Drawing on extensive documentary analysis, this article traces the evolution of British energy policy support since World War II. It analyses shifts in policy design through two interpretive lenses: eligibility (residualist vs. universalist) and function (compensatory vs. preventive). While the UK was once a global leader in preventive, relatively broad-based energy efficiency investments, since the 1980s it has moved increasingly towards reactive, narrowly targeted schemes, mostly delivered through energy supplier obligations and providing means-tested relief. Moments of crisis, such as the oil shocks of the 1970s and the recent energy price surge, prompted temporary shifts to universalism, but such measures have proved short-lived. While successive governments emphasised the many co-benefits of energy efficiency schemes, they remain inconsistently implemented and underfunded. We argue that the persistence of residualist-compensatory models is driven by political, institutional, and ideational factors. To make sense of these developments, we introduce a typology of four models - residualist compensatory, residualist-preventive, universalist-compensatory, and universalist-preventive- which is used to map key policy shifts and assess their implications. We conclude by explaining that a transition towards a universalist-preventive approach must be grounded in a rights-based framework. ... Read more

Urban regeneration has emerged as a critical strategy for addressing housing shortages and spatial inefficiencies in rapidly urbanizing megacities. However, many urban regeneration approaches are market-driven and often prioritize economic growth over social equity, leading to persistent gaps in affordable housing delivery. This study investigates the institutional barriers to affordable housing provision in Shenzhen, China—a pioneer in market-oriented urban regeneration—through a neo-institutional economics (NIE) lens. Combining policy analysis and 26 semi-structured interviews with government officials, developers, and residents, the research identifies three interconnected institutional obstacles: (1) ambiguous property rights rooted in the rural-urban dual land system, which prolongs negotiation and approval processes; (2) high transaction costs arising from fragmented governance and bureaucratic complexities; and (3) misaligned incentives among stakeholders that prioritize commercial gains over public welfare. Empirical findings reveal that over 80% of urban village regeneration projects face delays exceeding one year due to tenure disputes, while 70% of developers spatially marginalize affordable housing to maximize profits. These dynamics form a self-reinforcing “institutional trap,” where path dependency on land-finance regimes and weak regulatory constraints perpetuate housing inequity. The study contributes to urban scholarship by adapting insights from New Institutional Economics into an integrative tripartite analytical lens (“institutional structure–transaction costs–behavioural choices”, STB) that traces cascading transaction costs across project stages and links them to actors’ strategic, normative and reputational behaviours in Shenzhen’s market-driven regeneration regime. It challenges the assumption that market efficiency aligns with social goals and underscores the need for institutional reforms to reconcile growth with equity. Policymakers must address structural contradictions, such as rigid land ownership regimes and decentralized governance, to break the low-equilibrium trap. The findings hold global relevance for megacities grappling with similar tensions between market-driven regeneration and inclusive development. ... Read more

The large-scale transformation of the housing stock towards net-zero energy has already mobilised substantial public and private investment and is set to accelerate in the coming decades. While many studies examine the effects of decarbonisation on rents and prices, less is known about cost-reducing benefits for households, how these gains are distributed across tenures and whether they ultimately improve affordability. These distributional questions are particularly salient in Western Europe where persistent unaffordability cleavages between homeowners and renters exist. This article investigates the impact of decarbonisation on housing costs across tenures. The analysis draws on registry data from Dutch households between 2018 and 2023, employing heating degree day-adjusted gas consumption as a proxy for decarbonisation. To estimate the impact of decarbonisation on costs, the article combines a matching procedure with a staggered diff-in-diffs design, followed by a series of distributional measures. Across these indicators, outright owners exhibit the largest relative reductions in housing costs, mortgagors the largest absolute reductions, private renters the smallest reductions, and social renters are in an intermediate position. These findings, when understood within the context of current decarbonisation policies, comprising subsidies for homeowners and cost-neutrality measures for tenants, point to the entrenchment of current unaffordability cleavages. ... Read more

Van den Eynden beschrijft de sociaalliberale en pragmatische wortels van de Woningwet 1901 en analyseert het verwoestende effect van het neoliberale denken en de nota-Heerma uit 1989. Ze sluit af met een pleidooi voor eerherstel van sociaalliberale waarden en een brede volkshuisvesting. Het is een buitengewoon boeiende duik in het verleden, die uitnodigt tot discussie over het heden.

