Affordable housing for inclusive cities, Brussels

Housing Partnership will present its ongoing work on policy recommendations for affordable housing to a broader audience on the occasion of an event organised by the Gothenburg European Office in Brussels.

The access to affordable housing has been highlighted as a pressing societal issue both internationally and on the EU level. Rising socio-economic inequalities are dividing cities due to gentrification and thus making housing increasingly unaffordable for low- and middle-income households. Six months after the Gothenburg Social Summit, we invite you to discuss how we can create more inclusive cities through affordable housing.
The City of Gothenburg is working actively to create affordable housing of good quality both within the existing housing stock, as well as in new areas of the city. This is done through the program: Equal Gothenburg - Making the entire city socially sustainable. Moreover, it focuses on the importance of the surrounding ecosystem allowing the dynamic combination of work and family life.
Affordable housing is also one of the priority areas under the Urban Agenda. During the seminar we will discuss how different actors can work together and learn from each other, in order to create inclusive cities. But also how to finance a sustainable housing stock accessible for everyone.

Draft agenda:

14:00-14:05 Welcome, Catrine Norrgård, Head of Office, City of Gothenburg European Office

14:05-14:25 The European Pillar of Social Rights and its work towards greater social protection and inclusion, Raquel Cortes Herrera, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Employment - European Commission

14:25-14:45 The importance of affordable housing for inclusive cities and how to finance them, Andrea Colantonio, Senior Urban Development Specialist, European Investment Bank

14:45-15:05 The State of Housing in the EU, Sorcha Edwards, Secretary General, Housing Europe

15:05-15:25 EU Partnership for Affordable Housing, Barbara Steenbergen, Head of EU liaison office, International Union of Tenants (IUT)

15:25-16:00 Best Practices, Agneta Hammer, Senior Adviser, City of Gothenburg & Joaquín de Santos, SHICC Project Officer, Community Land Trust Bruxelles

The presentations are available here. A summary in Swedish is also available here.