Housing affordability can be broadly defined as “the ability of households to buy or rent adequate housing, without impairing their ability to meet basic living costs” (OECD, 2021). Common indicators of housing affordability are housing cost burden (rent or mortgage) and other housing related expenditures (energy, water, taxes...) relative to the disposable household income. However, definition and measurement of affordable housing remain a subject of ongoing debates (Haffner & Hulse, 2021). Commuting costs, access to amenities, and overall household well-being are concerned. 

In many countries, affordable housing has emerged as a source of concern (Fields & Hodkinson, 2018) (Galster & Lee, 2021)(Anacker, 2019). Low-income and middle income households are experiencing increased difficulties in meeting housing expenditures, impacting their living conditions.

The crisis stems from various factors, such as short-term rental, house prices increase, rent increase, gentrification, lack of land supply, land-use law, cost of construction and cost of renovation, high interest rates.

Common strategies to address the housing affordability challenge involve interventions in the private rental sector (rent control), initiatives supporting homeownership for low-income and middle income households, and subsidized rental market (Baqutaya et al., 2016) (Del Pero et al., 2016) (Daud et al., 2017) (Hemmings & Conigrave, 2022).

Papers exploring the causes and consequences of affordable housing shortage, its impact, and policies and solutions implemented at local or national level, are welcome in this session.