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
I must give credit for this article to Yi-Ling Chen who is an associate professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Wyoming. I met her at the International Social Housing Conference where she gave a nice presentation. I am going quickly give an overview. In 2015, social or affordable housing only made up less… Read More Social Housing in Taiwan: A Quick Synopsis
I recently had a chance to meet and hear from Dr. Rudiger Ahrend the head for the Urban Programme in the OECD’s Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development. He gave a presentation at Housing Europe’s yearly conference regarding the rise of large cities and the challenges that it presents for housing. Dr. Ahrend… Read More How the National vs. Local Disconnect is Harming Cities
On this balmy summer day a large group of people answered the call to come together to exchange knowledge and discuss the challenges that social housing associations have to cope with in modern times. Five representatives of larger European cities (Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam) presented their social housing context and the challenges they have… Read More Different cities, similar lessons: the AFWC’s pan-European discussion
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
A wonder of technology is its ability to allow us to be everywhere at once. And so it was that today, via Skype, the Amsterdam Tenants’ Union was able to host a discussion in Amsterdam that was simultaneously in Bratislava (Slovakia), Cardiff (Wales), Barcelona (Spain) and Tuzla (Bosnia & Herzegovina). All of them had the… Read More The drama of tenant advocacy
Social housing might not be the most sexy topic. But the topic is hot, according to moderator Eddy Adams during this year’s annual policy conference of Housing Europe. The temperature levels outside matched the enthusiasm on stage. Organized as part of the International Social Housing Festival, set inside one of Amsterdam’s most notorious night clubs,… Read More The (r)evolution of social housing
The morning discussion of Housing Europe’s conference revolved around the theme of preparing for changes. The speakers hit the festival’s three main themes of diversification, migration to cities and segregation and inequality. Below is a short review of the morning session. Speaker 1: Dr. Rudiger Ahrend Dr. Rudiger Ahrend the head for the Urban Programme… Read More Social Housing: Preparing for Changes- Housing Europe Morning Session
Egbert de Vries of Amsterdamse Federatie van Woningcorporaties, founding partner of the ISHF, discusses the past and present of social housing in the Netherlands and points towards the importance of a European exchange of knowledge. Article by Alix Glodstein, ISHF team What is AFWC? Why should people know about your organization? AFWC represents all social housing… Read More Opening minds through an European exchange of knowledge
The provision of social housing is one of the most vital of essential human rights. In South Africa, social housing is being used to address the rebuilding of trust between the government and its people who have endured unequal treatment and poverty for too long. Political and economic segregation still leave their ugly scars in… Read More South African Social Housing in a Nutshell
Housing Futures 