This research studies affordable housing design outcomes in six contexts: England; Santiago, Chile; Shenzen, China; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; and Zurich, Switzerland. Here, affordable housing is broadly defined as housing that is rented or sold below market rates. This often necessitates some form of subsidy, but, as the individual country pages explain, these are not always government-backed subsidies.
The six contexts analysed have distinct affordable housing provision systems in place. These systems can be classified by the types of providers, types of affordable housing (tenure), target groups and financing (subsidies).
| Country | Provider | Financing | Form of tenure | Target Group |
| England | Local authorities Housing associations | Government subsidies, Cross-subsisidies, Planning obligations | Social-rented | Socially and economically disadvantaged |
| Affordable-rented | Low- to mid-income households | |||
| Shared ownership | Mid-income households | |||
| Chile | Private housebuilders | Government subsidies | Subsidised homeownership | Low-income households |
| Mid-income households | ||||
| China | Regional authorities' subsidiary companies | Government subsidies | Public rental housing | Low-middle-income households with urban household registration and housing difficulties. |
| Affordable rental housing | Qualified new citizens, young people, and some high-skilled workers. | |||
| Housing for talent workers | High-skilled professionals | |||
| Shared homeownership | Middle-income households | |||
| Netherlands | Housing corporations | Cross-subsidies, land subsidies, planning obligations | Social rented | |
| Intermediate rented | ||||
| Spain | Arms length municipal organisations | Cost-sale, cross-subsidies | Protected housing | Mid-income households |
| Switzerland | Cooperatives | Cost-rent, government-backed credits, land subsidies | Cooperative housing |
Affordable housing systems reflect socio-political agendas such as those related to welfare, social change and mobility, economic growth and urban development. At the same time, they are influenced by factors such as historical contingencies, regulatory cultures and instruments, and housing supply and cost. Such factors also influence the design outcomes, which are directly governed by the regulations, technical standards and guidelines that form part of these systems.