AFK and NLA launches ‘SyLon: Housing as Infrastructure’ report
Housing shortages in global cities have reached a critical stage. We are calling for governments to treat housing as essential infrastructure—on par with transport, energy and water—if they are to prevent deepening economic and social damage.
Go straight to the full report via this link
AFK and NLA have launched the report “SyLon: Housing as Infrastructure, Lessons from Two Global Cities”, comparing the housing systems of London and Sydney. Our conclusion is that both cities are facing a structural delivery failure, where ambitious housing targets exist on paper, but the systems needed to turn those targets into homes are breaking down.
Housing policy must undergo a fundamental shift: away from episodic planning negotiations and toward long-term infrastructure-style investment and delivery frameworks capable of building homes at scale.
Without that shift, the housing crisis will continue to reshape who can afford to live in major cities, pushing workers further from jobs, straining public finances and undermining the long-term competitiveness of global urban economies.
The housing shortage is, at its core, a failure of delivery. We have the demand, the capital and the capability, yet we fall short because our systems are not aligned to act at pace or at scale. Until we treat housing as essential infrastructure, build pipelines that endure beyond political cycles, and align planning, funding and delivery into a single, coherent path, the crisis will deepen, and the cost will continue to fall on those least able to afford it.Earle Arney, Founder & CEO, AFK Studios
The gap between housing targets and actual delivery is widening each year
London needs to deliver around 88,000 homes per year, yet actual delivery has stagnated to between 30,000 to 45,000 homes annually for the past decade. This year is markedly worse, with just over 18,000 homes expected to complete—highlighting how the transition to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) regime in 2023 has introduced significant friction into the system at a time when delivery needs to accelerate.
The human and financial consequences are mounting rapidly: one in fifty Londoners are now homeless, or living in temporary accommodation, with London boroughs spend £5.5 million every day to manage the crisis. This is the cost of delay, measured not just in broken budgets, but in lives disrupted. Money is being spent firefighting, not building.
Sydney is facing a similarly dramatic affordability crunch. With 64% of homes now worth more than $1 million, the city’s housing pipeline is forecast to produce just 28,800 homes annually, barely half of what is required to meet demand.
A system failure—not a lack of ambition
Governments are not short of housing targets or policy announcements, but rather systems capable of turning ambition into actual homes.
Across both cities, several structural barriers are slowing or stopping housing delivery, keeping tens of thousands of potential homes from being built, including:
Rising construction costs that undermine project viability.
Planning systems where delays have become routine.
Regulatory uncertainty that discourages investment.
Infrastructure and housing planning that operate in isolation.
Lessons across oceans
Sydney’s planning reforms, streamlined approvals and state-led zoning, are reducing risk and accelerating development, offering a compelling model for London. Targeted zoning and density bonuses align viability with affordable housing goals, while coordinated infrastructure investment and government-led land assembly unlock stalled sites. Sydney also demonstrates that speed and quality can coexist through pre-approved design templates.
Conversely, London’s experience with building safety reform highlights the risks of overloading planning systems.
Together, these lessons point to a more balanced, effective approach to delivering housing at the pace and scale that both cities now require.
Key lessons for London from Sydney:
Align national and local delivery
Strategic zoning in targeted Opportunity Areas to remove risk
Unlock affordable housing through density bonuses
Package housing with infrastructure
Assemble well-connected land at scale
Standardise housing patterns for quality and speed
Key lessons for Sydney from London:
Prioritise ‘density done well’
Close the social housing gap through housing associations
Fund infrastructure through value capture
Ensure safety reforms support delivery rather than stall approvals
Have space standards protect quality without pricing people out
Build institutional rental housing (like BTR) as long-term infrastructure
Access the full report via this link
