HOUSING SUMMIT

Public tools to increase land supply for housing, including land banking, activation of underused land, use of public land, and strategies to generate housing capacity within consolidated cities.

Land supply is consistently identified as the primary structural bottleneck for housing delivery, especially in cities where demand, affordability pressures, and planning constraints converge. The session will examine the tools cities use to activate land for housing, addressing how land can be identified, planned, governed, and mobilised through public action, regulatory frameworks, and strategic coordination. It will also consider the role of public land, zoning, land value capture, and inter-institutional cooperation in creating housing opportunities that support affordability, urban quality, social value, and long-term public interest.

Not all affordable housing has to be publicly delivered. Across the world, cooperative housing, community land trusts, co-housing, and other collaborative models are offering alternatives to both the market and the state, fostering affordability, social cohesion, and resident agency. Where they thrive, these models can provide stable, community-oriented, and democratically managed homes, supported by legal frameworks, access to land and finance, technical capacity, and long-term governance structures. Drawing from international cooperative networks, local housing federations, and emerging delivery actors, the conversation will look at how these models can grow, what conditions they require, and how their lessons can inform broader housing policy.

Meeting housing demand at the pace required in many cities calls for a fundamental shift in how homes are produced. Industrialised construction, modular systems, and digital tools can help build faster, more consistently and with greater efficiency, while improving quality control, reducing waste, and optimising site conditions. Scaling these approaches, however, requires the right procurement models, regulatory frameworks, technical standards, and public sector capacity. The conversation will focus on how industrialised housing can move from isolated pilots to reliable delivery systems, without compromising quality, sustainability, social standards, affordability requirements, or urban integration.

Barcelona’s experience in housing rehabilitation brings together many of the challenges cities face when upgrading existing homes: ageing buildings, complex ownership structures, vulnerable households, limited investment capacity, and the need for coordination between public authorities, property managers, and residents. Through the city’s work on complex buildings and neighbourhood regeneration, the session will explore how local tools, public support, and community engagement can make rehabilitation more feasible, inclusive, and effective, turning Barcelona’s practice into a broader conversation on urban housing renewal.

Rental markets are under growing pressure from rising rents, tourism-related uses, short-term rentals, and speculative dynamics, making it harder for many households to access and remain in affordable housing. As regulation becomes a central tool to respond to market distortion, the session will look at how cities and governments are working to restore balance between tenant rights, housing supply, and long-term urban liveability, while bringing together local, regional, and international perspectives on rent affordability.