Date of Conferral

8-11-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Lori Demeter

Abstract

The problem addressed in this study was that persistent reliance on market-oriented affordability strategies continued despite evidence of declining housing affordability in Nashville. Understanding how policy narratives structured accepted solutions may help explain the persistence of existing policy approaches. Research has shown that housing affordability is a significant policy concern in many U.S. cities. Rising housing costs, displacement pressures, and persistent rent burdens have been indicated in studies as contributing factors. However, less attention has been paid to how political and media narratives shape the boundaries of recognized housing policy solutions within local discourse, specifically in Nashville, Tennessee. The purpose of this qualitative narrative analysis of political and media narrative archives was to understand how they impacted housing affordability discourse in Nashville, Tennessee, from 2017 through 2023. The theoretical framework was a blend of the narrative policy framework and Hugh Miller’s narrative subscription conceptualization. The research was conducted using 67 videos and 19 transcripts from publicly available Metro Nashville Network proceedings and local print media sources. Across sources, affordable housing remained the dominant policy solution despite its failure to produce sustainable affordability. Three themes emerged: institutional narrative stability, divergence and convergence in print media, and moments of narrative stress. The findings may contribute to positive social change by improving understanding of how policy narratives shape public discourse and constrain the range of politically recognized housing solutions.

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