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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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary
Designing Policies for Efficient, Inclusive and Sustainable Housing
Promoting Housing Affordability
Enhancing Resilience
Boosting Housing Market Efficiency
Measuring the Role of Housing in the Distribution of Wealth
Lifting Obstacles to Residential Mobility
Reconciling Housing and the Environment
Improving the Governance of Housing
Upgrading the Evidence Base
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