Governing regional affordability

Affordability has long been approached from an urban perspective. However, in this article Tuna Tasan-Kok, Andre Legarza and Sara Özogul introduce an approach that centers on regional governance rather than urban-centric interventions in affordable housing delivery and investment. It highlights the need to align municipal-level regulations and shape complex actor landscapes involved in housing production across wide geographies.

The research examines the regulatory infrastructure across multiple levels of administration within the MRA, emphasizing the increasing complexity of municipal-level regulations targeting affordable housing. It also explores the investment landscape of affordable residential investment and development across the region. The findings demonstrate the interest of property market actors in investing in affordable housing within the MRA and the challenges they face due to varying regulations across municipalities. The article emphasizes the potential of regional-level governance infrastructures to directly interact with and shape housing production by property market actors across broader geographies.

Furthermore, the article demonstrates formalizing regional-level guidelines, strategies, and financing to enhance strategic thinking and address affordability objectives across wider geographies. It emphasizes the potential of regional development strategies and the interplay between regional governance and real estate knowledge.

While acknowledging debates around the legitimacy of regional governance structures, the study argues that regional governance regimes can play a crucial role in shaping and stimulating affordable housing production and investment across broader geographies. The article specifically calls for further exploration of democratic representation at the metropolitan level to strengthen regional-level governance interventions.

In doing so, the article highlights suggests that there could be a significance difference to how more comprehensive regional governance could address housing and social inequalities.  The article also offers insights into the development of new regional regulatory infrastructures, referencing EU level policy and programs that could help bolster the effectiveness of regional governance arrangements.

The full publication can be accessed here: Tuna Taşan-Kok, Andre Legarza & Sara Özogul (2022) Governing regional affordability: rethinking the production of affordable spaces across the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam (MRA), Regional Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2022.2120979