Housing Policies in France: Issues and Discussions

Often accused of having failed to meet all the needs of the sector, housing policies in France are highly complex, under the combined effect of the diversity of the objectives they pursue (economic, social and urban) and of the large number of players responsible for their design and implementation. This accumulation of national and local legitimacies creates both numerous inconsistencies and a poor legibility of the results obtained.

Nevertheless, it is possible to identify at least four topics of national debates on housing policies, that we can highlight by some perspectives on the situations and policies of EU countries. Can we, for instance, discuss the relevance of the repeatedly stated objective of building 500,000 new dwellings each year in France? What is expected of a France of homeowners and is it really an absolute priority in our country? Why and how to regulate private rented markets? Should social housing be reserved for the poorest?