Brick by Brick
Building Better Housing Policies
The report brings together evidence, international experience and policy insights
for the design of housing policies. Emphasis is placed on three broad aspects: inclusiveness,
efficiency and sustainability. Inclusive access to housing has become increasingly
challenging in many OECD countries due to a large extent to rising housing costs,
which reflects the failure of housing supply to meet demand, particularly in jobs-rich
urban areas. Geographical constraints play a role, but in many cities regulations,
including on land-use and zoning provisions, also constrain supply. At the same time,
some regulations on tenant-landlord relations can discourage the development of rental
markets, pushing up rents. Moreover, the transition to a low-carbon economy poses
challenges for a sector that accounts for 17% of CO2 emissions and 37% of fine particulate
matter emissions globally. Almost two-thirds of countries worldwide still lack mandatory
building energy codes. Frontloading efforts is critical as dwellings have a very long
lifespan. The report lays out evidence-based options for concerted policy action to
address these challenges, while recognising complementarities and trade-offs amond
the different objectives of housing policies. The report is part of the OECD Housing
Tookit, which includes an interactive online dashboard of housing indicators and country
snapshots.
Published on May 31, 2021Also available in: German, French