University of Denver Launches Housing Research Hub

New center aims to tackle Colorado's housing crisis with unbiased data and policy solutions.

Feb. 26, 2026 at 12:41am

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The University of Denver is establishing a new Center for Housing Research and Innovative Solutions, the first of its kind in Colorado. The center will bring together lawmakers, policymakers, industry leaders, and student researchers to find solutions to a variety of housing issues impacting the state, with a focus on providing unbiased data and analysis.

Why it matters

Colorado is facing a severe housing crisis, with housing costs rising rapidly and not enough housing supply to meet demand. The new research hub at DU aims to develop policy solutions grounded in Colorado's unique context, rather than borrowing ideas from other states, in order to tackle this critical issue.

The details

The center will focus on the entire spectrum of housing, from evaluating the impact of building codes on middle-density housing construction to providing insights into Colorado's housing markets that are unbiased compared to data from real estate websites. The center has already conducted research that helped influence a recent policy change in Denver to eliminate mandatory parking requirements for new buildings.

  • The center will officially open this summer.
  • DU staff have been supporting the center's launch and conducting initial research.

The players

Susan Daggett

Director of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute.

Vivek Shah

Director of the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management at the University of Denver.

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What they’re saying

“We're in a housing crisis in Colorado. Housing is too expensive across the board. We don't have enough housing of the types that we need to serve the population that we have, much less the population of the future.”

— Susan Daggett, Director of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute

“This center will focus on the entire spectrum of housing.”

— Vivek Shah, Director of the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management

What’s next

The center's first project will involve evaluating the impact of building codes on the construction of middle-density housing.

The takeaway

By establishing a dedicated housing research hub, the University of Denver aims to provide policymakers and the public with unbiased data and analysis to develop solutions tailored to Colorado's unique housing challenges, rather than relying on approaches from other states.