London’s housing crisis is real, but responses to it are incoherent and weakly evidenced.

LSE London’s year-long project, ‘Housing in London: addressing the supply crisis’, seeks to improve this debate and influence local, London-wide and national housing policy. There is an evident need for improvements in London’s housing market, including more and higher-quality new construction, enhanced affordability, and a better match between households and dwellings. Through a series of events and publications, this project will:

• Generate political, public, and media debate about addressing the capital’s housing supply crisis;
• Facilitate a dialogue amongst diverse stakeholders on innovative ways of reducing housing inequalities in London;
• Strengthen the evidence base on effective responses to the housing crisis;
• Influence housing policy at the local, London, and national levels by identifying a practical programme of improvement;
• Disseminate cutting-edge research to policy makers and market actors.

The housing supply crisis is a multifaceted problem. Over the year, LSE London will be exploring the issue through programming tied to four major themes: new housing and the London Plan;  improving private renting; alternative housing; and the role of foreign money.

Within these themes, we will address the major barriers to improving London’s housing crisis and explore innovative ways forward through workshops, site-visits, and stakeholder focus groups. Multimedia outputs will bring the project to life, with thought-provoking research expressed through blog posts and short films. The project will include a provocative debate to coincide with the production of party manifesto priorities, tying our research and findings to material action. A final conference will draw on all themes, involve international experts facing similar issues, and set the agenda for the debate moving towards the Mayoral and local government elections in 2016.

LSE London has a long legacy of producing influential housing-related research and bringing together key stakeholders involved in London’s most pressing economic and social issues. This HEIF 5 project will draw on our previous success facilitating similar discussions about pressing issues like migration.

Details of every project event, discussion, and publication will be presented on this site. Check back frequently to find out ways you can get involved and to follow the exciting conversation as it progresses.