Deze bijdrage haakt in op de uitnodiging tot meedenken vanuit het perspectief van instituties en governance van wonen, in de vorm van drie observaties en een verkenning. Allereerst blijkt dat het pragmatisme rond 1900 niet zonder visie was. Ten tweede bleef de impact van het neoliberaal gedachtegoed niet beperkt tot de liberale ideologie. Ten derde heeft de nota-Heerma de corporatiesector veranderd, maar niet verwoest. Deze bijdrage sluit af met een verkenning van wat sociaalliberale waarden en pragmatisme zouden kunnen betekenen voor het kabinet-Schoof. ... Read more

Met ‘bevlogen pragmatisme’ als motto voor het regeerprogramma baant kabinet-Schoof zich een weg door onrustige tijden. Geopolitieke spanningen en binnenlandse crises maken duidelijk dat het welzijn van mens en maatschappij niet vanzelfsprekend zijn. Wonen is daarbij cruciaal. Niet voor niets is de zorg voor adequate woongelegenheid verankerd in de Nederlandse Grondwet. Goed wonen is een fundamentele levensbehoefte en vormt de basis voor persoonlijke ontwikkeling, gezondheid en maatschappelijke samenhang. Woonbeleid gaat dus niet alleen over stenen en cijfers — het raakt aan de kern van een gezonde samenleving. ... Read more

The Routledge Handbook of Housing and Welfare, published in 2024, explores the interconnections between housing systems and welfare systems. The book is ambitious in scope: it adopts a global perspective and includes contributions from a huge range of countries. In addition to the editors, Martin Grander and Mark Stephens, 23 authors provide insights on one or more national contexts. [...] ... Read more

Since the 1990s, many governments have reduced direct funding for social housing. In Northwestern Europe, indirect subsidies and guarantees have allowed private providers to maintain and expand the social rental stock. In contrast, Spain's social rental sector has remained underdeveloped. Amid the current affordability crisis, attention to social housing is growing, emphasized by a new law prohibiting the sale of public land zoned for this purpose. Given public expenditure constraints, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have emerged as an alternative to finance new construction. These partnerships involve leasing public land at reduced costs to private entities for social housing development. Despite land availability, financial challenges persist and tenders often fail to attract private sector interest. This paper examines constraints affecting social housing development by exploring a PPP by the Catalan Land Institute. The central research question is: How do institutional dynamics and financial constraints impact the provision of social rental housing in Spain? To answer this question, a mixed-methods approach integrates interviews with a sensitivity analysis of key parameters in a Discounted-Cash-Flow (DCF) model. The findings underscore high financing costs, weak renter protections, and misaligned fiscal policies as significant obstacles. The paper recommends further investigating public-backed guarantors, housing allowances, and fiscal incentives to address these challenges. ... Read more

Chapter 22 is about adequate housing in South America, providing an overview of housing programs in both the formal and informal housing markets. The South American countries discussed in this chapter are Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina. ... Read more

Woning: de tevredenheid over de woning is in Nederland hoog; met 84% tevreden bewoners behoort Nederland tot de top in Europa. 1 Eigenaar-bewoners zijn het tevredenst (circa 90%). Onder huurders ligt de tevredenheid lager: bij zowel huurders in de commerciële als in de sociale sector ligt deze rond de 70%. Woonomgeving: ook de tevredenheid met de woonomgeving is hoog, met gemiddeld 83%. Eigenaar-bewoners zijn het tevredenst (circa 90%), gevolgd door huurders van commerciële huurwoningen (circa 80%) en daarna huurders van sociale huurwoningen (circa 70%). [...] ... Read more

