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Why the right approach can mean housing policy is for the common good
The coronavirus crisis has shown that policymakers can easily act for the common good. This should be followed through in housing policy after the recovery begins, argues Richard Jennings
Everything we are seeing in response to COVID-19 is focused on the common good over the needs of the individual.
From staying at home, to restricting the range of goods in the supermarkets, and introducing unprecedented employment support, the focus is on maintaining all of society as best we can.
As placemakers we could argue that housing is the ultimate common good, creating places and spaces that meet the needs of every individual and providing for every individual’s housing needs to create flourishing communities.
The all-too-common reality is that the housing market fails to operate for the common good. Big PLCs focus on profit and individual transactions, while the affordable housing sector picks up the pieces at the other end of the socio-economic spectrum.
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Many of us have tried to shift this balance through mixed-tenure regeneration and continuous innovation, and while we can all point to great, award-winning successes, there still remains an imbalance in the housing system.
Land supply is controlled by too few players and their business models do not encourage diversity and equality of access to housing.
What would a future housing system look like that focused on the needs of the common good, transcending the needs and wants of the individual?
For starters it could tackle the challenge of nimbyism and ensure sustainable growth of our villages, towns and cities.
It would have to be genuinely mixed tenure as the current crisis has shown that society is stronger as a whole. Many will have struggled with the message of ‘stay at home’ when they lack basic housing security and safety.
It would also have to be genuinely affordable, following the principles of equality demonstrated through this crisis to base rent and sales on what people can actually afford to pay. In reality this will be about equity of access, as many will continue to need subsidised housing.
We should encourage all parties to challenge the status quo and through policies and funding shift the focus away from housebuilding to placemaking.
“What would a future housing system look like that focused on the needs of the common good, transcending the needs and wants of the individual?”
This will require patience and resilience and, above all, action. Housing needs to be embedded in the nation’s infrastructure.
Planning and more diversity in supply are required to ensure long-term sustainability of the construction, asset management and customer service sectors.
To achieve this, we need courageous and ethical decisions in a world where there is a lot less predictability.
The current crisis has shown that policymakers have the ability to do this and we should all encourage them to continue once the country moves into recovery, as, after health, housing is the ultimate common good.
Richard Jennings, managing director, Castle Rock Edinvar
