Дисертації з теми "Housing crisi"

Tras la Crisis Financiera Global, diferentes autores han defendido la posible emergencia de un nuevo modelo de sistema de vivienda denominado neoliberal tardío. Este nuevo modelo estaría principalmente caracterizado por la pérdida de importancia de la vivienda en régimen de propiedad, especialmente en los hogares jóvenes y con niveles de renta bajos; así como por el cambio en las políticas de vivienda hacia el fomento del alquiler a precio de mercado. Por sistemas de vivienda hemos definido el conjunto de políticas y arreglos institucionales a través de los cuales se configuran unas formas de acceso y provisión de vivienda. Históricamente, el estudio de los sistemas de vivienda ha sido abordado por posiciones cercanas al análisis de los modelos de Estado de bienestar vinculadas a la corriente inaugurada por Esping Andersen. Desde este lugar, se ha relacionado el cambio en los sistemas de vivienda con los cambios acontecidos en el seno de los Estados de bienestar, sin prestar demasiada atención a los que han tenido que ver con las transformaciones en el proceso de acumulación del sistema capitalista. Con el llamado proceso de financiarización y el auge de la vivienda en propiedad, diversos autores próximos al enfoque de la economía política se empiezan a ocupar de esta cuestión. Este trabajo se ubica en este mismo enfoque. El objetivo de este trabajo es verificar la teoría del cambio hacia el modelo neoliberal tardío en un caso concreto. La estrategia metodológica será, por tanto, el estudio de caso. El caso seleccionado es el sistema de vivienda español. Este trabajo está dividido en seis capítulos más uno de conclusiones. El primero está dedicado a conocer el estado de la cuestión y ubicar nuestro trabajo dentro de la literatura especializada. En el segundo, se expone la estrategia metodológica. En el tercero, se contextualiza el caso. En este sentido, el sistema de vivienda español ha sido frecuentemente incluido dentro del modelo mediterráneo-familiarista. No obstante, a la luz de los cambios producidos durante la década de los 80 y 90, el sistema experimentó un proceso de transición hacia el modelo neoliberal. Sus principales características han sido el dominio de la vivienda en propiedad, un parque ínfimo de vivienda social, un mercado del alquiler semidesregulado y unas políticas de vivienda dirigidas a favorecer la construcción y compra de vivienda en propiedad. En los capítulos cuarto, quinto y sexto exponemos los resultados y el análisis de los mismos. Cada uno de los capítulos está dedicado a una de las tres dimensiones con las que se ha operacionalizado el concepto de sistema de vivienda: políticas sectoriales de vivienda, formas de provisión de vivienda y régimen de tenencia. Finalmente se exponen as conclusiones de la investigación, en donde se incluye incluimos la agenda de investigación futura que de ellas se deriva.
After the Global Financial Crisis, different authors have defended the possible emergence of a new model of the so-called “late neoliberal housing system“. This new model would be mainly characterized by the loss of importance of housing ownership, especially in young people and households with low income levels; as well as by the change in housing policies towards the promotion of the market rent. By housing systems we have defined the set of policies and institutional arrangements through which some forms of access and provision of housing have been established. Historically, the study of the housing systems has been addressed by positions close to the analysis of the models of welfare states linked to the current of thought lead by Esping Andersen. From this point of view, the change in housing systems has been related to changes within the welfare state However, not much attention has been paid to changes that have had to do with the transformations in the process of accumulation of the capitalist system. With the so-called process of financialization and the housing boom in property, various authors close to the approach of the political economy are starting to take on this issue. This work is based on the same approach. The aim of this work is to verify the theory of change towards the late neo-liberal model in a specific case. The methodological strategy will therefore be the case study. The selected case is the Spanish housing system. This work is divided into six chapters, plus one of conclusions. The first is dedicated to know the state of the question and place our work within the specialized literature. In the second chapter, we expose the methodological strategy. The third is dedicated to contextualize the selected case. In this sense, the Spanish housing system has often been included within the Mediterranean-familiy-oriented model. However, in light of the changes during the decade of the 80s and 90s, the system underwent a process of transition to the neoliberal model. Its main characteristics have been the predominance of home ownership, a extremely small social housing proportion, a semi-deregulated rental market and housing policies aimed at favoring the construction and purchase of home ownership. In chapters 4, 5 and 6 it’s been presented the results and analysis of the same. Each of the chapters is dedicated to one of the three dimensions with which we have operationalized the concept of housing system: sectoral policies for housing, forms of provision of housing and tenure forms. Finally, we present the findings of the investigation where we include the agenda for future research deriving from them.

