Plenary five: A panel discussion of the housing crisis

Housing policy is fiercely contested, in debates that cross usual party lines.  An increasing body of research, endorsed in numerous official reports, argues that planning restrictions make housing expensive.  However, others argue that restrictions on new housing construction are necessary to preserve neighbourhood character.  They also argue that decisions on new housing need to be closely planned and coordinated with new infrastructure. Another camp argues that allowing market forces to drive housing decisions would weaken the position of low-income earners and other vulnerable members of the community.