Effective policies for affordable, inclusive and environment friendly housing

Stephanie Fürer

Moderator

June 29, 2022 | 13:30 - 15:00

Multifunction Hall Room 8

Bundesamt für Wohnungswesen BWO

Switzerland

English

Equitable urban futures

Reference:

NE 108

Networking Events

Summary

This side event raises capacities of policy-makers to find suitable tools to provide affordable, inclusive and green housing. It is aimed at policy makers and members of public administrations at all levels of government – national, regional or local – and is based on the report and the toolkit “#Housing2030: Effective policies for affordable housing in the UNECE region”. UNECE, UN-Habitat and Housing Europe launched #Housing 2030 at a UNECE Ministerial Meeting on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management in Geneva in October 2021. #Housing2030 and its online repository provide lists of specific policy tools and their illustrations of best practices on the four above-mentioned topics: (1) Housing governance and regulation; (2) Access to finance and funding; (3) Access and availability of land for housing contractions; and (4) Climate-neutral housing construction and renovation. The study draws on the experience of over 100 researchers, policymakers, housing providers and advocates from across the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region and beyond, to define useful approaches, outline their advantages and disadvantages, and illustrate their practical application. The proposed networking event consists of two parts. In the first part, the authors of the Housing 2030 study present its methodology and intent. In the second part, a panel of specialists discusses best practices on affordable, inclusive and green housing, as they are contained in the Housing 2030 study. One focus will be on Swiss best practice examples. The public is invited to provide and discuss additional examples, the idea being to lead a discussion about how sufficient high-quality housing can be provided all over the world, for different population segments, such that it is affordable and environment friendly (optimally even climate neutral). The event will also inform about the “Place and Life in the UNECE – A Regional Action Plan 2030: Tackling challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, climate and housing emergencies in region, city, neighbourhood and homes” which builds on conclusions of the #Housing2030 study.

Objectives

The key objective of this networking side event is the exchange of knowledge between policy makers and members of public administrations from different regions and layers of government about the provision of affordable, high-quality housing, which is inclusive and respectful of the environment. The #Housing2030 study lays the perfect groundwork for this discussion, as it contains many best practice examples all over the UNECE region. There is, for example, a toolkit on affordable climate-neutral housing aimed at mitigating potential negative social impacts of decarbonization strategies on vulnerable sections of society, particularly young people. The study involves an extraordinary level of stakeholder engagement, using survey instruments, online workshops and podcasts in order to maximize the exchange of policy experience and good practices. With the networking event, we seek to continue in this tradition. Policy makers get to know the results of the study, and have an opportunity to discuss them and think about a possible application in their constituencies. Moreover, this networking event gives another possibility to the authors of #Housing2030 to get into contact with housing specialists from all over the world in order to get to know more best practice examples on the provision of affordable, inclusive and green housing, which might be included in the collection of best practice examples on the webpage www.housing2030.org.