The problems involved with the availability, quantity, quality and price of social and affordable housing have been neglected for a long while in Italy, but are widely dealt with in current debate and planning tools. An analysis of best practices in a few medium to large cities illustrates some of the current planning innovations and their costs and benefits in the provision of land and buildings for social housing: perequazione (TDR and land readjustment), negotiations for planning gain, linkage polices and density bonus incentives, inclusionary zoning.