Fine Gael in government would spend an extra £630 million over three years on public housing, according to the Plan for the Nation document.
Among the party's aims are: to raise local authority annual housing output from 3,500 to 10,000, to acquire sites to expand affordable housing options and to free first-time buyers from stamp duty charges.
The plan advocates establishing a cabinet sub-committee to deal with housing policy.
The party would introduce a national spatial plan to ensure physical planning was integrated in a way that would build sustainable communities. "Fine Gael believes the housing problem can be solved only in conjunction with the solution to the traffic problem. If we can provide efficient and fast public transport, then we will be able to provide housing for all in places that are convenient to work, houses which can make good homes," the plan states.
Structural weaknesses in the planning system had left many of our towns and cities developer-led, with little regard for sustainable community life, it argues.
Around Dublin, in particular, developers had pursued a pattern of progressively moving to new greenfield locations, each one further and further from the city. "It has brought dormitory developments devoid of connection to their communities, children delivered early and collected late, congested roads and stress. It is the failure of the Government to take control - with proper land use policies, transport policies, housing policies and public service policies - which has produced some of the worst features of urban sprawl", the plan says.
The unbalanced growth of the eastern region, which had brought growth in population, employment, car numbers and immigration at almost twice the rate of the rest of the country, had "simply overwhelmed timid reforms and swept away muddled and ineffective changes" in planning housing and transport policies, the plan states.
It says higher-density housing close to railway stations is necessary because people should be encouraged to walk or cycle to the railway station. Fine Gael, according to the plan, would provide tax relief for the development of apartments for rent close to main public transport arteries.
Referring to childcare, the document says child benefit for under-fives would be increased to £25 per week. It also says Fine Gael would provide an additional mortgage relief of up to £500 per child "to reflect the fact that a child takes up as much housing space as its parents and that space is increasingly expensive".