Jake's View | Public housing plan is a case of too much, too late
Given a chance, developers will build a surplus of homes. Adding more government-subsidised flats to the mix only floods the market further
"We have come to some consensus as to the future direction. Given the current demand, the government should take a more active role in providing public housing."
There are many questionable assumptions underlying this statement but I shall focus on one. It is that normal market forces have not been up to the job of providing people with decent housing, and thus government must do it.
It ignores, first of all, that government always plays the key role in housing, does so in every city on earth and has done so throughout history. Government controls the use of land, regulates building locations and establishes building codes. The appearance of any town is a direct reflection of government policies.