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  • This house believes that green belts in and around cities should be eliminated when experiencing a housing supply shortage

    Infoslide

    A green belt is an area designated to preserve nature or open space. They may be large recreational parks, undeveloped wilderness, or agricultural land. Development on this land is severely restricted

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Quarterfinals · 2025-11-10

  • In rapidly-developing megacities, This house prefers the "chaotic warm approach" in urban planning as opposed to Le Corbusier’s approach

    Infoslide

    A megacity is defined as a very large urban area, usually a metropolis, consisting of a main city supported by several satellite cities. Le Corbusier's concept of urban planning envisions polished infrastructures (wide roads, clear sidewalks, spacious public facilities etc.) within cities with well-defined sectors (clear separation of residential and commercial areas). A 'chaotic warm' approach is a city that looks “messy” from up above but feels 'warm' to its inhabitants: for example the presence of urban villages, city alleyways scattered with street food hawkers and hole-in-the-wall establishments. For the purpose of this debate, both approaches would also aim for cleanliness, relative law and order and security albeit in different ways of delivering/implementing them.

    LUMS Asians x OPFDC 2025 · Quarterfinals · 2025-11-10

  • This House believes that it is in the interest of the Democratic Party to emulate Zohran Mamdani’s campaign strategy over Andrew Cuomo’s in the next federal election.

    Infoslide

    In the upcoming NYC mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani labels himself as a democratic socialist, championing the disillusioned working class over the traditional Democratic establishment. Some of his campaign promises include free child care for all families, rent freezes on all rent stabilized apartments (almost half of NYC apartments are rent stabilized), and redirecting funding from police to mental health workers . In contrast, Andrew Cuomo presents himself as a steady, pragmatic moderate with deep experience. Some of his campaign promises include expanding eligibility for childcare subsidies, building more affordable housing units, and increasing the size of the NYPD.

    University of Western Ontario Fall High School Tournament 2025 · Round 2 · 2025-11-01

  • This house prefers centralised urban planning system to decentralised urban planning system

    Infoslide

    In centralised urban planning system, decisions (e.g. about building appearance regulations, permits for new developments, construction of public spaces, etc.) are made on the municipal / city level. In contrast, a decentralised urban planning system strives to outsource these decisions to the local neighbourhood level.

    Prague Open 2025 · Round 5 · 2025-11-01

  • Provided he wins, This House Believes That Zohran Mamdani will do more good than harm.

    Infoslide

    Zohran Mamdani is a state assemblyman since 2021, and member of the Democratic Socialists of America who is polling to win the NYC Mayoral Election in November, with around 45% of the vote, with the rest split between other candidates. Mamdani's platform includes support for a rent freeze for millions of tenants and making evictions much more difficult, making buses free, replacing private utility companies with public ones, redirecting NYPD funds towards social services, increasing taxes on the rich and corporations, and defiantly standing against Trump and ICE.

    Unity Cup 2025 · Round 5 · 2025-10-25

  • This house prefers Kyoto where zoning bylaws impose more strict limits

    Infoslide

    Zoning bylaws are tools used by municipalities to regulate the use of land. Zoning bylaws include restrictions on building heights, setbacks, site coverage, etc. In 2023, Kyoto City partially relaxed its building height restrictions. Along major roads near Kyoto Station height limits on buildings were eased. In areas facing major roads around Yamashina Station the restrictions were lifted entirely, provided certain conditions are met. For example, if a building includes retail space on the ground floor, constructing high-rise condominiums with over 20 stories is now possible. However, the existing regulations remain in place in the city center. (i.e.In the central arterial roadside districts, buildings are limited to a height of 31 meters, while in the inner mixed-use residential and commercial zones, the limit is 15 meters or less)

    Autumn Tournament 2025 · Rookie部門決勝 · 2025-10-18

  • This house predicts Zohran Mamdani’s election in 2025.

