Small towns cannot simply be regarded as places with an ample supply of affordable housing or as buffers for strained metropolitan housing markets. Their housing situations vary considerably depending on their location, economic development, demographic structure, housing stock and connections to larger urban regions.

The position paper identifies four central challenges:

- Housing provision often concentrates on a limited range of housing types, while housing needs are becoming increasingly diverse.

- Housing markets dominated by owner-occupied single-family homes are facing growing demand for affordable and flexible rental housing.

- The objective of developing existing settlement areas is frequently undermined by the continued designation of new building land on the outskirts.

- Many local authorities lack the human and financial resources required to pursue an active housing and land policy.

The authors call for systematic and comparative research into small-town housing markets, housing needs, segregation patterns and local development dynamics. At the same time, they emphasise the need for practical tools that enable local authorities to monitor housing stock and vacancies, revitalise existing buildings, strengthen rental housing and develop integrated land and housing policies.

Rather than proposing one-size-fits-all solutions, the position paper advocates data-based strategies tailored to the specific local conditions of different types of small towns.

The position paper was developed by the ARL Working Group “Housing in Small Towns: Real Estate Markets, Segregation Patterns and Housing Practices” and is available Open Access >> https://doi.org/10.60683/df21-wn11