Seminar on "Affordable housing for inclusive cities" links to the European Pillar of Social Rights

The seminar "Affordable housing for inclusive cities" took place on May 16 at Göteborg City Brussels Office as part of the ongoing discussions in the EUUA Housing Partnership on how to tackle housing issues whilst ensuring the development of inclusive cities.

Many parts of Europe have been experiencing in recent years a serious housing shortage which has led to housing prices rising faster than wages. So the question is: how do you ensure that people with different backgrounds and incomes can access a home? 

The seminar kicked off with a general introduction from Gothenburg City followed by a first discussion on housing linkages with the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Social Pillar is based on 20 rights that aim to contribute to the smooth and efficient functioning of labor markets and welfare systems. More particularly, right number 19 is about the right to a residence (“Housing and assistance for the homeless”), which was addressed and discussed during the seminar.

Some of the speakers who contributed to the event include Barbara Steenbergen, from the International Union of Tenants, who presented the Housing Partnership's work so far, and Sorcha Edwards, from Housing Europe, who presented a report on the housing situation in the EU. The report shows, among other things, that the difference between wages and housing prices is increasing and that the lack of skills and labor hinder the construction of new housing. She pointed out that it is the cities and regions who mostly face this issue and hence stressed the importance for cooperation and sharing of knowledge among them. Andrea Colantonio, from the European Investment Bank (EIB), also participated at the seminar where he presented financing opportunities from the EIB for different types of housing projects with a social dimension.

The seminar ended with good examples from two cities. On the one hand, Agneta Hammer, from Gothenburg City, presented the efforts made on the reduction of the differences in living conditions and on the promotion of greater cohesion. To do so, she explained, the city strategically works with urban planners to create living and inclusive residential areas that consider areas for children and social interaction. On the other hand, Joaquín de Santos, from Community Land Trust Brussels, introduced the organisation and their work to build subsidized houses in Brussels Region, where existing schemes for home ownership no longer cover low-income groups.

All presentations from the seminar are available here. The agenda and other information related to this event can be found here.