A Espanya, a finals de l’any 2007, amb l’esclat de la bombolla immobiliària, s’inicià una intensa i persistent crisi econòmica. Aquells fets van marcar l’inici d’una acumulació d’adversitats per a centenars de milers de famílies que havien adquirit amb finançament hipotecari un habitatge al llarg de la darrera dècada. La prioritat de les polítiques públiques d’habitatge ja no era trobar fórmules per a disposar d’un habitatge en condicions de sostenibilitat econòmica familiar, sinó que la configuració legal de les execucions hipotecàries va comportar que mantenir-se a l’habitatge i evitar el llançament és convertís en la principal de les preocupacions. El canvi de paradigma es va produir en poc temps, mentre que la reacció de les administracions va ser, en canvi, excessivament lenta i ineficient. El context tampoc ha estat favorable per les famílies que havien accedit a un habitatge en règim de lloguer. Si bé les conseqüències de perdre l'habitatge habitual en lloguer fruit d'un procés judicial són, en general, menys pernicioses que perdre'l en un procediment d'execució hipotecària, l'elevat nombre de desnonaments posa de relleu que es produeix en molts casos un sobreesforç de la renda familiar disponible per a mantenir un habitatge en lloguer. En el marc de la post-bombolla, en l’articulació de l’estratègia per a reduir els llançaments i aconseguir un escenari de futur caracteritzat per la desaparició dels desnonaments i fer efectiu el dret a l’habitatge, les diferents administracions públiques han creat al llarg d'aquests anys una autèntica bombolla legislativa plena d’instruments, especialment coercitius, per aconseguir disposar d’habitatges per a solucionar l’emergència residencial. L’ampliació i redefinició de la funció social de la propietat ha estat clau per a intentar mobilitzar habitatges buits del parc immobiliari. En especial han estat objectiu d’aquestes polítiques els habitatges que havien quedat en mans de les entitats financeres, les seves filials immobiliàries, i els fons de gestió d’actius immobiliaris. Però la regulació de totes aquestes mesures ha comportat també unes intenses desavinences –resoltes pel Tribunal Constitucional- entre les administracions estatal i autonòmiques, sobre la capacitat competencial a l’hora de regular aquests instruments, enfrontament que és objecte d’anàlisi en aquest treball. Aquesta investigació radiografia tant les mesures regulades des dels diferents nivells de l’administració, com els seus resultats, fent una incidència especial en els instruments i la legislació que s’ha aplicat a Catalunya. En aquest sentit, són objecte d’especial atenció la mediació (obligatòria), les taxes (l'impost d'habitatges buits), les multes coercitives i sancions, el tanteig i retracte, i l'expropiació forçosa. En síntesi, en l’actual escenari de post-crisi, més de 10 anys després, la majoria de mesures, les de l’Estat, i ara la de les CCAA, resten plenament efectives, i es posa de relleu en aquesta investigació quines són eficients per resoldre l’emergència residencial que apareix encara de forma cronificada per la insuficiència de recursos dels que disposa l’administració per a poder fer front a la necessitat d’habitatge de la ciutadania en situació de vulnerabilitat.
In Spain, at the end of 2007, with the outbreak of the real estate bubble, an intense and persistent economic crisis began. That event marked the beginning of an accumulation of adversity for hundreds of thousands of families who had acquired housing with mortgage financing over the last decade. The priority of public housing policies was no longer to find ways to provide housing in conditions of economic sustainability for the families. The legal configuration of foreclosures implied that staying home and avoiding the eviction became the main concern. The change of paradigm occurred in a short time, while the reaction of the administrations was, however, excessively slow and inefficient. The context has also not been positive for families who had access to rented housing. Although the consequences of losing the usual rental housing resulting from a judicial process are generally less harmful than losing it in a foreclosure procedure, the high number of evictions highlights that, in many cases, there is a surplus in the family income available to maintain a rental property. In the framework of the post-bubble, the strategy to reduce the evictions and achieve a future scenario characterized by the disappearance of evictions and to guarantee the right to housing, the different public administrations have created, throughout these years, an authentic legislative bubble full of instruments, especially coercive, to get housing available to solve the residential emergency. The extension and re-definition of the social function of the property has been the key to mobilize empty houses of the real estate park. In particular, the purpose of these policies has been the housing that was in the hands of financial entities, their real estate subsidiaries, and real estate asset management funds. But the regulation of all these measures has also led to intense disagreements -resolved by the Constitutional Court- between the state and autonomous administrations, on the competent capacity when regulating these instruments, a confrontation that is the object of analysis in this work. This investigation radiographs both the measures regulated from the different levels of the administration, as well as its results, making a special attention on the instruments and legislation in Catalonia. In this regard, the mediation (mandatory), the rates (the tax of empty houses), the coercive fines and sanctions, the retention and retraction, and the forced expropriation are object of special attention. In the current scenario of post-crisis, more than ten years later, most of the measures, those of the State, and now those of the autonomous communities, remain fully effective, and this research is highlighted in those that are efficient to solve the residential emergency, which still appears chronic due to insufficient resources of the administration to cope with the need of housing for vulnerable citizens.

