Local Housing Policy in Electoral Programmes and Coalition Agreements

In the Czech Republic, a municipality attends to the general development of its territory and to the needs of its citizens according to the law. Housing are one of the most important need to be satisfied for local people. In post-socialist countries, early years of housing policy was characterised by the retreat of the state. After 1989 local representatives preferred a marketization of this area too. Thirty years later we face the global house price boom. It has mainly occurred in major urban centres. Especially young people are facing the problem of decreasing housing affordability accompanied by booming market rents. Policies (in the area of welfare, housing) have a significant but context-dependent impact on the prospects young people have for accessing homeownership and for the housing pathways they follow in general (Forest, Hirayama 2009). In congress, we will present study of the programme statements of electoral parties and coalition agreements in chosen regional centres with special focus on housing policy. We are interested in suggestions of political parties. Among others we will address the questions: Who are the most important actors of local housing policy? Which roles should play local government, residents (or those who wish to reside) – especially young generation of them, developers etc.?