How can we solve the housing affordability crisis?

If we look around the world, we would notice that some of the wealthiest countries have a really big problem. Prices for housing are way too high, and prices for new housing are also too high. Obviously, we would need to figure out different solutions depending on the country or region, as the economic and political conditions are very different everywhere, but here are some general ideas. <br><br>First, I would like to mention that there is also a construction crisis, with prices for construction materials way too high. On of the reasons for that is too many counterproductive regulations by the government. A trade liberalization would be necessary, nationally and internationally, which can include pulling out of trade agreements like NAFTA, but a better solution would be to update them. Another crucial change is a deregulation of the construction industry and real estate market. <br><br>Another important thing is to make real estate more affordable is to allow ordinary people to buy building land, improving access and removing barriers for new buyers. At the same time, prices for building land, for new and old, will decrease. <br><br>A greater variety of houses could help to decrease prices too. A good example of how that can be achieved is modular houses. They can be affordable for the buyers, and cheap to produce for the constructors. And we can have new types of housing like sustainable zero energy houses. These types of houses are cheaper in the long run.<br><br>But I guess that many of these ideas require a big change in society, in the sense that they require a bigger market, more production, and more buyers. That can be achieved with a higher economic growth rate. I would like to know what are your thoughts and ideas about all this, as I certainly don’t have all the answers.