Jack Airey

Head of Housing


Jack leads Policy Exchange’s work on housing. His research has included work on building more beautiful homes and places, improving the planning system; and, new town development on the edge of London. In particular his work on raising housebuilding standards has attracted cross-party support and led to the Government creating the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission. An article in The Economist welcomed Policy Exchange’s work on this subject as pioneering “the biggest idea in housing policy since the sale of council houses under Margaret Thatcher.” Before joining Policy Exchange, Jack was Head of Research at the think tank Localis where he wrote extensively on the role of place in politics and policy, while managing and supporting the development of their research output.

Jack Airey

Related Posts & Publications

The Duty to Build Beautiful

The Duty to Build Beautiful

by | Oct 9, 2019

Related Content A collection of essays on embedding the beauty agenda in policymaking In his first speech as Prime Minister on domestic policy, Boris Johnson said that his Government will, “emphasise the need, the duty, to build beautiful homes that people actually...
Reviving high streets through planning reform

Reviving high streets through planning reform

by | Jan 14, 2019

Related Content Changes to the planning system can make it easier for high streets to adapt to prevailing trends in how we live, work and shop. The Government is currently looking for ideas to revive high streets. Squeezed incomes, the rise of online shopping and the...
Announcing Building Beautiful Month

Announcing Building Beautiful Month

by | Oct 25, 2018

We’re delighted to announce that this November will be “Building Beautiful Month” at Policy Exchange, the next stage of our efforts to address the housing crisis, the major domestic policy issue of the day. It is part of a new focus on Place – one of our four Ps,...
Local bank holidays can help restore a national consensus

Local bank holidays can help restore a national consensus

by | Aug 17, 2018

How did you celebrate Yorkshire Day? On the first day of August, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) did so by announcing that the county is the top exporter of manufacturing goods outside London. The MHCLG’s press release lauded...