Housing plan

Description of the action and objectives

Green Deal action

The Housing Plan lays out the main construction areas in Reykjavík, plot allocation, financial participation for housing, cooperation with non-profit housing associations, purchasing plans of Félagsbústaðir, and the City's social housing solutions. The allocation plan for residential housing plots for 2022 aims to allocate plots for 1,028 dwellings. It includes plots for 400 homes to support the City's affordable housing initiatives for young adults and first-time buyers, plots for housing associations for 260 dwellings, and plots for 367 dwellings will be sold through a call for tenders. The Housing Plan is updated annually.

Implementation period

Ongoing projects

Status: In progress

Status report on January 1, 2023

The population of Reykjavík increased by 4,229 in 2022, reaching 139,928 residents as of January 1, 2023. The increase was spread across the year: 1,295 additional residents in the fourth quarter, 1,551 in the third quarter, 1,113 in the second, and 270 in the first quarter.

During the year, construction was completed on 1,034 dwellings, with about 39% (408 dwellings) being classified as affordable or social housing. According to Reykjavík's Building Commissioner, 1,062 dwellings were registered as completed during the year, compared to 1,252 dwellings in 2021.

The Building Commissioner approved plans for the construction of 773 dwellings in the year, split across quarters: 268 in the first, 175 in the second, 90 in the third, and 240 in the last quarter. Additionally, the Building Commissioner approved plans for the construction of 105 student dwellings. Construction started on 913 dwellings in 2022: 265 in the first quarter, 177 in the second, and 242 in the fourth.

Reykjavík City allotted plots for the construction of 728 dwellings during the year: 164 dwellings in the first quarter, 345 in the second, 14 in the third, and 205 in the fourth. This allocation was supplemented by contracts for the construction of plots where up to 1,006 dwellings could be built. Thereof, the contract had 619 dwellings in the first quarter, 344 in the second, and 43 in the fourth.

At the end of 2022, 2,478 dwellings were under construction in Reykjavík, compared to 2,484 by the end of the third quarter, 2,536 by the end of the second quarter, and 2,448 at the end of the first quarter.

In order to fulfill the housing agreement of Reykjavík, the Ministry of Infrastructure, and the Housing and Construction Authority dated January 5, 2023, the City pledged to always have sufficient plots ready for the construction of 1,500 to 3,000 dwellings. By the end of 2022, there were ready-to-build plots available to construct 2,119 dwellings.

Progress

Timing Progress description
July 2022

Reykjavík's population grew by 1,383 in the first half of 2022, including by 1,113 in the second quarter. So far in 2022, 532 new apartments have entered the Reykjavík housing market, of which 362 in the first quarter and 170 in the second quarter. The Building Commissioner has approved the intention to build 443 apartments, of which 268 are in the first quarter and 175 in the second quarter. Construction of 442 apartments began in the first half of 2022, of which 265 began in the first quarter and 177 in the second. Reykjavík City allocated plots for the construction of approximately 500 apartments on seven sites in the first half of the year, of which approximately 160 were in the first quarter and nearly 350 in the second quarter. The City also made construction contracts on five sites where about 960 apartments can be built, of which nearly 620 were in the first quarter and approximately 340 in the second quarter.

The actions of the Green Deal are linked to Reykjavík City's policies, which include:

Related actions

The table below contains actions related to this initiative, and you can access more information by clicking on the "action title" in the table (if you're using your phone, it's better to turn it sideways).