Housing needs and their geography

Recalling the extent to which housing meets an essential need, this analysis first details the parameters on which the evolution of the number of households and housing units depends. Then it presents, in a second part, the major trends for the coming years in France. In spite of the inertia of demographic movements, projections at the national level remain uncertain. This is even more the case at the local level where, as explained in the third part of this text, spatial and regulatory parameters further complicate the prospective exercise. However, although it is not an exact science, foresight remains a fertile approach: it is indeed a powerful vector for argued and critical exchanges between citizen users, experts and decision-makers, which allows for a better understanding of housing needs. It can therefore be a valuable aid to the decisions and actions of public and private actors in the housing sector.