There’s a Global Crisis in Affordable and Adequate Housing—Mobilizing Private Capital and Capabilities is Essential to Our Response

Writing for the World Economic Forum, Sam Chandan and Kalin Bracken, the Forum’s Head of Real Estate, explore the global crisis of housing affordability and adequacy, emphasizing that sustainable solutions require both public commitment and private-sector engagement. They argue that definitions of “affordable” and “adequate” housing vary widely by local context, with challenges ranging from housing shortages to poor quality or inaccessible stock. Effective responses must reflect on-the-ground realities, from upgrading informal settlements to mobilizing capital for construction workforce development or regulatory reform. While solutions must be locally tailored, one theme is universal: the scale of the housing challenge exceeds what the public sector can address alone. Meaningful progress demands private capital, development expertise, and long-term operational capacity—enabled by public policies that create the right conditions for private investment.