The impact of social and spatial inequality on housing
Created on 19-10-2023
The challenge is that economic growth is often uneven and unequal, both socially and spatially. The European Commission has distinguished between two types of lagging regions. 1)Low growth regions: These regions have not managed to converge to the EU average GDP per capita since 2000, and have performed particularly poorly since the financial crisis. This includes most of the less developed regions in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. 2)Low income regions: These regions have a GDP per capita below 50% of the EU average. These are mostly located in central and eastern Europe, particularly in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
How can policymakers ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable housing, while also promoting economic growth? Some analysts believe that economic growth should be prioritized, even if this leads to increased inequality, as long as it raises the standard of living for everyone overall. Others believe that social equity should be prioritized, as they believe that it is essential for sustainable long-run development.
System knowledge
Actors
National government
This actor represents the central governing body and authority responsible for overseeing and managing the affairs of a nation, including policymaking, legislation, and implementation within a certain geographic area.
Sustainability experts
A sustainability expert is a professional who specializes in advising, implementing, and promoting practices that balance environmental, social, and economic concerns to ensure long-term well-being for current and future generations. They possess in-depth knowledge of sustainability principles and strategies, helping organizations and individuals make more environmentally responsible and socially conscious choices.
Policy makers
Policy makers are individuals or groups responsible for developing and implementing strategies, regulations, and initiatives aimed at addressing housing-related issues within a given region or jurisdiction. Their primary role is to create policies that influence housing affordability, accessibility, and quality, while also considering social, economic, and environmental factors.
Local authorities
Local authorities, also known as local governments or municipal governments, are administrative bodies responsible for governing and providing services to specific geographic areas, such as cities, towns, or counties. They manage local public affairs, infrastructure, and policies, and are accountable to the residents within their jurisdiction.
Method
Systems thinking
Systems thinking is an approach to understanding and solving complex problems that looks at the big picture and the interactions between the different parts of a system, rather than focusing on isolated components or events. It also considers the relationships and connections between these components to understand the system as a whole.
Comparative policy analysis
Refers to evaluating and examining the outcomes of policies, regulations, or approaches across different contexts 'ex ante' or 'ex post' to inform decision-making.
Transdisciplinary approach
A transdisciplinary approach in housing research involves integrating insights, methodologies, and expertise from diverse fields beyond traditional housing studies, such as sociology, economics, architecture, and environmental science, to address complex housing-related issues. This approach seeks to foster holistic, innovative solutions that account for the multifaceted nature of housing challenges and promote collaboration among experts from various domains.
Tools
Transdisciplinary collaboration
Transdisciplinary collaboration refers to a collaborative approach in which individuals from different disciplines and fields work together to address complex problems or research questions that require insights, methods, and expertise from multiple domains. This collaboration involves the integration of knowledge and perspectives from diverse backgrounds to develop innovative solutions or gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue at hand.
Workshops
Workshops are structured and interactive sessions or gatherings in which participants engage in hands-on learning, problem-solving, and skill development related to a specific topic or activity. Workshops are typically conducted in a group setting and often involve practical exercises, discussions, and collaborative activities to achieve specific learning objectives.
Target knowledge
Dimension
Institutional
The structure of government institutions that have the responsibility and power to create building regulation and monitor compliance with them
Social
This dimension relates to aspects influencing or impacting people, communities, and societal structures.
Governance
This involves networks, systems and processes that steer decision-making, service delivery and policy implementation.
Economic
Transformational knowledge
No references