🏠 Building Blocks - Week 21

🔹 Welcome to Building Blocks - where we look at trends impacting real estate, sustainability, and profitability.  

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From the Editor 

Welcome to Building Blocks — where we explore real estate, technology, and the future of urban living. 

This week, our Future Cities spotlight turns to Los Angeles — a sprawling global city pushing the boundaries of what smart, sustainable urbanism looks like. From electrification mandates to mobility innovation and resilient housing design, LA is merging tech and policy to drive a more connected, lower-carbon future. It’s not just a city adapting — it’s a blueprint for what’s next. 

Separately, we take a deeper look at affordable housing — and the growing recognition that this isn’t just a social issue, it’s an economic one. Across the UK, Europe, and globally, affordability gaps are constraining productivity, exacerbating inequality, and threatening the broader goals of a just climate transition. 

In London, research shows that improving housing affordability could boost the economy by over £7 billion in a decade. In Europe, failing to integrate housing into the green transition risks leaving millions behind — especially the most vulnerable. 

The message is clear: housing affordability isn't just about equity — it’s about economic resilience. And cities that fail to solve for it may struggle to deliver on climate, growth, and inclusion at once. 

Let’s keep building — intelligently, equitably, and together. 

— Johan Tellvik 

🌍 Future Cities – Los Angeles, USA 🌿🚀 

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From the Pacific coastline to its dynamic urban core, Los Angeles is emerging as a smart city leader—integrating technology, sustainability, and equity into real estate to drive data-informed, inclusive urban transformation.   

⚡ Powering Progress: LA’s clean energy push and electrification codes drive a shift to high-performance buildings.   

🌞 Community Solar Access: Solar incentives and local projects bring affordable green power to more residents.   

🚉 Connected Living: Metro expansion, micro-mobility, and safer streets improve access and reduce congestion.   

🏢 Greener + Fairer Housing: Energy-efficient, affordable homes backed by Measure ULA support housing equity.   

🌳 Stronger Neighborhoods: Greening, air monitoring, and resilience efforts help communities thrive. 

🚀 Europe and its affordable housing dilemma 

Affordable Housing: The Missing Piece in Europe’s Just Transition Puzzle 

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Can a transition to a greener economy be just if millions of people still lack access to safe, affordable housing? 

As Europe embarks on its ambitious journey toward a climate-neutral future, it risks overlooking one of the most foundational elements of a truly Just Transition: housing. Far more than just shelter, housing underpins economic stability, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Ignoring this critical pillar means leaving behind the very communities most affected by the green transition—workers in transitioning industries, low-income families, and marginalized groups. Unless housing becomes central to the green agenda, the promise of justice in this transition will remain unfulfilled. 

🚀 London and Economic Implications 

Research shows £7.3 billion economic boost through improved housing affordability in London 

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The research – commissioned by London Councils, the Mayor of London, Trust for London, and the G15 – has found that a 1% increase in housing affordability in the capital could bring a boost to economic output worth £7.3 billion over the course of a decade. This comes thanks to an economic model that identified the impact that housing affordability has on productivity and growth within the city. 

🌍 Housing Solutions 🌿🚀 

Housing and inequality: A critical link in economic disparities 

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Most importantly, policymakers must adopt multifaceted strategies. Expanding affordable housing initiatives can alleviate financial burdens on low-income families. Revising tax policies – such as reducing mortgage interest deductions for high-income households – can help address wealth inequality. Strengthening anti-discrimination measures and reforming zoning laws to encourage diverse housing development are also critical steps. Finally, providing protections for renters, including eviction safeguards, without interfering with the efficiency of the housing market is an important avenue for policy research.