By Richard Blakeway, Mayor of London's Advisor on Housing

London is the best big city in the world in which to live and work and our ambition is to make the capital more affordable for ordinary Londoners.

That is why the Boris Johnson is working tirelessly to provide more desperately needed affordable homes.

This need was echoed by Londoners attending the Mayor’s recent public debate on housing, held in east London, when he told the audience that in addition to delivering more new homes he is committed to improving the quality and of what we build.

He is also tackling overcrowding and homelessness head on, giving Londoners more choice in where they live and providing more help to those who want to own their own home.

These are challenging ambitions but in less than two and half years the Mayor has already delivered 26,000 new affordable homes towards a target of 50,000 by 2012.

And what is extraordinary is that this has been achieved not in a boom time, but during one of the worst economic downturns for decades.

In addition to investing we have also removed unnecessary burdens on house builders – and the downturn and the doom mongers have been defied.

We remain on course to deliver a record number of affordable homes, the most in the GLA's history. These are not pokey flats. Instead, we are delivering the greatest number of larger family-sized social rented homes for a decade in an effort to halve severe overcrowding in the sector.

We have kick-started major regeneration schemes like the Aylesbury Estate in Southwark and Woodbury Down in Hackney, and have got spades in the ground elsewhere so we can deliver thousands more homes for years to come.

In fact, at over 15,000 the number of affordable homes we started last year was a third higher than 2007/8 and over half of these are in outer London.

However, we do not want this necessary drive in the quantity of homes to come at the expense of quality.

The Mayor is placing great emphasis on transforming the design of new homes in the capital, with new space standards being introduced that will no longer mean Londoners living in rabbit hutches.

He is also protecting our green spaces, striving to improve neighbourhoods, transport and other infrastructure to enhance our communities.

We want London to be a city of opportunity and choice and most Londoners want to be homeowners.

However, the cost, especially for first time buyers, can make this extraordinarily difficult.

This is why out of our target of 50,000 we aim to make 20,000 available for low cost home ownership which allows households to purchase shares in their property when they can afford to do so.

In addition we have just launched First Steps for families – a new home ownership initiative of almost 1,000 affordable family-sized homes to buy - aimed at those currently living in overcrowded conditions or families struggling to get a foot on the property ladder.

People can sign up for these homes on a reduced rent for as long as they need. This allows them to save for a deposit until they are in a position to buy the property.

There is still much to be done and, despite the tight public finances, the Mayor will continue to fight for and prioritise investment in housing to meet Londoners’ needs.

London is emerging from the recession, and by working closely with borough councils and the industry, we will build on our successes and fulfil our ambition for a better future for housing in the capital.

The Mayor's next public debate will take place in Camden on November 2 at the Camden Centre.

Boris Johnson hosts six public meetings a year; two statutory People's Question Times and four themed debates. These meetings take place in addition to his annual State of London Debate.

The most recent debate was themed around Housing and took place in Barking. Each meeting takes place in a different London borough.

These meetings are free, but tickets need to be applied for in advance and are allocated on a first come first served basis.

For more information go to: http://www.london.gov.uk/get-involved/public-meetings/peoples-question-time