an emotional connection to disability issues. Yet such personal connections did not necessarily prompt them to voluntarily add accessible features to their housing units. Instead, the developers acknowledged that government regulations are the spur that can oblige them to build more accessible housing. Surprisingly, they expressed less antagonism toward such regulations than the researcher expected. In general, their view was that if such regulations force all developers in the greater Philadelphia market to incorporate accessible features and costs into their developments, then their individual firms will not be placed at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace.