National Urban Policies and Housing. A Metropolitan approach to reach housing affordability

The current housing crisis is one of the most urgent challenges facing contemporary societies, with direct impacts on social equity, territorial cohesion, economic development, and the effective exercise of human rights. Although it is a cross-cutting phenomenon, it affects territories unevenly, with large cities and metropolitan areas experiencing its most intense effects due to their demographic, functional, and territorial complexity. In this context, National Urban Policies (NUPs) have become key instruments for addressing urban challenges, including housing, through integrated, multilevel, and cross-sectoral approaches. By articulating different levels of government and policy domains, NUPs influence both territorial organisation and sectoral dynamics, particularly in the housing sector. They therefore provide a strategic framework for linking territorial governance models with specific sectoral challenges, enabling coherent, coordinated, and context-sensitive responses to the complexity of contemporary cities. The proposed event at the World Urban Forum will analyse the relationship between national urban policies and affordable housing, drawing on the experience of the Spanish Urban Agenda and focusing especially on metropolitan areas. Through two high-level panels, the session will compare experiences, programmes, and projects developed in metropolitan contexts, while examining the role of NUPs as catalysts for housing initiatives. The discussion will also highlight the importance of embedding housing policies within broader intersectoral frameworks and ensuring effective multilevel governance and institutional coordination. The event will be jointly organised by the Government of Spain, through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, in collaboration with the Metropolis. It will bring together representatives of national governments, metropolitan authorities, academia, and international organisations in a multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed at sharing good practices, generating collective learning, and strengthening strategic partnerships. Through this exchange, the event seeks to contribute to the global urban agenda and to highlight the strategic role of national urban policies and metropolitan governance as a fundamental pillar for people-centred housing and sustainable urban development.