Why This is a Wicked Problem

The reason this is a wicked problem is that any potential solutions to the problem will inevitably affect some other aspect of the system, creating a scenario where no real solution is possible without reaching some sort of compromise. For example, if a law were implemented that imposed some sort of affordability requirement for new developments, then the amount of developers willing to build will drop as they may believe that the cost to build will no longer outweigh potential profit.

How Did We Get Here?

A big reason why housing affordability is becoming an increasingly big problem in our lives is that housing development and land ownership has become increasingly focused on buildings as a commodity rather than purely living spaces. This has resulted in increased prices for home ownership and even just renting a living space.

The Main Issue

A significant portion of this wicked problem is being handled by multiple levels of government and in order to help remedy the problem they all need to effectively work with each other (in which they are currently having problems with that).