Regional Housing Needs Assessment, 2014-2021

California housing element law requires that the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) quantify regional housing needs, and the Council of Governments (COG) allocate the region’s share of the statewide need to cities and counties within their region. The regional housing needs assessment (RHNA) allocation process establishes minimum housing development capacity that cities and counties are to make available via their land use powers to accommodate growth within a short-term planning period. RHNA numbers are assigned by four income categories as guideposts for each community to develop a mix of housing types for all economic segments of the population. This paper explores how Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) developed its 5th cycle RHNA allocation plan, January 1, 2014-October 1, 2021, for 191 cities and 6 counties in the SCAG region. The paper reviews the SCAG approach toward developing the key elements of the RHNA allocation plan: process, methodologies, and social equity policy. The paper identifies three major approaches toward a successful RHNA outcome and discusses the important housing and urban issues for further study in the future.