An exploration of concepts and polices on ‘affordable housing’ in England, Italy, Poland and The Netherlands

Abstract

The term 'affordable housing' has been rapidly gaining currency over the last decade across Europe, both in policy and research circles. While it is often used as a synonym or close relative of the term 'social housing', more recently it is finding its own definition and policy instruments in specific cities and countries. However, boundaries between both concepts remain unclear. To shed light on recent developments of each of these terms, this paper presents findings from a study commissioned by the European Investment Bank, which investigated current trends in definitions, programmes and policies both in social housing and affordable housing. This paper focuses on findings for England, Italy, Poland and The Netherlands. Methods used included desk research and interviews with key informants in each of the four countries. In addition, in-depth information about Italy and The Netherlands was gathered through stakeholder workshops carried out between September and November 2016. Findings show that affordable housing in all four countries is becoming a more distinct field, in parallel to developments in social housing. In addition, the paper describes some innovative policies undertaken to develop affordable housing solutions. The paper concludes with a reflection on scenarios for future policy developments and an agenda for further research.

The affordability of “affordable” housing in England: conditionality and exclusion in a context of welfare reform

“…But ability to pay is unequal while the need for a place to live is universal' (Madden & Marcuse, 2016, p. 51). There could, therefore, be strong arguments in favour of affordable housing that targets middle-income households who are excluded from market-rate housing in commodified systems, and in a number of national contexts there has been a diversification of provision into different 'affordable' housing products (Czischke & van Bortel, 2018). Whilst the target groups and nature of providers differs (Czischke & van Bortel, 2018), there are examples of intermediate or mid-market 'affordable' products, such as Affordable Rent in England, 'housing sociale' in Italy (Pittini et al, 2017), and the National Rental Affordability Scheme in Australia (Yates, 2013).…”

Affordable Housing For Low-Income Masses: A Case Study of A Densely Populated Area in Lagos Metropolis

“…There are associated problems in accessing affordable housing that include a high population rate, a single most top expenditure item for households, family spending up to half of their income on housing, (Community Tool Box, 2018; Czischke & van Bortel, 2018). Affordable housing for low income shrinks continually while the concentration of housing needs by low-income masses are on the rise (Community Tool Box, 2018).…”

Understanding Affordable Housing in the Context of Sustainable Development

“…Though in some forums social housing and affordable housing are used as interchangeable terms, the literature has acknowledged that each of them has its own definition and specific policy instruments exist in different countries and local authorities (Czischke and van Bortel 2018). In fact, the definition of affordable housing varies from country to country.…”

“…Tackling the issues associated to housing affordability is a complex task, bearing in mind that there is not an agreed definition on what "affordable housing" means. As an indicative approach, it can be said that generally affordable housing makes reference to houses available for rent to a broader spectrum of people than those covered by social housing (Czischke and van Bortel 2018). Both academics and governmental institutions have focused their efforts on two big areas of analysis with regard to affordable housing.…”