Introduzione: uno sguardo di insieme sull'origine della crisi del 2008 e come cambia il mondo dell’immobiliare dopo la crisi 1. Effetti della crisi sulla finanziabilità di attività di costruzione e acquisti: il timore degli intermediari 2. Effetti della stretta su tassi, importi e requisiti. Re-impostare le condizioni di ac-cesso ai mutui al fine di evitare rischi sistemici 3. Finanziamento bancario all'edilizia: nuove formule 4. Finanziamenti per l’acquisto da parte dei privati: nuove formule 5. Edilizia bio e finanziabilità 6. Edilizia residenziale pubblica: funzione sociale e strumento di compensazione 7. Ristrutturare l’esistente, le abitazioni abbandonate nei centri storici 8. Conclusioni

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo general avanzar en el conocimiento sobre los efectos territoriales de la crisis hipotecaria en España y cómo responden a la crisis de la vivienda las personas afectadas, explorando en concreto la ciudad de Barcelona. El análisis se realiza, en primer lugar, con una revisión bibliográfica de la crisis de la vivienda y movimientos sociales; en segundo lugar, estudiando la distribución geográfica de la población afectada por la crisis de las hipotecas durante la primera década post-crisis (2008-2017) mediante el análisis de bases de datos oficiales del Consejo General del Poder Judicial (CGPJ) y el Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) y con datos de la Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH) de Barcelona; y finalmente, analizando los procesos y las estrategias de empoderamiento y movilización colectiva de recursos sociales de la población afectada a través de trabajo de campo con métodos etnográficos realizado entre octubre de 2014 y julio de 2018 en la PAH de Barcelona. Los resultados permiten observar una mayor incidencia de los desahucios, a nivel estatal, en las provincias del litoral mediterráneo y, en el caso de la ciudad de Barcelona, en los distritos de Nou Barris y Ciutat Vella. En cuanto a las estrategias de empoderamiento que ha utilizado la PAH para convertir la población afectada en activistas generadores de un nuevo discurso de contrapoder, destacan la importancia de las asambleas colectivas, la acción directa con prácticas de performance, y la importancia de los medios de comunicación internos.
This research aims to advance the knowledge about the territorial effects of the mortgage crisis in Spain and how the people affected respond to the housing crisis, and exploring concretely the city of Barcelona. The analysis is carried out, first of all, with a bibliographic review of the crisis of housing and social movements; secondly, studying the geographical distribution of the population affected by the mortgage crisis during the first post-crisis decade (2008-2017) through the analysis of official databases of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) and the National Statistics Institute (INE) and with data from the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) of Barcelona, a grassroots organization that intends to stop evictions; and finally, analyzing the processes and the strategies of empowerment and collective mobilization of social resources of the affected population through an ethnographic methodology fieldwork realized between October 2014 and July 2018 in the PAH of Barcelona. The results allow us to observe a greater incidence of evictions, at the state level, in the provinces of the Mediterranean coast and, in the case of the city of Barcelona, in the districts of Nou Barris and Ciutat Vella. Regarding the empowerment strategies used by the PAH to turn the affected population into activists generating a new, counteracting discourse, I detected the importance of collective meetings, direct action with performance practices, and the importance of the own media.

Aquesta tesi estudia el discurs mediàtic sobre habitatge i la seva evolució entre els anys 2008 i 2019 en mitjans editats des de Catalunya, una de les comunitats autònomes més afectades pels desnonaments i on han nascut els principals moviments en defensa d’aquest dret durant aquest període, primer la Plataforma d’Afectats per la Hipoteca (PAH) el 2009 i posteriorment el Sindicat de Llogateres, el 2017. L’anàlisi parteix de la perspectiva androcèntrica/no androcèntrica, examinant com influeixen en el discurs informatiu els diferents actors involucrats en la qüestió de l’habitatge (centres de poder polític i econòmic, persones afectades per desnonaments, moviments socials, etc.). Pel que fa als moviments socials, la tesi se centra en estudiar l’estratègia de comunicació i la incidència mediàtica de la PAH. La problemàtica de l’habitatge és d’especial rellevància en el context català i espanyol. Si bé les dificultats per accedir a aquest dret són d’escala global, per la conversió de l’habitatge en un bé financer als mercats internacionals, en el cas espanyol aquests reptes es veuen agreujats pels dèficits d’habitatge social i assequible heretats de la Dictadura franquista, en què es va gestar el model preferent d’accés a l’habitatge en propietat a partir del crèdit hipotecari. En el camp de la comunicació, la principal aportació de la investigació és que fa un examen ampli, global i diacrònic del tractament periodístic del tema al llarg de més d’una dècada, comparant, a més, l’enfocament informatiu de diaris tradicionals amb el de mitjans alternatius. Aquest model periodístic s’ha vist reforçat des de 2008 arran del debilitament de la premsa tradicional. La tesi parteix de la metodologia documental per estudiar el context socioeconòmic i polític en què se circumscriu el discurs mediàtic sobre habitatge i els antecedents històrics més rellevants, així