The media likes to give the impression the housing and transportation crisis is unsolvable, that we must panic, and you must suffer economically, flagellating yourself to death until the green gods rescue you.

This is simply not true. The housing and transportation crisis are not unprecedented, they are completely predictable. The current situation is sustained by greedy developers, and government & local authority too greased-up, by said developers, to care.

The answers are simple. I suggest below that the matter be dealt with by royal authority, overriding the inept & corrupt gov.t and local councils. Time and time again local and national gov.t have shown they cannot be trusted not to put profit before the beauty of this island, so let’s take it out of their hands and make independent royal commissions responsible.

A ‘national plan’:
Establish architectural commissions, overseeing localities & regions (with a national oversight), to plan for the next 30-50years new transportation projects, new housing & the redevelopment of existing housing, to create cohesive villages, towns and cities – connected to one another. For people, to walk and cycle, where cars are guests; as opposed to the current situation where high streets are turned into motorways.
These architectural bodies must be independent of the current gov.t and local authority mess. I suggest the national plan, and hence all local commissions, be officially classed a ‘royal commission’ – which has the ultimate authority to override any existing council plan.
As has worked successfully throughout all history, once the plan is made, it will be split into individual projects to be tendered to local firms. Such projects can be ranked by priority, replacing housing of the worst quality first. The projects shall be overseen by the independent commission, ensuring that standards are maintained. (As opposed to the useless & current corrupt private inspection system).
If we do not establish these architectural commissions then we will continue to suffer from shoddy dead-end housing estates with no connection to the locality, and everybody will wonder why nobody did anything about it.
For case studies please refer to Paris and Holland.

In addition to the ‘national plan’, implement the following measures:
A levy on the purchase of secondary homes. (Currently, I recommend a minimum of 25%).
A yearly levy on the ownership of secondary homes. (perhaps an increase in council tax).
A limitation on foreign ownership, and a levy on any permitted foreign ownership purchase. (Currently, I recommend a minimum of 50%).
A yearly levy on foreign ownership.
The abolition of housing benefit – to be replaced by proper council housing.
Where necessary, compulsory purchase of secondary homes, foreign-owned homes & derelict homes, by councils, to be rented as council housing.
A minimum of 25% newly-built housing be council owned and rented.
Proper regulation of all HMOs, with mandatory licencing & restrictions upon the number of HMOs in any area.
Proper regulation of short-term lets, with mandatory licencing & restrictions upon the number of short-term lets in any area.
Proper punishments for those who break the law.

It ought to go without saying, hideous ‘skyscrapers’ and tower blocks should be banned. I would write this into law, permitting only military and utility installations to go above the permitted height. Before anybody reacts with spiel such as ‘we need more housing’, etc. Paris, and similarly-built cities, maintain a denser population than any comparative city riddled with skyscrapers.