The conversation shared below was part of the YIMBYtown 2022 conference, cohosted by Sightline Institute and Portland: Neighbors Welcome.*
Not every country suffers from acute housing shortages, spiraling prices, displacement, and the rest of the NIMBY nightmare. In this video, we hear—via Zoom from Europe—from leading observers about three fascinating places.
- Germany has among the affordable and stable home prices and rents in the industrial world. What’s the story? Konstantin Kholodin of DIW Berlin and Thiess Büttner of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg recount Germany’s experience.
- Paris was in a full-on housing crisis and then it started building enormous amounts of housing. How did that happen? Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute in Washington, DC, explains.
- And the UK recently adopted an intriguing new approach to housing reform: what is it and how will it work? John Myers of YIMBY Alliance, London, tells the tale. Moderating the whole conversation and adding valuable US context is Jenny Schuetz of the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.
Related:
- Yes, Other Countries Do Housing Better, Case 2: Germany
Most German localities welcome new homes; their budgets depend on it. - Yes, Other Places Do Housing Better, Case 3: Paris
The world’s most improved city for abundant housing in low-carbon neighborhoods - Yes, Other Countries Are Making More Progress on Housing, Case 4: The United Kingdom and New Zealand
Bold strokes against residential lockdown.
*YIMBYtown 2022 occurred April 11–13 in Portland, Oregon, the fourth annual gathering (after some COVID delays) of “Yes in My Back Yard” (YIMBY) community leaders, organizers, planners, policymakers, educators, and housing providers eager to share resources and strategies for building more affordable, sustainable, and equitable communities.