com de l’anàlisi de contingut, que s’aplica tant a informacions periodístiques com a missatges de Twitter de la PAH de Barcelona (amb adequacions metodològiques segons el canal). S’han analitzat un total de 657 unitats comunicatives (285 de La Vanguardia, 267 de El Periódico i 105 de la Directa) i 307 tuits de la PAH de Barcelona. També s’han fet entrevistes qualitatives semiestructurades a set activistes del moviment social. Els resultats globals de l’anàlisi mostren que el discurs dels dos mitjans tradicionals és més proper als centres de poder que a les persones afectades per l’emergència habitacional i als moviments socials que defensen els seus drets, en major mesura a La Vanguardia (més propera al sector immobiliari-financer) que a El Periódico (més proper al poder polític). Per contra, la Directa, mitjà independent, reflecteix essencialment la postura dels moviments socials organitzats durant tot el període d’anàlisi i dona escassa visibilitat als actors econòmics i institucionals. Els resultats diacrònics mostren que els moviments socials en defensa del dret a l’habitatge han guanyat incidència mediàtica des del naixement de la PAH l’any 2009, respecte al període previ, en què no existia un contrapoder ciutadà fort en aquesta matèria. A més, el debilitament de la legitimitat dels centres de poder arran de la crisi hipotecària de 2008 va contribuir a l’expansió del relat contrahegemònic de la PAH entre l’opinió pública, tant a través de les xarxes socials com a partir de la seva relació amb els mitjans de comunicació, que la plataforma també ha considerat estratègica des dels seus inicis. És durant el cicle de mobilitzacions del 15M (2011-2013) quan el moviment pel dret a l’habitatge va assolir major influència sobre els mitjans tradicionals, si bé, a partir de 2017, també s’ha convertit en font informativa de referència sobre lloguers.
Esta tesis estudia el discurso mediático sobre vivienda y su evolución entre los años 2008 y 2019 en medios editados desde Cataluña, una de las comunidades autónomas más afectadas por los desahucios y donde han nacido los principales movimientos en defensa de este derecho durante este periodo: la Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH) en 2009 y el "Sindicat de Llogateres" (Sindicato de Inquilinas) en 2017. El análisis parte de la perspectiva androcéntrica/no androcéntrica, examinando cómo influyen en el discurso informativo los diferentes actores involucrados en la cuestión de la vivienda (centros de poder político y económico, personas afectadas por desahucios, movimientos sociales, etc.). En cuanto a los movimientos sociales, la tesis se centra en estudiar la estrategia de comunicación y la incidencia mediática de la PAH. La problemática de la vivienda es de especial relevancia en el contexto catalán y español. Si bien las dificultades para acceder a este derecho son de escala mundial, por la conversión de la vivienda en un bien financiero en los mercados internacionales, en el caso español, se añaden a estos retos globales los déficits de vivienda social y asequible heredados de la Dictadura franquista, en la que se gestó el modelo preferente de acceso a la vivienda en propiedad a partir del crédito hipotecario. En el campo de la comunicación, la principal aportación de la investigación es que hace un examen amplio, global y diacrónico del tratamiento periodístico del tema a lo largo de más de una década, comparando, además, el enfoque informativo de diarios tradicionales con el de medios alternativos. Este modelo periodístico se ha visto reforzado desde 2008 a raíz del debilitamiento de la prensa tradicional. La tesis parte de la metodología documental para estudiar el contexto socioeconómico y político en el que se circunscribe el discurso mediático sobre vivienda y los antecedentes históricos más relevantes, así como del análisis de contenido, que se aplica tanto a informaciones periodísticas como a mensajes de Twitter de la PAH de Barcelona (con adecuaciones metodológicas según el canal). Se han analizado 657 unidades comunicativas (285 de La Vanguardia, 267 de El Periódico y 105 de la Directa) y 307 tuits de la PAH de Barcelona. También se han hecho entrevistas cualitativas semiestructuradas a siete activistas del movimiento social. Los resultados globales del análisis muestran que el discurso de los dos medios tradicionales es más próximo a los centros de poder que a las personas afectadas por la emergencia habitacional y los movimientos sociales, en mayor medida en La Vanguardia (más próxima al sector inmobiliario-financiero) que en El Periódico (más próximo al poder político). Por el contrario, la Directa, medio independiente, refleja esencialmente la postura de los movimientos sociales organizados durante todo el periodo de análisis y da escasa visibilidad a los actores económicos e institucionales. Los resultados diacrónicos muestran que los movimientos sociales en defensa del derecho a la vivienda han ganado incidencia mediática desde el nacimiento de la PAH en 2009, respecto al periodo previo, cuando no existía un contrapoder ciudadano fuerte. Además, el debilitamiento de la legitimidad de los centros de poder a raíz de la crisis de 2008 contribuyó a la expansión del relato contrahegemónico de la PAH entre la opinión pública, tanto a través de las redes sociales como a partir de su relación con los medios, que la plataforma también ha considerado estratégica desde sus inicios. Es durante el ciclo de movilizaciones del 15M (2011-2013) cuando el movimiento por el derecho a la vivienda logró mayor influencia sobre los medios tradicionales, si bien, a partir de 2017, también se ha convertido en fuente informativa de referencia sobre alquileres.
