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.