[papa0101]

That, and reduce the immigration ffs. Importing a city-sized population (500k+) every year? - Sorry mate, you just won't be able to build a new city every year.

[nikanj]

In the 1950s the UK was adding about 260k babies per year with a population of about 50 million, or about 0.52% per year

Net migration (immigrants - emigrants) in 2024 was about 0.63%.

I would hope the productivity advances in the last 75(!) years would allow the Uk to build enough homes for 0.63% growth, when our 1950s tools and technology allowed them to accommodate a 0.52% growth

[yesfitz]

Housing demand caused by births and immigration are different. A baby generally calls for an additional bedroom (easier away from the city), an adult migrant generally calls for their own residence near other migrants (easier in the city).

In the past, the population was growing even while net migration was negative. This means people were having babies. This trend reversed in the '80s and migration has made up somewhere between 37% and 128% of annual population growth since then.[1]

There'd have to be some incredible innovation to overcome increased regulation around zoning and dwelling construction generally, NIMBYism, financialization of everything, and a preference shift towards living in land-scarce cities (urban population up ~145% since 1950).

1: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/uk-population...

[fragmede]

Tell that to China, who has been building so many new cities that their housing crisis is too many homes.

[Cthulhu_]

That's what investor money will do; in western Europe, the same thing has happened with office buildings. At one point, 40% of all office space in the Netherlands was vacant. Investors prefer to invest in office space over housing because it's less parties to interact with, higher rent, 10 year lease contracts, and 100 year lifespan.

[ahmeneeroe-v2]

China and the UK are not comparable in scale. Also China isn't importing permanent immigrant populations

[more_corn]

Without population growth and without immigration your economy will collapse. Good luck with that.

[RajT88]

I mean. Had it escaped your attention those immigrants are he ones building the cities?

[anonym29]

Great, immigrants build as much or more housing than they occupy, as a whole. Good news everyone - problem solved! There's no housing shortage after all!