WUF12 session rallies leaders to tackle the housing crisis

With the global housing crisis impacting millions, leaders at the World Urban Forum’s special session “It all starts at home” dived into urgent solutions to create accessible, safe housing for everyone. The lively discussion touched on everything from affordability to climate resilience, with a clear message: housing must be a priority in sustainable development.

“We are still stuck with this problem of housing, and it looks like it’s becoming worse. What strikes me is way it is turning out to be problem in developed countries.  There’s a huge problem of affordability,” said Bishwapriya Sanyal, Professor at MIT.

One of the most striking topics was the rise of informal settlements and slums, which have surged worldwide over the past decade. Thanks to recent data, we now have a more complete picture of the communities’ needs in these settlements, which can guide more effective local solutions.

“Slums and informal settlements can be an opportunity to address the housing crisis that we are currently facing.  Slum dwellers are organized, they are collecting data, they are planning on their own. By the time they go to the governments, they already have three quarters of the solution, and often times they’re just asking for the last quarter,” said Beth Chitekwe-Biti, Director of the Secretariat of Slum Dwellers International.

Participants highlighted the crisis of homelessness, with over 318 million people currently without stable shelter. They argued that homelessness should be addressed as a fundamental rights issue rather than a problem to penalize.

In many developing countries, income constraints place housing out of reach for much of the population. The session emphasized the need for flexible financial systems that would make housing accessible to low-income communities. “People want to change. But the tools and the system are not changing […]. We have to develop financial systems that work for the people,” said Somsook Boonyabancha, President of the Asian Coalition for Human Rights.

Climate change’s impact on housing emerged as a shared concern. Extreme weather events and rising sea levels increasingly threaten communities, especially those in fragile housing. The session reinforced that resilience must be built into housing solutions to withstand these challenges. Sustainable materials and innovative designs were among the ideas discussed for creating climate-ready housing.

On questions on policy and power dynamics, access to land remained central to the discussion, seen as critical to solving housing issues. Without land rights, the panellists said, other resources become inaccessible for many communities. Speakers stressed the importance of rethinking land use policies and engaging local voices in planning.

In wrapping up, the session called on governments to uphold the right to adequate housing, with a strong emphasis on accountability. Speakers also pointed to successful housing models worldwide, but cautioned that scaling these efforts requires adaptation to fit local needs.