GUIDELINES on SOCIAL HOUSING Principles and Examples
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ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE Geneva GUIDELINES ON SOCIAL HOUSING Principles and Examples UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva, 2006 NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. * * * The designations used and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. ECE/HBP/137 Copyright © United Nations, 2006 All rights reserved Printed at United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION UNECE Information Service Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 44 44 PALAIS DES Nations Fax: + 41 (0) 22 917 05 05 CH-1211 Geneva 10 E-mail: [email protected] Switzerland Web site: http://www.unece.org ii CONTENTS Foreword…………………………………………………………………………………………………v Preface……………………………………………………………………………………………………vii Chapter I. THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL HOUSING..……………………………1 A. History of social housing in Western Europe……………………………………………….1 B. Development of social housing in countries in transition…………………………………..3 C. Privatization of public housing in countries in transition…………………………….……..6 Chapter II. THE ROLE OF SOCIAL HOUSING IN HOUSING POLICIES……………………………..9 A. Housing policy goals……………………………………………………………………..…9 B. What is social housing about?……………………………………………………………..10 C. Comparison between social housing and other housing policy instruments………………13 D. Statistical analysis………………………………………………………………………….15 E. Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………...16 F. Recommendations………………………………………………………………………….17 Chapter III. THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK…………………………………………………….19 A. Differing institutional frameworks………………………………………………………….19 B. Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………27 C. Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………..27 D. Case studies…………………………………………………………………………………30 Chapter IV. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK………………………………………………………………...33 A. The right to housing and its application……………………………………………………..33 B. Major trends………………………………………………………………………………....34 C. A growing emphasis on contractual agreements…………………………………………….34 D. Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………...34 Chapter V. THE MACROECONOMIC FRAMEWORK………………………………………….……….37 A. The economic framework for decision-making in social housing…………………………..37 B. Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………….42 C. Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………...43 Chapter VI. FINANCING OF SOCIAL HOUSING……………………………………………………….45 A. Generation of resources……………………………………………………………………..46 B. Forms of financial support…………………………………………………………………..54 C. Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………….58 D. Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………...60 E. Case studies………………………………………………………………………………….63 Glossary of housing finance terms………………………………………………………………….68 iii Chapter VII. THE ROLE OF SOCIAL HOUSING IN SOCIAL COHESION ………………………..71 A. Social cohesion: Towards a meaningful definition from the perspective of social housing …………………………………………………………………………...73 B. Social housing and social cohesion: Role, challenges and possible solutions…………...76 C. Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………83 D. Recommendations………………………………………………………………………..84 Chapter VIII. SOCIAL HOUSING DESIGN……………………………………………………………85 A. Quality and standards……………………………………………………………………...85 B. Health aspects……………………………………..………………………………………87 C. Ecological aspects and energy saving……………………………………………………..88 D. Competition among developers…………………………………………………………....89 E. Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………...90 F. Recommendations………………………………………………………………………….91 Chapter IX. PILOT PROJECTS AND RESEARCH IN SOCIAL HOUSING…………………..……….93 A. Pilot projects and experimental programmes……………………………………………....93 B. Evaluation and research…………………………………………………………………….93 C. Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………94 D. Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………..94 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………..……………………………………..….……...97 LIST OF BOXES, TABLES AND FIGURES Boxes 1. Far-reaching state regulation: Austria and the United Kingdom 2. Social housing and land-use planning: Italy, Switzerland and Austria 3. Financing social housing: Austria, England and the Netherlands 4. Tenant participation: England and Austria 5. Examples of social housing for the improvement of living conditions 6. Examples of social housing for socially integrated communities 7. Examples of social housing for special needs 8. Examples of social housing and residents’ empowerment Figures 1. Share of social rental dwellings in the housing supply, circa 2000 2. Affordable rent and subsidies 3. Construction and operating costs 4. Housing allowance: proportion of beneficiaries and average amount per inhabitant (2002–2003) Tables 1. Financial balance in investment and operation phases 2. Object and subject subsidies in selected countries iv FOREWORD The housing needs of the socially vulnerable and disadvantaged form the basis of the work of the Committee on Housing and Land Management. Poverty and the social exclusion of vulnerable population groups are increasing social and political challenges throughout the UNECE region. In recent years, the gap between income and housing prices has continued to widen across the region, making housing less affordable. At the same time, many countries have seen both a decline in the role of the state in the housing sector and a growing reliance on market forces to satisfy housing demand. Consequently, the housing needs of the poor and vulnerable are often inadequately addressed. The availability of affordable housing, however, is crucial for individuals’ well-being and for ensuring a socially cohesive society. It is also an important factor in economic productivity: affordable housing is a prerequisite for labour mobility and an essential part of the creation of an environmental policy conducive to the development of enterprise and job creation. Given the increasing challenges faced by the socially vulnerable in the housing sector and the importance of affordable housing for socially cohesive societies, countries of the UNECE region are beginning to realize the need for a renewed and stronger role of the state in the provision of social housing. However, in order for the provision of social housing to be efficient and effective, countries have called for a better sharing of experience on social housing policies and practices as well as improved guidance to policymakers through well-documented information on these policies and practices. The UNECE Guidelines on Social Housing are designed to enable policymakers to assess the various policy options that are currently available for the provision of social housing. The Guidelines address the institutional, legal and economic frameworks for social housing and experience with social housing design. They analyse the role of social housing policies for society at large. In particular, they include relevant and well-researched information on instruments available for the financing and provision of social housing. Marek Belka Executive Secretary v vi PREFACE Work on these Guidelines on Social Housing began with the UNECE Workshop on Social Housing which was held in Prague from 19 to 20 May 2003 at the invitation of the Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic, and in cooperation with the European Liaison Committee for Social Housing (CECODHAS). The workshop was attended by policymakers from across the UNECE region as well as by representatives from the private and non-profit sectors. Together, these participants helped to identify the main topics to be addressed in the Guidelines. Work on the Guidelines was concluded at a second Workshop on Social Housing, held in Vienna from 28 to 30 November 2004. This workshop provided a forum for housing experts from across the region to provide final feedback on the Guidelines. The Guidelines take into account the long-standing experience and work of the Committee on Human Settlements in connection with the housing concerns of the socially disadvantaged. In 2001, the Committee’s in-depth discussion focused on measures to facilitate social cohesion and security through urban development; in 2002, the discussion was dedicated to affordable social and affordable housing. The concerns of the socially vulnerable are an integral part of the Committee’s programme elements, in particular the country profiles on the housing sector and the Guidelines on Condominium Ownership of Housing for Countries in Transition (ECE/HBP/130). The Guidelines on Social Housing and more information on the Committee’s other work are available at www.unece.org/hlm. The Guidelines were developed by a task force of international experts from across the region: Chair of the task force: Mr. Wolfgang FORSTER City of Vienna (Austria) Task force members: Mr. Per AHREN Norwegian State Housing Bank Ms. Iris BEHR Institut Wohnen und Umwelt GmbH Ms. Darinka CZISCHKE European Social Housing Observatory, CECODHAS Ms. Iskra DANDOLOVA Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Sociology Mr. Andrew DENCH Housing Corporation (United Kingdom) Ms. Emmy GALAMA-ROMMERTS International Council of Women Mr. Laurent GHEKIERE Union sociale pour l’habitat Mr. Martti LUJANEN Ministry of the Environment (Finland) Mr. Donal McMANUS Irish Council for Social Housing Mr. Alexander PUZANOV Institute for Urban Economics (Russian Federation) Mr. Freek