Working with partners in Hamburg (DE), Barcelona (ES) and Zurich (CH), the City and Regional Research group has completed a final report and case study reports for the ESPON Territorial study “RESH: Regional Effects of Housing Shortage.”

Initiated by stakeholders from the Swiss Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), this project aimed to provide insights and guidance for policymakers dealing with housing shortages whose effects extend beyond the boundaries of a single municipality, affecting cities and towns across large metropolitan agglomerations.

To better understand the dynamics driving these housing shortages, as well as the policy responses and conflicts being driven by them, the team conducted interviews across five Swiss urban agglomerations and comparable European regions. The result was four detailed case studies: Salzburg (AT); Lille (FR) and Hanover and Munich (DE). Researchers looked at policy documents and housing market data before conducting interviews with numerous high-level officials and experts in each region to better understand the region’s response to housing shortage and its implications for regional governance.

Additionally, the City and Regional Research Group provided summaries of policy development in five North American urban regions and a framework based on previously existing research in Flanders (BE). These elements combine to offer readers a wide-ranging and policy-oriented introduction to addressing the regional effects of housing shortages.

Download the report from the ESPON website: https://www.espon.eu/publications/resh-final-report, opens an external URL in a new window