Land Policies for Affordable Housing explores how land policy can be used to address the global affordable housing crisis. As housing affordability has become a major challenge and urgent need worldwide, research has largely centered on housing policy, neglecting the essential role that land policy plays in shaping housing outcomes. This book addresses that gap by examining how the use, access, and distribution of land are governed across different national and local contexts to support (or hinder) affordable housing provision.

Bringing together scholars from around the globe, the book offers a comparative analysis of diverse planning systems and housing regimes, from discretionary to plan-led approaches, and from tenant-oriented to homeownership-based models. It examines a wide variety of land policy instruments, including zoning, fiscal tools, property rights, and development contracts, to explore how public and private actors engage in the production of affordable housing. Importantly, it contrasts property and land policy traditions: from libertarian frameworks that emphasize strong individual property rights, to more interventionist, social-democratic or socialist models where public authorities play a more active role in land regulation for housing provision. Across these case studies, the book also compares how affordability is defined, highlighting the different interpretations and meanings of affordability.

By comparing successes and challenges across a wide range of international case studies, the book provides fresh perspectives on how land policy can alleviate or exacerbate the affordable housing crisis. As cities and urban regions grapple with affordable housing shortages, local governments are reviving or reinventing land policies to actively shape their housing markets and regain influence over increasingly market-driven housing systems. These cases offer important insights into the conditions under which land policy can contribute to more equitable urban development, and the potential institutional, political, and financial barriers that may stand in the way.

At a time when affordable housing is at the top of urban agendas globally, Land Policies for Affordable Housing provides timely insights into how land governance can be reshaped to meet affordability needs. It is an essential resource for scholars, planners, and activists interested in understanding how land policy can be used to tackle one of the most critical challenges facing cities today.