No easy housing fix: We need realistic responses to the homes crisis

Ah, the housing crisis—a topic as perennial as the British weather. In 2024, the dream of home ownership feels as distant as a hot day in November. The notion that giving up smashed avocados and skinny lattes will somehow pave the way to a mortgage has become a running joke at political party conferences of all colours and persuasions. But behind the laughter lies a grim reality: the housing market is a labyrinthine mess, and the younger generation (me included) is stuck in a Hotel California with no exit in sight.

Let’s start with the numbers. In 1985 the average salary was £14,000, and the average house price £29,000, just over twice the annual income. Today that average price has skyrocketed to about £288,000 in the UK, more than eight times the average salary. It’s no wonder the under-40s are feeling the pinch. Added to this, rents, especially in London, are soaring, and apps like SpareRoom and OpenRent used for finding rental property and flat shares, feel like a reincarnation of the Hunger Games. The idea of saving for a deposit while paying exorbitant rent is absurd.

The new government’s response? To deliver 1.5 million homes over the next five years. This is a welcome vision and goal to aspire to achieve. But every big-hairy-audacious-goal comes with blind spots and challenges. Past attempts at pushing up housing targets has left those in most need behind, making homes that ordinary folk can ill afford. The last Labour government’s vibe was ‘modernisation’, summed up by the ‘education, education, education’ mantra. The new one is ‘growth’ cemented by ‘housing, housing, housing.’

So where do we go from here? At RIBA, we’ve launched our latest report, Foundations for the Future – a new delivery model for social housing. Almost 1.3 million households are waiting for a home. In the meantime, local authorities across England spent £1.24 billion in the year up to March 2023 on reducing homelessness, including temporary accommodation. The report proposes using local authority-owned land to build mixed-tenure developments of social and market homes, reinvesting revenue from the sale of market homes to build more mixed-tenure developments.

As architects, we have a unique opportunity to rethink the very concept of housing. It’s not just about building more homes; it’s about redefining what a home is. We need to understand the nature of the domestic environment and the structure of the modern family. We must question the value of ownership and explore alternative models like co-housing and intergenerational living.

Architecture can offer innovative solutions by thinking from first principles. What if we designed homes that were adaptable to different life stages? Use our representational techniques to envision futures that are currently unimaginable? The architect must not just respond to the housing crisis but shape the future of the home.

We need to promote ways and policies that encourage people to move across different types of homes at different life stages, making better use of the existing housing stock. We should champion sustainable development that aligns with the UK’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard. And most importantly, we need to ensure that our designs are safe, sustainable and accessible, catering to the diverse needs of society.

The housing crisis is complex and requires a multifaceted approach. It’s not just about building more homes; it’s about designing proactively and strategically to meet the needs of the population and our communities in adaptable ways. Architects have the power to lead this change, to challenge the status quo and to offer solutions that are practical and innovative. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and do it. After all, my future home depends on it.