Why affordable housing needs fewer cars

Affordable housing and urban mobility are too often treated as separate policy domains. This session challenges this separation and argues that car-oriented planning is a structural driver of rising housing costs, spatial inequality and declining quality of life in cities worldwide. Mandatory parking requirements, car-dominated streets and long commuting distances increase costs, consume valuable urban land and reinforce car dependency—making housing less affordable and cities less inclusive. Drawing on evidence, municipal experience and urban design practice, the session explores how reducing car dependency and reclaiming street space can directly contribute to housing affordability, just mobility and more livable neighborhoods. Rather than focusing on vehicles or technologies, it centers on urban space, proximity and everyday needs. It brings together perspectives from cities, policy and design to examine the housing–mobility nexus through a justice lens. Key themes include parking reform, people-centered street design, access to public and active transport, and the role of integrated planning in lowering cost of living. The session is designed as an interactive networking event, combining short presentations with facilitated table discussions. Participants will exchange experiences, identify barriers and co-develop ideas for integrated housing and mobility strategies that advance affordability, inclusion and sustainability. Short inputs will include: -Evidence & policy: Parking mandates and housing affordability, drawing on the work of ECF, LINKS and JUST STREETS project -Active mobility & proximity: Making everyday life affordable without cars, drawing on the perspectives of Walk21 and UN-Habitat -Design & governance: Reclaiming streets and redistributing urban space, drawing on the experiences of MMU, AMB, and IPPLAN-Fortaleza from Türkiye, Spain and Brazil Presentations will be followed by moderated table discussions that address the challenge from a different angle—rules, levers, and alliances/skills—forming a systemic approach to making housing more affordable through mobility transformation: -Rules & hidden costs: How regulations like parking mandates or road standards drive housing costs and car dependency -Fast policy levers: What cities can change in the short term to reduce car dependence and everyday costs -Alliances, skills and capacity: Which coalitions and skills are needed to embed the housing–mobility link in practice and decision-making