Monday, July 11, 2022

HCD Releases New Racially Concentrated Areas of Affluence Map Layer

 

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is pleased to release a new map layer in the interactive Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Data Viewer that shows Racially Concentrated Areas of Affluence (RCAAs).
 
The concept of RCAAs was originally developed by scholars at the University of Minnesota to illustrate the flip side of the Racially and Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty metric used by HUD in the 2015 AFFH rule and to tell the story of segregation more fully. HCD is now releasing a version of the RCAA metric that better reflects California’s relative diversity and regional conditions.
 
The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Data Viewer, including this latest RCAA metric, will aid local jurisdictions in their analysis of racially concentrated areas of poverty and affluence pursuant to AB 686 and AB 1304 and if utilized, should be supplemented by local data and knowledge and other relevant factors.


HCD may revisit and refine the layer over the coming year. If you identify areas where the RCAA methodology does not reflect local dynamics in your community, please send your feedback to affhguidance@hcd.ca.gov.