Expanding Public Housing Stock
Cities can increase their housing stock by building, purchasing, or reclaiming homes. For example, Barcelona’s Right to Housing Plan (2016–2025) foresees the creation of 8,000 new public rental units, most of which are reserved for affordable housing. The city also exercises its right of first refusal to purchase properties before speculators and imposes fines or acquires long-term vacant homes to bring them back into use. In Spain, municipalities are granted legal powers to act against vacant units, while Denmark promotes affordability through a robust non-profit housing sector that now provides homes for nearly one million people across 600,000 units.
Regulating Tourist Rentals
Tourist rentals often reduce housing availability for local residents. Barcelona has taken one of the boldest steps in Europe, announcing the gradual phase-out of all 10,000 tourist-apartment licenses by 2028. London allows short-term lets for a maximum of 90 days per year, while Denmark caps them at 70–100 nights, depending on local authority approval.
Incentivizing Public-Private Partnerships and Cooperative Housing Models
Governments also foster alternatives through subsidies and partnerships. Cities such as Vienna, Paris, and Barcelona have developed hybrid models aimed at providing their populations with subsidized housing while preserving a strong bargaining position for the municipality. The Habitage Metròpolis Barcelona initiative, for example, creates housing on public land in collaboration with private partners under rules that guarantee permanent affordability. In parallel, public–community schemes can be deployed to support cooperatives and foundations in constructing new housing units.
photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0