Regional and City Planning Professor Testifies Before Oklahoma State Senate Panel on Housing

Bryce Lowery, associate professor of Regional and City Planning in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, recently testified before the Oklahoma State Senate Judiciary Committee. Lowery was asked to testify as part of an interim study on housing in Oklahoma. The study, “Housing for All Oklahomans: Availability, Safety, Stability,” was convened by Senator Chuck Hall (OK-20) and Senator Julia Kirt (OK-30) and included testimony from experts about ways the state can improve housing security. 

Lowery presented results from his recent study of housing insecurity in Oklahoma, “Oklahoma HOME-ARP Allocation Plan.” In summer 2022, Lowery and a team of OU researchers began working with the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency to determine how to best deploy approximately $36 million to support unhoused and housing-insecure Oklahomans. The team collected data, conducted interviews, mapped resources and hosted community meetings to determine the best focus for this funding. 

At the housing panel, Lowery shared data about the cost burden working Oklahomans face when trying to rent and the impact it has on the Oklahoma economy. He also explained how factors such as transportation, childcare and health care costs, and housing quality and location can negatively impact individuals and families looking for housing.