Doubling housing production in the Paris region: a multi-policy, multi-jurisdictional response

Abstract

How can metropolitan regions ramp up housing production to meet the demands of a growing population, after years of inadequate construction and mounting challenges for affordability? I consider recent policy reforms in the Paris region that have successfully doubled that area’s housing-unit completion rate. I show that a focus on social housing, harnessing of publicly owned land, new financial and regulatory incentives, and the enforcement of municipal policy by higher level governments have effectively encouraged development. These policies complemented one another and were implemented by multiple levels of government as part of a shared metropolitan strategy. Paris’ example offers a model for other regions looking to identify appropriate policies to spur construction.