This thesis studies the media discourse on housing and its evolution between 2008 and 2019 in publications edited in Catalonia, one of the autonomous regions within Spain most affected by evictions and where the main movements that defend this right were born: the PAH (Platform for People Affected by Mortgages) in 2009 and the "Sindicat de Llogateres" (Union of Tenants) in 2017. The analysis is based on the androcentric/non-androcentric perspective and examines the media influence of the different agents involved in the housing issue (political and economic power centers, people affected by evictions, social movements, etc.). Regarding social movements, this thesis is focused on the communication strategy and the media influence of the PAH. The housing problem is particularly relevant in the Catalan and Spanish context. Although the challenges to ensuring the right to housing exist around the world, because of the conversion of housing into a financial asset in international markets, in Spain, there are additional problems due to the lack of social and affordable housing inherited from the Franco dictatorship. During this period, the regime established the preferential model of access to housing based on the purchase of owned housing through mortgage loans. In the communication field, the main contribution of the research is the comprehensive, global and diachronic examination of the media discourse on housing for over a decade. In addition, the analysis compares the media discourse of traditional newspapers with the informative approach of this topic in independent media. This type of media has grown significantly since 2008 after the weakening of the traditional press.  The thesis uses the documentary method to study the socioeconomic and political context in which the media discourse on housing is circumscribed and the most relevant historical background. Moreover, the research uses the content analysis method to examine not only news and articles but also tweets from PAH's Twitter account (with methodological adaptations depending on the channel). For this research, 657 communication units (285 from La Vanguardia, 267 from El Periódico and 105 from Directa) and 307 tweets by PAH Barcelona were analyzed. In addition, seven PAH Barcelona activists were interviewed using the semi-structured qualitative interview methodology. The overall results of the analysis indicate that the media discourse in traditional newspapers reflects more the interests of power centers than those of people affected by eviction and those of social movements. This trend is more accentuated in La Vanguardia (whose media discourse mainly reflects the interests of the real estate and financial sectors) than in El Periódico (whose media discourse mainly reflects the interests of political power). On the contrary, Directa, an independent publication, essentially reflects the point of view of organized social movements throughout the entire analysis period and gives limited informative relevance to the economic and institutional agents. The diachronic results indicate that social movements that defend the right to housing have gained media influence since the birth of the PAH in 2009, compared to the previous period, when there was no strong citizen counterpower. In addition, the weakening of the power centers legitimacy due to the economic crisis contributed to the expansion of PAH’s counter-hegemonic narrative among the public opinion, both through social networks and also through their relationship with the media, which has been considered strategic by the platform since its foundation. The period in which the right to housing movement achieved the greatest media influence was the 15-M Movement (2011-2013). Nevertheless, since 2017, it has become a reference source of information about renting.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Comunicació i Periodisme

This Ph.D. dissertation contributes by shedding new light on three topics that significantly impact housing in urban areas, using fine-grained data. Chapter 2 studies how Airbnb affects a city's housing market. For that, we apply several regression-based approaches that exploit the timing and geography of the entry of Airbnb in Barcelona to estimate the effects of this platform on housing markets. We use high-quality microdata on both rents and prices and combine these data with information on the location of Airbnb activity within the city. The results show that Airbnb activity in Barcelona has increased both rents and housing prices, with larger effects for prices than for rents. Results indicate that, for a neighborhood with the average Airbnb activity in the city, rents have increased by 1.9\%, while transaction prices have increased by 4.6\% and posted prices by 3.7\%. However, in the most touristy parts of the city, the effects of Airbnb are substantially higher. In neighborhoods in the top decile of the Airbnb activity distribution, rents are estimated to increase by as much as 7\%. In contrast, increases in transaction and posted prices are as high as 17\% and 14\%, respectively. Chapter 3 estimates the long-term effects of an increase in the unemployment rate at graduation time on housing tenure and affordability. I exploit the unemployment rate at the time of college graduation as an exogenous income shock to the individual, for a large sample of college graduates since 1960 across Europe. This strategy has been explored extensively for career outcomes, but so far, not for housing tenure and affordability. These two outcomes are essential, as they are key determinants of an individual's welfare. The results show that a one percentage point rise in the unemployment rate at the time of graduation leads to a 1.5 percentage point increase in the probability of living with parents one year after graduation. Additionally, it decreases the probability of renting by 1.02 percentage point and of home-ownership by 0.45 percentage point. Worse initial labor market conditions translate into worse affordability ratios for homeowners and renters due to lower household income and stable rents or prices. Effects are persistent over time and are still present ten years after graduation. I develop an overlapping generations model to link income shocks to younger cohorts to housing tenure and affordability changes. This model provides several predictions. Mainly, that rigidity on the rental market is largely responsible for whether the labor market's welfare shock is absorbed or amplified by the housing market. This rigidity will result from an outside option for landlords, a feature widely documented in the literature. In