As awareness increases of the economic malaise that has beset the UK over the last decade or so, politicians are keen to identify ways to drive the economy forward.
It is accepted that delivering new infrastructure has a crucial role to play. Roads, railway lines, light rail and energy generation (amongst other things) can help the economy function more efficiently, increasing productivity and ultimately prosperity.
New housing is notably absent from that debate. While the primary role of a house will always be as a home - a safe, affordable place to live and raise a family - housing is also critical economic infrastructure. The number of homes near key economic centres is a limiting factor on the size of the potential workforce, with consequences for specialisation, efficiency and productivity.
This isn't a new or controversial insight - it was key finding of Kate Barker's 2004 review of the housing market, for example - but in his latest column for Housing Today our managing director, Paul Smith, explains why it is a fact we should be talking about more.
