Cities Making Housing Affordable

Amid a deepening housing crisis across regions, the European Affordable Housing Plan offers a timely example of a comprehensive regional effort to diagnose and address the structural drivers of unaffordability. By combining measures to boost supply, mobilise public and private investment, and support vulnerable groups, it reflects a growing recognition that housing challenges require coordinated action across multiple levels of governance. As legislative and financing instruments are developed to operationalise the Plan, World Urban Forum 13 provides a timely opportunity to interrogate more directly the role of cities in making housing affordable—drawing on global experience and diverse policy perspectives. Housing affordability is a global challenge, shaped by realities ranging from financialised housing markets to widespread informality and rapid urbanisation. This session explores a central tension across these contexts: cities are increasingly positioned as key actors, but operate within constraints defined by national frameworks, global capital flows and market dynamics. In many instances they lack the competencies to drive change. Bringing together contrasting perspectives—from city leaders and investors to policy makers —the discussion explores what can realistically be expected from cities in making housing affordable. Are cities effective agents of change, constrained implementers, or even contributors to the crisis? By connecting regional insights with global experiences, the session aims to move beyond consensus and toward a more grounded understanding of how housing affordability can be advanced in practice.