PARIS-French Housing Minister Benoist Apparu said he is notagainst the idea of building new residential tower blocks in Paristo address the shortage of housing in the capital. Increasinghousing density is an obvious solution to the shortage ofaccommodation and is also consistent with sustainable developmentgoals, he said.

"In Paris, tower blocks are indeed a solution that I wouldwholeheartedly encourage. We can continue to increase housingdensity in Paris and build in the outskirts," Apparu recently said.However, he said it is for local authorities to decide on theconstruction of new buildings in the capital.

Apparu said new building is the only valid solution to theshortage of social housing in some parts of France, noting thatthere is a shortfall of around 800,000 social housing units inareas where the market is particularly tight. President NicolasSarkozy recently called for 65 million square feet of office spaceto be converted into housing to address the shortage of residentialproperty in the Paris Ile-de-France region.