About half of the apartments, homes, and condos permitted through June 2015 in Boston — about 1,200 units — are either low-income housing or market-rate properties to be priced for middle-income wage earners. According to the Boston Globe, Mayor Martin J. Walsh considers the surge in affordable housing to be a welcome trend.

The uptick in new construction is helping to create a more diverse housing mix, but there is still great demand for affordable housing. Walsh and others are urging developers to move forward with projects. The city’s Inspectional Services Department has streamlined the building permit process and reduced the amount of time it takes to issue approvals.

Walsh has established a goal of adding 53,000 new units to the city’s housing stock by 2030. In the midst of Boston’s red-hot real estate market, that goal would be easily met.