Health-promoting housing policy in a changing climate: integrating affordability, security, and resilience

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new framework for housing policy that promotes health by integrating affordability, security, and climate resilience.

Contribution

The novel contribution is an interdisciplinary framework for health-promoting housing policy that integrates affordability, security, and climate resilience.

Findings

An integrated framework was developed through literature synthesis and interdisciplinary dialogue.

The framework maps themes against four policy levers: legal, financial, planning, and community-based measures.

The approach supports coordinated action across sectors to build equitable and resilient communities.

Abstract

Housing is a fundamental determinant of health, yet many housing systems fail to promote well-being or address growing challenges such as climate change, inequality, and urbanization. It is increasingly treated as an investment vehicle and as a commercial product supporting the construction industry, with substantial interactions with climate change, rather than its fundamental role providing shelter. This perspective addresses this gap by proposing an integrated framework for health-promoting housing policy that combines affordability, security, and quality, paying particular attention to their interdependence and the growing influence of climate, adopting a systems-thinking approach. The framework was developed through an iterative literature synthesis and interdisciplinary dialogue, designed to overcome the disciplinary fragmentation of existing evidence. We conducted structured searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, supplemented by grey literature, concentrating on materials published since 2010, reflecting the increasing relevance of climate resilience and equity. Inclusion criteria focused on sources examining housing–health interactions, policy interventions, and systemic challenges; purely technical engineering studies were excluded. Themes were mapped against four policy levers, legal, financial, planning, and community-based measures. The resulting framework offers policymakers a flexible menu of options to strengthen housing systems and advance health equity. By integrating climate resilience and social inclusion into housing policy, this approach provides a foundation for coordinated action across sectors. Aligning housing policy with public health goals is essential for building equitable, sustainable, and resilient communities.

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