3 Years of Affordable Housing — What Already Works, and Why It Matters

Three years after the launch of the National Housing & Construction Agenda, the direction is clear: 900,000 homes by 2030, two thirds of which are affordable. The new government designates at least 30 major new-build locations of national importance and wants more control. Now that the new government is again focusing on 100,000 homes per year and is pointing out large construction sites, the importance of collaboration, predictability and scalable solutions is greater than ever.

That said, we also know the challenges by now. Well-known problems such as nitrogen emissions, slow permitting, declining investments by investors, capacity shortages and fragile business cases driven by affordability requirements continue to hamper housing construction.

At the same time, new obstacles are emerging: think, for example, of grid congestion. In addition, there are concrete examples where delivering affordable homes and building them does work: by working smartly together, deploying the right instruments and staying the course. Those successes are the starting point for this meeting, with a focus on what already works — and why it offers hope and direction. Projects in which social renting, mid-market renting and affordable owner-occupation come together. Municipalities that take control early on. Investors that return once the playing field becomes predictable. And instruments that genuinely help first-time buyers move forward.

We will look at three current themes:

• Making mid-market renting work:
  How do we create a stable business case for mid-market renting? And how do we bring investors back into a segment that is crucial for nurses, teachers, police officers and young professionals?
• Making affordable home ownership scalable:
  Starter loans, NHG and mandatory affordable owner-occupation have proven their value. How do we speed up their application in more municipalities, regions and projects?
• Collaboration as the key:
  Successful projects arise where the municipality, housing association, developer and investor work together from day one. What can we learn from the area development projects and initiatives that are already succeeding?