Rising energy prices across Europe have increased concerns over energy poverty. Despite significant scholarly focus on financial relief measures instituted by national governments, locally tailored crisis measures have remained overlooked. This study delves into the Dutch context, where part of the government's response to the energy crisis was decentralised, allowing municipalities considerable discretion in experimenting with energy poverty interventions. It compares two strategies: ‘energy coaching’ services – offering advice on sustainable energy practices – and shallow retrofitting by ‘fix teams’ – installing minor energy-saving measures in homes. The impact of these interventions on residential comfort, sustainable behaviour adoption, and (financial concerns regarding) energy bills is assessed through an extensive survey involving treatment and control groups coupled with detailed administrative data on households and dwellings. Results indicate that, on an aggregate level, local interventions significantly enhanced perceived comfort and reduced energy bills among the treatment groups. Comparing individual interventions, notably, more extensive ones such as fix teams and comprehensive energy coaching were significantly more impactful than those involving a single visit, highlighting the importance of continuous engagement. Additionally, we found that energy poverty status significantly amplified the effectiveness of these interventions, thereby stressing the importance of focusing efforts on vulnerable households. ... Read more

In October 2024, the European Union announced its first commissioner with direct responsibility for housing, as Dan Jørgensen was appointed the EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing. The reactions were mixed. While some voices were positive about the increased focus on affordable housing and the possibility for the EU to support member states in tackling the housing crisis, concerns were raised about the EU interfering in an issue which by nature is national and local.

This paper investigates the possible consequences of renewed EU interference in the housing markets in Sweden and the Netherlands – two countries which have previously changed their legislation for social and public housing due to potential conflict with the EU’s state-aid rules. The paper provides an overview of the responses from political parties and key stakeholders in Sweden and the Netherlands and discusses the potential outcome of a change in state aid rules for the public/social housing systems. The authors call for a focus on the urgent shortage of affordable housing and its negative impact on individuals and society, and argue that politicians should use the opportunity to prioritize long-term systemic impact.

The paper is written by Martin Grander, Associate Professor at the Department of Urban Studies, Faculty of Culture and Society, Malmö University and Marja Elsinga, Professor at the Department of Management in the Built Environment, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft. ... Read more

This report presents the Transdisciplinary Environment for Affordable and Sustainable Housing (TEASH) developed in the three-year activity of the RE-DWELL network. Together with Deliverables 4.1-4.5 and 4.7, it represents the work done in the project to create a transdisciplinary learning and research environment spanning over academia, research and practice. [...] ... Read more

Jongeren vinden vaak moeizaam een geschikt eigen thuis en worden daarmee belemmerd in hun ontwikkeling. Ouderen die “langer zelfstandig” moeten wonen ontberen vaak een woonplek waar de nodige zorg en het nodige gezelschap beschikbaar zijni . Een gezond thuis is een voorwaarde om grip te hebben op het leven en daarmee cruciaal voor gezondheid, welzijn en maatschappelijke stabiliteit. Niet voor niets is in onze Grondwet vastgelegd dat de overheid een zorgplicht heeft voor de “woonvoorziening”. Anno 2024 lijkt volkshuisvesting -de zorg voor een adequaat thuis- terug van lange tijd weggeweest, met een minister van wonen die deals sluit en de regie meer in handen wil nemen. Grote vraag is hoe de woonambities van een volgend kabinet eruit zien en waar bewoners en investeerders op kunnen rekenen? Investeren in wonen is investeren in de lange termijn waarin vele kabinetten voorbij komen. Dat vergt visie op “waardevol wonen” dat maatschappelijk en financieel rendeert en de daarvoor benodigde instituties en governance. Achtereenvolgens komen de benutting van woonruimte, misbruik van schaarste, investeringsperspectief en kwaliteit van woningen en wonen aan de orde. [...] ... Read more

