Book Description

In this study two questions are fundamental: how many houses were constructed annually in Belgium and what factors determined its development? Answering the first question required extensive archival research as official figures appeared to be non-existent or of a doubtful quality. in the second part, housing construction is related to demographic factors, real income, interest rates, inflation, building costs and rents. Several aspects of the industry, including structure, labour and materials supplies, investment, technical change and efficiency are also thoroughly investigated. Finally, the author examines Belgian housing policy and its impact on residential building.