Housing – Preventing the Walls From Closing in

Across Europe, the housing crisis has become further evidence that many societies have turned into rent-based systems, often to the detriment of younger generations and the most vulnerable. France is no exception, even if it is not the hardest hit, having built more housing than its neighbors and continuing to do so. One of the main challenges of housing policy lies in the multiplicity of actors involved - central government, local authorities, banks, and social housing providers - whose objectives and strategies are not necessarily aligned.

Housing is also at the center of a conflict of priorities between those who emphasize the environmental and climate impact of buildings and those who see it primarily as a matter of meeting a basic human need. In many countries, including the most liberal ones, there is a persistent confusion between policy goals and the tools used to achieve them, even though political preferences should concern the former rather than the latter.
Therefore, this raises the question of whether housing represents a case of both market failure and public policy failure.