    Infoslide

    After resigning from office in 2021 amid sexual harassment scandals, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of the state of New York, returned to the political scene in 2025. The son of a veteran politician, his career has been marked by early involvement in public service, and he was re-elected governor twice. Zohran Mamdani, for his part, is a socialist, a Muslim, a fierce critic of Israel, and an advocate of bold social-justice policies — among them, a rent freeze in New York City. Mamdani’s victory over Cuomo in the Democratic primaries for New York City mayor was greeted by the progressive media as “a major surprise.” Cuomo acknowledged the result but announced that he will run for the office as an independent candidate.

    IV UFMG Open · Rodada 2 · 2025-10-10

  • This house opposes the rise of Private Equity in residential housing markets

    Infoslide

    After the waves of home foreclosures during the 2008 financial crisis, Private Equity (PE) firms bought distressed homes in bulk and turned them into rentals. Today, there are several PE firms that together own more than 2.2 million units, about 10% of the total housing stock in the U.S. alone. More recently in 2023, China implemented policy measures in a bid to attract PE funding into its housing market.

    IIUM KUANTAN ABP · Round 4 · 2025-09-12

  • This house prefers the Tokyo model of urban development over the Seoul model.

    Infoslide

    Under the Tokyo model, urban development is largely decentralized and incremental, with flexible zoning and many small private developers shaping mixed-use neighborhoods. In contrast, under the Seoul model, urban development is centrally planned and state-led, driven by large-scale redevelopment projects emphasizing efficiency and modernization.

    Beijing International Schools Debating Championship 2025 · Round 6 · 2025-09-05

  • This house believes that governments should prioritise supply-side solutions over demand-side and redistributive solutions to address housing crises in major cities

    Infoslide

    In many major cities, housing costs have risen rapidly due to population growth, urbanisation, and limited new development. Economists broadly agree that two leading strategies can reduce housing costs: Supply-side solutions aim to increase the total number of housing units, primarily through zoning reform, easing building restrictions, and incentivising private development. Demand-side and redistributive solutions aim to help individuals afford housing through government interventions such as rent control, public/social housing, rental subsidies, or taxes on vacant homes. While both approaches can coexist, governments often have limited resources and must prioritise one approach in both funding and political capital.

    Cambridge Union Schools Debating Championship Australia New Zealand Round 2025 · Round 5 · 2025-08-30

  • The parliament believes that Sompurna Bishwas should move into a new house.

    Infoslide

    Sampurna Biswas is a young woman who has recently moved out of her parents’ house to live independently in a small new apartment. The apartment is cramped, eerie, and uninhabitable—yet it’s the only option within her means. Sampurna is presented with an opportunity to move into a large, beautiful apartment, which is like her dream; however, to afford the rent, she needs to take on a new corporate job that she finds morally unacceptable. Her lifelong beliefs prevent her from taking such a job. For the sake of argument, it is assumed that she will not have any other job opportunities and returning to her parents' home is not an option.

    NGHSDS 2ND National Debate Festival 2025 · Round 1 · 2025-08-22

  • This house believes that Mamdani's victory has done more harm than good to the Democratic Party.

    Infoslide

    In the 2025 Democratic primary for the New York City mayoral election, Zohran Mamdani achieved a surprise victory over fellow Democrat candidate Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo had run for the election despite multiple previous allegations of sexual harrassment. Mamdani gained popularity largely off the basis of his democratically socialist policies, such as the implementation of universal childcare, city-run grocery stores, and freezing rent for rent-stabilised tenants. However, his policy stances have also been mired in controversy, with Trump threatening to arrest him should he fail to cooperate with federal immigration agencies.

    Singapore Polytechnic Debate Open 2025 · Round 4 · 2025-07-25

  • This House Believes That Portugal should prioritize supply-side interventions over demand-side interventions to combat the housing crisis.

    Infoslide

    Supply driven interventions in the housing market are interventions aimed to increase the supply of housing and they include easing and incentivising private construction, easing zoning restrictions, easing the restoration of old and abandoned housing and investing in public housing. Demand side interventions in the housing market are interventions that aim to decrease demand for housing and they include curbing foreign or tourist real estate demand through greater restrictions on short-term rentals (e.g. increased taxation or area-based caps), removing tax benefits for foreign remote workers, and capping multiple property ownership of land and residential properties.

    International Debate Camp 2025 · Rodada 3 · 2025-07-19