particular, if rental markets are rigid, an income shock to young agents will create a shift away from renting and ownership in favor of the parental home. Additionally, this shock worsens affordability for both renters and owners, as their income drops while housing costs do not. This scenario leads to significant welfare losses for young cohorts, while older agents become relatively wealthier and are better off. I find that housing aid policies such as the \textit{Aide Personnalisée au Logement} (APL) in France can help mitigate the income shock by enabling young agents to afford to rent. However, these policies only improve young agents' welfare when implemented in rigid rental markets, pointing towards the importance of identifying the correct conditions for applying these policies. Chapter 4 studies the dynamics of land development in Spanish municipalities having experienced a flood over the last 30 years. For that, we use changes in surface, distance to flood zones and water bodies, and elevation of new development compared to the year before a flood event. Our empirical strategy relies on the assumption that conditional on municipality and year fixed-effects, the timing and the extent of a flood is as good as random. We also study the impact of floods on several other economic indicators, including employment and migration patterns. Our main results indicate that, on average, experiencing a flood does not affect new development. Development takes place at a pace similar to that of the year previous to the flood. Additionally, we find that new construction does not take place farther away from the flood zones nor on higher ground. When analyzing development's final use, we find that residential buildings are being built at the same rate as before the flood. A flood event does not significantly affect other key economic variables, such as unemployment or migration. Nonetheless, municipalities with low development levels in the decade before the flood experience a housing boom after the event. New development increases permanently by 25\% compared to the year previous to the flood for these cities. Cities having experienced high levels of development before the flood experience a 27\% permanent drop in new construction compared to before the event. Finally, we study an EU directive mandating EU member states to identify flood-prone areas, named ARPSIs. In the Spanish case, this directive identified areas that were not previously considered dangerous. Still, it was not accompanied by any regulation designed to restrict future development. We compare areas that were newly declared as potentially hazardous to areas close to water bodies but were not affected by the policy. Overall, signaling areas as potentially high-risk does not deter development from taking place near such areas. We can draw three main lessons from this research in terms of policy design. First, home-sharing platforms can increase housing prices in cities like Barcelona, particularly in the most touristy neighborhoods. This points towards the potential effects that regulating these platforms' activities can have on housing affordability. Second, the success of policies directed to improving housing affordability and accessibility for young people can depend heavily on the rental market conditions. In particular, even when policies are targeted towards the young and least well-off population, benefits can still be captured by wealthier and older landlords, leaving the targeted population worse off. Third, signaling certain areas as potentially dangerous is not enough to deter development from taking place near such areas. In particular, if restrictions are not enforced after signaling areas as high-risk, it can lead to overdeveloping close to these zones, exposing more construction to potential flood risks.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis sets out to explore housing co-operatives as an alternative housing delivery mechanism in South Africa. This is done by critically examining the housing policy post 1994, as well as the various mechanisms government implemented in an attempt to manage the service delivery within the housing sector. The thesis also explores the role that co-operatives played in South Africa’s history and draws some historical comparisons in relation to the establishment of housing co-operatives internationally and locally. In exploring the various types of housing co-operatives, insights emerge about their structure, potential and limitations. The thesis examines the themes of public service delivery and explores possible alternatives to the failing traditional model of public service delivery. The thesis focuses on the experiences and perceptions that South Africans have with regards to local government process in housing service delivery. The thesis concludes that local government should play an active role in creating more collaborative partnerships; one that focuses on training and facilitating the efforts of civil society to establish entities such as housing cooperatives. This requires a fundamental shift in the manner in which local government approaches service delivery in the housing sector.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis het ten doel behuisings kooperatiewe te verken as ’n alternatiewe behuisingsmeganisme in Suid-Afrika. Dit is gedoen deur n kritiese ondersoek van die behuisingsbeleid na 1994, sowel as die verskeie meganismes wat die regering probeer implementeer het in ’n poging om die dienslewering binne die behuisingsektor te beheer. Die tesis ondersoek die rol wat koöperatiewe gespeel het in Suid-Afrika se geskiedenis en het ’n historiese vergelyking gemaak met betrekking tot die stigting van behuisingskoöperatiewe op internasionale sowel as op plaaslike vlak. In die tesis van die verskillende tiepe behuising koöperasies het sekere ideas na vore gekom ten opsigte van hul struktuur, potensiaal en beperkinge. Die tesis ondersoek die temas van publieke dienslewering en het ook na die alternatiewe gekyk ten opsigte van publieke dienslewering. Die tesis fokus op die ervarings en persepsies van Suid- Afrikaners met betrekking tot die plaaslike regering se proses van behuisings dienslewering. Die tesis word afgesluit met voorstelle waarin plaaslike regering 'n aktiewe rol speel in die skepping van meer samewerkende vennootskappe, een wat fokus op die opleiding en die fasilitering waarin pogings van die burgerlike samelewing entiteite tot stand bring soos byvoorbeeld behuising koöperasies. Dit vereis ’n fundamentele verandering in die wyse waarop plaaslike regering dienslewering benader in die behuisingsektor.

