The Role of Town Planning in Solving the Housing Crisis

Abstract Orthodox economic analysis has for decades blamed the planning system for a lack of supply of housing. In that time, the reputation of democratic planning has collapsed with rounds of deregulation, which, at their worst, are leading to a new generation of slum housing. This article pushes back against the anti‐planning orthodoxy, arguing that it is the behaviour of highly speculative private sector house builders and the lack of public sector delivery that have led us to our current crisis.