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Show the number of dwelling units needed between 1975 and 1995. Occupied Dwelling Population Persons/ Household Units 1975 Existing 521,500 3.10 168,100 1995 ( High) 790,538 2.77 285,392 Net increase 117,292 Building Trends Housing starts rarely show a steady trend and for the past five years activity has been erratic in Salt Lake County. In 1971 single family housing starts jumped almost 40 percent over 1970; then there was a sharp decline and, in 1975, housing starts rose again ( see Figure 2). Some of the changes in the graph may be attributable to federal policies; when favorable loans are available for apartments, builders build apartments and when we have surplus of apartments, federal policies change to favor single family houses again. Both government and builders react to real needs and trends eventually. Decreasing family size, delayed child bearing and greater job participation by women appear to influence the number and type of dwellings needed in the future. Additionally, the cost of construction and land influences people to seek smaller, more compact housing and these trends may increase in the near future. It is appropriate to mention here the hazards of predicting growth based on building activity. Because changes in the number and rate of housing starts are attributable to local as well as national economic influences-- mostly short term-- it is not safe to project future activity based on present housing activity. Salt Lake County is a single economic system where growth can be expected to follow laws of supply and demand with respect to available land values and resources. These laws apply to varying conditions all over the county, and not just in any one location. 38 |