Despite persistent housing affordability issues, energy policy and housing renovation are usually investigated separately from housing costs other than energy. Researchers have examined the financial viability of renovation attending to building conditions and the socio-economic characteristics of their occupants. However, the distributional impacts of renovation incentives and the potential of fiscal policy to redistribute housing costs remain understudied. Dutch fiscal policy, favouring homeownership, offers a relevant context to evaluate how property taxation can boost renovation rates. The novelty of this paper resides in investigating the impact of two policies, the current direct subsidy and a proposal for a green tax, on both the financial viability of renovation and the subsequent distribution of housing costs. The proposed green tax combines energy efficiency and taxation of property revenue. We employ a model considering marginal costs of housing renovation, obtained from a government dataset, and marginal benefits, drawn from a hedonic regression. We assess the distributional impacts of different policy scenarios by examining changes in user costs across income deciles. Our findings indicate that existing renovation subsidies exacerbate the regressive distributional impacts resulting from the current housing taxation system in the Netherlands. Introducing energy-efficiency-linked property taxation can make homeownership fiscality less regressive while incentivising housing renovation. Ultimately, this study highlights the importance of incorporating housing affordability as a fundamental element in renovation policies to balance environmental and distributional objectives. ... Read more

The South African Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) was initiated to provide subsidised housing for low‐income families. However, the programme faced challenges in establishing adequate technical guidelines and standards, resulting in subpar housing quality. This article discusses the multifaceted nature of subsidised housing design, emphasising the importance of incorporating technical housing standards as well as the spatial needs of residents based on their context (at both domestic and neighbourhood scales). The article focuses on the K206 housing RDP project in Alexandra, Johannesburg, as a case study that transitioned from generic technical standards to a resident‐responsive design scheme that was inspired by the backyard room incremental expansions that were already prevalent in the Alexandra context. A critical review of South Africa’s RDP housing design technical standards and policy is explored. The article also examines the density standards and allowances for incremental expansions introduced by the K206 project, analysing data derived from fieldwork observations, interviews, and the spatial analysis of 26 dwelling units. The study’s findings underscore the significance of maintaining an equilibrium between technical standards and resident‐responsive design decisions. The results demonstrate that tailoring the RDP housing design solutions to unique contextual needs can significantly elevate the quality of life of residents concerning income generation and flexibility for incremental expansion. However, this balance is delicate and disparities between the RDP technical standards and user‐initiated development over time also have the potential to ultimately impair residents’ living spaces. ... Read more

State-subsidised housing in the Global South often receives criticism for ­failing to meet the economic needs of low-income citizens. The K206 housing project, situated in Alexandra, Johannesburg, stands out as a unique case by not only addressing housing requirements but also addressing the economic concerns of its low-income homeowners. This response included the incorporation of state initiated formal built-in rental rooms and provisions for incremental extensions to support income generation. This paper aims to explore both of these options that allowed residents to use housing as a means of income generation, and examines household strategies and the motivations behind using these options for extra income. Twenty-one resident interviews and spatial analyses provided insights on how the K206 housing facilitated income-­generating opportunities for its residents and analyses whether households capitalised on these opportunities and the factors influencing their decisions to do so. The findings were that state built-in backyard rooms did not generally work for income generation due to poor allocation strategies that caused conflict. Incremental extensions, even in unintended locations proved more effective for generating income. Incrementally added backyard rooms served multiple purposes and had the potential to generate income to address cash shortfalls, contribute to ­pension plans, and facilitate investments. ... Read more

Following the work presented in Deliverable 4.6, this report focuses on the development and application of a toolbox designed to foster collaborative knowledge construction among stakeholders addressing affordable and sustainable housing procurement in a local context. [...] ... Read more

Door vergrijzing groeit in Nederland het aantal ouderen dat gezelschap en zorg zoekt. Hoewel de overheid ‘langer zelfstandig wonen’ tot beleidsmotto heeft verheven, zijn zowel wonen als zorg daar nog niet op ingericht. Gelukkig verscheen onlangs het programma Wonen en Zorg voor Ouderen van ministers De Jonge (Volkshuisvesting en Ruimtelijke Ordening) en Helder (Langdurige Zorg en Sport). Clusteren, bewegen en ontmoeten: het zijn de inspirerende woorden in deze nota die ons op weg helpen naar de broodnodige afstemming van wonen en zorg voor een waardige oude dag. ... Read more