Collaborative housing is the new buzz word among citizens of Europe’s biggest cities. Some are asking whether this is just a trend or something that we need to deal with on the long run. At the Urbanpromo Social Housing conference, in October 2017 in Turin, a collective of international and Italian experts gathered to address… Read More Collaborative housing as a source of disruptive innovation
Everyone working in on social housing will recognize that despite all good intentions and efforts of politicians, activists and even market parties, realization and maintaining of a decent social housing stock is extremely tough. The sector has the stigma of money consuming (and spoiling) real estate projects with vague incentives. And once in use the… Read More 3 things we learned at the International Social Housing Festival
The Housing Industry is a remarkable key player making a difference in the life of the underserved population. That statement is an irrefutable fact, but even more so in times of crisis when the role of the Housing Industry is especially critical. Recently, our beloved island, which is also a territory of the United States… Read More Public Housing in the Face of a Catastrophic Hurricane: Puerto Rico is Preparing
We can look back on an incredible first edition of the International Social Housing Festival that has exceeded our expectations in many ways. It got bigger, better, stronger, more diverse, more international, more vivid, and more exciting than we could ever have conceived. I strongly believe this not solely because of my fantastic team, who is truly spectacular, nor… Read More Expand our movement!
What is your background and what is your relation to social housing? I was born in Borculo in the east of the Netherlands, and currently I live in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the south. I studied free arts (sculpture) in the art academy in Den Bosch and Ljubljana (Slovenija) and graduated in 2007. After graduation I started… Read More A great social housing scandal
Rotterdam-based architecture agency Sputnik has developed Housing Laboratory; a huge temporary installation consisting of white modular walls that can be moved around in order to live experiment with new floor plans. This installation summarises one of the festival’s main themes – diversification. How can we create affordable houses that fits the specific needs of a broad… Read More Design your own floor plan in Sputnik’s Housing Laboratory
What is your background, and what exactly is Urban- Think Tank? I am an American/Venezuelan architect, currently based in Zurich, Switzerland. Together with co-founder Hubert Klumpner, I started multidisciplinary design practice Urban Think Tank in 1998 in Caracas, Venezuela. Our firm is working on a variety of projects, most of them in developing countries. Typical… Read More Our housing policies are outdated
One of the most exiting items of the International Social Housing Festival, is the ‘Housing Laboratory’, a one to one mockup in Het Schip Museum that enables visitors to create their ideal apartment, by moving walls and really building their dreams. The Laboratory is conceived by Rotterdam based architectural firm Sputnik. We asked the architects… Read More The architects of Sputnik invite us to their Housing Laboratory
One of the most promising events of the International Social Housing Festival is the Collaborative Housing Workshop, organized by Italian organizations Fondazione Housing Sociale (FHS) and Legacoop Abitanti (LA). We interviewed Giordana Ferri (architect and executive director of FHS) and Rossana Zaccaria (president of Legacoop Abitanti) about their organizations, housing in Italy, and their collaborative… Read More ‘Cooperatives are powerful actors in the sharing economy, playing a lead role in community welfare policies.’
One of the ISHF’s biggest supporters is Amsterdam Alderman, Laurens Ivens. He is participating in the ISHF Opening Event, AFWC’s ‘Social Housing Strategies in major European cites,’ and the ISHF Closing Event. Here is a short interview on why the Alderman is enthusiastic about the festival and what he expects from an exciting week full of housing related events. What… Read More ‘The lack of affordable housing is at the core of the urban problems in many cities across Europe.’
Housing Futures 