Housing2030 study led by Housing Europe, UNECE and UN-Habitat that looks at land policy, decarbonisation of homes, sustainable finance and better governance while ensuring housing affordability was officially launched on October 2021.

The report explores housing affordability challenges and existing policy instruments for improving housing affordability and facilitates the exchange and dissemination of good practices. The study addresses the following four topics: (1) housing governance and regulation; (2) access to finance and funding; (3) access and availability of land for housing construction; and (4) climate-neutral housing construction and renovation.

Many useful housing policy tools are brought together in this report to promote more affordable, inclusive and climateneutral housing outcomes. National, regional and local housing policymakers are encouraged to reflect on the causes of unaffordability and exclusion, and find ways to adapt and combine policy instruments to address local needs and conditions, and above all play a purposeful and long-term role in shaping more affordable and sustainable housing outcomes.

Some of the key messages:

• Policymakers have a responsibility to shape more resilient housing systems and ensure that decent homes and neighbourhoods are affordable, safe and accessible.
• Drivers of housing outcomes differ between countries, cities and even neighbourhoods. Policy tools need to be designed and adapted to address local conditions and often quite complex causal processes. Typically, several policies need to be used in tandem and their actions coordinated.
• Governments need not only the right suite of tools but also the capacity to implement them effectively, as well as to evaluate them over time and adapt to changing conditions. This requires not only the legislated authority and political support but also financial resources, administrative expertise, and stakeholder commitment to achieve the agreed targets.
• Housing systems are dynamic, and there is no “one best policy” for all time. Policies need to be coordinated purposefully, ensuring complementarity between objectives, key stakeholder roles, resources and actions.
• With the right financial, fiscal and taxation frameworks, coupled with purposeful housing delivery models and consumer support, policymakers can also shape the housing finance systems we need and ensure investment expands and protects affordable housing opportunities.

The report was developed within #Housing2030, a joint international initiative of UNECE, UN-Habitat and Housing Europe.

Read the report here: https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/Housing2030 study_E_web.pdf