Housing affordability has been an important public policy issue since the onset of the pandemic. Economist Emily Hamilton explains the research on some popular affordable housing policies.
Affordable housing has become a middle-class problem, and Ontario’s latest housing report reflects an approach that continues to marginalize those with the greatest need.
Judith Keller, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
So much went wrong with the homes built by the Make It Right Foundation that its low-income homebuyers were deprived of the financial security they were promised.
As demand grows for real estate and housing prices rise, more people are being priced out of the market. Government intervention is needed to produce affordable housing and control speculation.
More housing supply doesn’t mean lower prices. If policy-makers want to make homes more affordable, they must tackle developers who drive up prices and consider taxing capital gains on homes.
The government has long promoted the idea that we can build our way out of the housing crisis. Startling numbers of empty homes suggest the problem isn’t one of scarcity but affordability
As we push for a real solution — an increase in housing supply and related supports — the encampment evictions must stop. We need to make encampments unnecessary.
The fact that Canadian house prices have risen far beyond rental rates tells us that it’s due to financial factors alone — not a lack of supply. House prices are asset prices.
We need more research and research capacity that’s better suited to current housing challenges. We must inform housing providers and policy-makers to provide solutions and evaluate those solutions.
Managed retreat doesn’t always mean leaving. It’s about preserving the essential while redesigning communities to be better for everyone. Here’s what that can look like.
Professor; School of Economics, Finance and Property, and Director, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Curtin Research Centre, Curtin University