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Horizon 2020 - Challenge 6 - Innovative spatial and urban planning

and design,

Brainstorming stakeholder workshop, Rome, 28 March 2013

Contribution of CECODHAS Housing Europe – the European Federation of Public, Cooperative and Social Housing

M. Julien DIJOL, Policy Coordinator

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The challenges for affordable housing providers and European research (1/3)

The financing challenge: The lack of long term financing instruments, not contingent with the economic situation (on the contrary there is a need for contra cyclical instruments) but rather contingent with the housing needs (number of households and demography are not related with economic situation);

The double integration challenge: The difficulty to house increasingly heterogeneous households (in terms of income, employment status, ethnic background, age…) in places that are often deprived neighbourhoods that need reconnection with mainstream urban fabric. Those situations often generate crime, vandalism, poor quality of life and a sense of marginalisation;

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The challenges for affordable housing providers and European research (2/3)

The climate and social justice challenge: Already now new build and renovation are carried out at a high level of energy performance. There are increasing doubts about the possibility to combine the ecological imperative with the necessity to build new housing at low cost and great quantity in order to meet the current and future housing needs;

The housing exclusion challenge: In most Member States for which recent data are available, homelessness seems to be on the rise. In this context housing policy makers will assign housing providers new tasks that will require new skills and new resource. In a time where the demand for affordable housing is growing from many segments of the society, this represents a new challenge;

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The challenges for affordable housing providers and European research (3/3)

The declining city challenge: The “abandonment” of other cities, very often former industrial centres: What can be done to help these cities to maintain a good quality of life and services and to find appropriate solutions to their problems, at a time when, as a reaction to demographic decline, public policies are reducing their housing efforts by neglecting the need for energy rehabilitation and also the need to provide housing that is truly social?;

The sectorial fragmentation challenge: the absence of sectorial actors (in that case social housing organisations be they public, cooperative, private non for profit) managing a critical mass of the housing stock makes housing policy virtually impossible. At a time where housing markets need to be carefully monitored and regulated to avoid further housing led crises, this sectorial fragmentation is an obstacle to optimal housing policies.

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How can Horizon 2020 contribute to address these challenges?

Understanding the demographics: Need research on housing shortage/housing needs, both in general (at national level: do MS carry out an analysis of expected housing needs compared to population trends?) and in particular in economically attractive urban areas (Where is it most needed and how to deal with it? Access to affordable housing is needed to make sure people can move to where the jobs are. But how to do it in areas where costs tend to make new housing provision really expensive?.

Examples:

The necessity to forecast the evolution of households in terms of number, size, age, regions… (in UK)

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Measuring the broad societal impact of long term investment in affordable housing and proposing new ways for the public accountancy to integrate those costs and gains (i.e. investing in affordable housing should not only count as expenditure but should also count as gain-generating / cost-saving activities) more concretely: need to carry out cost benefit analysis of changing expenditure flows e.g. investing in adapting housing for the elderly to reduce care costs, reducing rent allowance bills by investing in housing, reducing energy bill subsidies by investing in efficiency homes

Examples:

Every £1 spent adapting 100,000 homes where a serious fall is likely to occur saves the NHS £69.37 over 10 years

Every £1.20 spent on decent homes saves the taxpayer £1.80 on the cost of youngsters not in education, employment or training (Neets)*

Source: House proud campaign, inside housing (UK)

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Researching new forms of land/home/energy ownership/use: The question of legitimacy and efficiency of the ownership and use of goods and services (like housing and energy) in a globalized and complex world push some actors to call for more community based ownership (theory of commons/community land trust) and use of land and homes and off the market production and consumption of energy.How would this be possible in a integrated market such as the EU bearing given :

- The requirements of freedom of choice, contribution to the grid and safety related to energy market

- The growing housing needs in the EU that may advocate for national strategies and actors

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In conclusion: beyond new research, need to capitalise on the existing one

Already several FP7 projects tackled some of the issues mentioned: TEN LAW – NEU JOBS – PACEISH…

But also forms of research-actions (within URBACT II for instance)

Transforming all this knowledge into a know-how is a (huge) job itself needs budget for capitalisation!

Julien Dijol

Policy Coordinator, CECODHAS Housing Europe

julien.dijol@housingeurope.eu

www.housingeurope.eu