THE 1980S PROPERTY BOOM

In this paper the causes and consequences of the property boom of the late 1980s are considered that in one way or another affected most dev eloped economies and several industrialising ones. It is suggested tha t technical change in key service industries caused an upsurge in buil ding demand from the mid-1970s onwards. Shifts in employment patterns then generated repercussions in housing markets. The classic condition s were created for a 'Kuznets style' building cycle. The detailed effe cts of these changes in specific countries depended on the responses b y agents involved in the process of building provision, which in turn were affected by the changing economic and institutional contexts that they faced. Property development, financial liberation, housing marke ts, property taxation, and land-use planning are all considered in thi s context, with examples drawn from several countries.