The lack of affordable housing has been a long-standing problem for many cities in Sweden, and the recent refugee crisis has only highlighted the difficulties for economically weaker constituencies to enter and sustain in the existing housing market. The pressing situation and a new law, obligating the municipalities to supply housing, forced the authorities to look for solutions. The thesis investigates the recent changes and use of one of these offered solutions – temporary housing permits. Using a qualitative approach, it tries to capture both the formative-discursive processes and the material outcomes of this measure, in order to understand what informs the decision and its possible implications. The study employs theoretical concepts from Giorgio Agamben’s theory on the ‘state of exception’, as I consider them important for the understanding of the processes. The interventions in the housing system are made possible only by declaring that the shortage of housing is in an ‘exceptional situation’, one that can only be resolved with irregular practices, exceptions from standard norm and regular procedures. A look into the legal-formative mechanisms and the materialization of the temporary housing permits is given. The thesis argues that a wider perspective is needed and tries to bring into the discussion the political and social aspects of using a measure like this one. Although conceptualized as a quick and temporary remedy, it is maintained that the utilization of temporary housing permits can potentially have harmful long-lasting effects on the understanding of housing provision, living standards, and planning processes. This suggests that authorities have to be careful when using exceptional measures and calls for a fundamental and systemic re-thinking of housing in general.

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2015.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 145-150).
The San Francisco Bay Area is in the midst of a housing crisis as population and economic growth outstrip the ability of developers to build enough housing, resulting in a significant supply-demand imbalance that is expected to last well into the foreseeable future. San Francisco, in particular, faces the most severe housing crunch as demographic trends favor increasing demand in already dense, transit-rich cities. Developers are unable to supply the necessary housing due to significant barriers to development including a lengthy and convoluted planning and entitlement process, zoning restrictions on density and height, neighborhood opposition, and a high cost of land. Supply needs to outpace demand if housing is to become affordable, and this requires regulatory reform and cost reduction. Based on case studies, interviews and development analysis, this thesis will demonstrate how developers and municipal leaders can address the crisis by embracing factory-built housing while reforming regulations.
by Luis Mejias.
S.M. in Real Estate Development

This study presents the argument that if housing provision should be orientated towards long-term goals and solutions, then housing policy must consider surely the cultural requirements of the people in the community. Cultural dimension as it relates to the study focuses on urban housing as a strategic vehicle for exploring the evolution of the housing crisis by concentrating on real people and their approaches to informal processes within the community. The study views the informal processes of the people as part of the solution and not the problem by drawing from their lived experience and offering a culturally-informed framework for the development of future housing policy. It suggests that the government must view the informal settlement not as a slum, but as a “case” to understand the intricacies and complexities in housing provision and delivery. Thus the cultural dimension derived from the colloquial knowledge of the people is demonstrated as an important element in the maintenance and continuity of an existing community by doing an in-depth investigation of the internal survival strategies relating to urban living and the government’s role in the existing housing crisis. The study expands to issues surrounding the sustainability of the built environment by examining the cultural, economic, environmental and its social aspects in developing countries and challenging the existing practices in the built environment, as regards to urban housing. This is an empirical study, which has a qualitative perspective that is cross-disciplinary, connecting social theory with architecture and the built environment. In order to understand the lived experience of the Ajegunle residents from their human efforts relating to urban housing crisis, an “African phenomenology” is formulated. While the phenomenological part is used as both the method (practice) and guiding philosophy driving the study, African philosophy, within African phenomenology, enables the study to describe real solutions and applications which are grounded in the African way of life. Thus the urban housing crisis question in developing countries is addressed using Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria, as a case study. The doing of the study involves collecting qualitative data through an intrinsic case study using field notes, interviews, observation and photography, comprising of an inductive analysis, whereby themes are generated from the patterns identified in the case study. Through the analysis, the internal survival strategy, referred to as “cultural technology”, which is part of people’s everyday life and designed to deal with the housing crisis is explored. This separates the social conditions in Ajegunle from a generic understanding of a slum and provides the theoretical underpinnings for the importance and the role of the human element within the approaches developed as a response to the existing urban housing situation. The primary contribution to knowledge is the cultural dimension to housing. The study provides a culturally-informed framework as a basis for decision-making phase for the formulation of housing policies, a platform for urban development and future research. It does not propose an architectural response in terms of design. The existing studies that relate to the housing crisis appear to be mainly quantitative and do not take into consideration the cultural position of the people. In contrast, the cultural dimension to the existing housing crisis in the study allows for the development of a more informed housing policy which can address the housing issues and further make solutions more plausible. Therefore, this study’s contribution has application to governments and professionals in the built environment. A secondary contribution to knowledge is made through the development of an “African phenomenology”. This introduces to academia the “cultural technologies” which are the survival strategies of the population in the case study. The African phenomenology has application beyond the current study as a methodological approach which incorporates the culture of a population into the process of research on the African society.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1990.
Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2948. Abstract precedes thesis as [1] preliminary leaf. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-109).

The issue of human settlements has recently gained much momentum particularly in cities across the world due to rapid rates of urbanization. The housing crisis is manifesting mostly in the cities of the developing countries; the urban poor population is left with no option, they are continuously living in substandard and unsustainable housing conditions due to the desperate housing need. There is a growing trend of migration into urban centers in the developing countries as well as natural population increase in the cities. The inevitable development is the rapid growth of urbanization. The theories on urbanization suggest that the responsible government and local council authorities must be prepared to address socio-economic issues such as the provision of formal housing, infrastructure development and employment creation. The governments in developing countries are struggling to balance economic development and the provision of social services. As a result, the human settlement sector is suffering lack of prioritization when it comes to budget and resource allocation. The resultant factors are the overcrowding of the urban population, high housing backlogs and dilapidation of infrastructure visible mostly in the major cities of the developing countries.

Division 8 is a prototype single player adventure game that challenges players to solve a story in a sci-fi fantasy world. Based on an Afrofuturist framework, Division 8 is designed to educate, engage and inform players on the affordable housing crisis. The concept of Division 8 is to parallel the section 8 housing vouchers system. In the United States, housing choice vouchers (popularly known as “Section 8”), subsidizes families’ rental payments so they can lease housing that they would otherwise not be able to afford.[1] Unlike games like the Redistricting game and the Westchester game that attempt to capture the housing crisis and housing history of the United States, Division 8 utilizes an interactive narrative to integrate players traveling through the reality of the public housing system. The objective of the game is to explore the convoluted paths and unravel the incentives of characters in the affordable housing crisis. Players will click through different character interactions and dialogue boxes to investigate, analyze and garner information. In making moves, players must consider not only the stories that will assist in solving the puzzle of surviving the housing system, but also the inherent knowledge and subtle clues that are embedded within the game’s framework. The end-state is reached once the player discovers the incentives of characters and ultimately, what decisions lead to the unsuccessful policies of the public housing system.

Thesis (S.M. in Architecture Studies)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [74]-[76]).
The most recent war in Iraq has resulted in a large wave of internal and external displacement with increased sectarian violence and ethnic tension. Subsequent conflict has exacerbated conditions within the nation and further increased displacement. Throughout the country, over one million Iraqis are currently displaced. Inadequately supported by infrastructure due to a negligent dictatorship and consecutive wars, over 250 settlements have peppered Baghdad's landscape and aggravated the capital's insufficient infrastructure. It is clear that the rapid rate at which informal settlements for internally displaced persons (IDPs) are being established exceeds the rate in which settlements are forming Many settlements have exhibited user-initiated incremental housing processes. The topic of this thesis is upgrading settlements for IDPs in Baghdad, Iraq through user-initiated methods. Baghdad is facing an overwhelming amount of sub-standard IDP settlements, and while some settlements are turning into slums, other settlements are becoming more durable. Community action can be a solution for the problems addressed in semi-durable settlements that have exhibited enough solidarity through incremental processes to reach a semi-durable state. This thesis examines the solution through three methods. First, it looks at a historical review of incremental housing processes parallel to Iraq's housing policies and history to understand the nation's current housing crisis. It finds that Iraq has struggled in addressing housing needs for the low-income sector since its independence. Following the historical review, this thesis screens IDP settlements in Baghdad to evaluate the feasibility of upgrade for different types of settlement. In the screening process, settlements that exhibit semi-durable characteristics and are available for secure tenure are most eligible for upgrade. One particular semi-durable settlement is studied: Al-Sadeq in Baghdad's peripheries. Al-Sadeq is evaluated based on the following measures of durability: infrastructure, housing, and social networks. As hypothesized, findings supported the role of incremental housing principles and community action to improve the settlement's state of durability. Lessons are extracted from community field research. As hypothesized, social cohesion and community action are the catalysts that allow incremental methods of infrastructure and housing improvements to thrive. This is especially important in a conflict zone as Baghdad, where displacement is often a direct outcome of danger. In such environments, social networks can provide feelings of security to invest in development. Lessons for communities like Al-Sadeq include the power of community action in incremental housing processes and user-initiated development. Lessons from the historical review shed light on the ineffective solutions for mitigating social housing concerns in the nation's past. Lessons for the government in this study challenge the lack of an established tradition of community action in public sector projects in Iraq.
by Layla Karim Shaikley.
S.M.in Architecture Studies

The Indian urban rental market is complex and yet ever-changing, with the ups and downs of housing demand playing a fundamental role in the affordability and stability of the market. This paper determines the income and price elasticities of demand using the demand function and Slutsky equation, respectively, for the urban rental market in order to help craft suitable national housing policy. Through this analysis, it is determined that the urban rental price elasticity of demand is -0.93 and the income elasticity is 0.81, suggesting that rental price subsidies and private income taxes are the most effective policy measures to ensure affordability in urban India.

This thesis examines the strategy of community economic development (CED) to potentially alleviate some of the hardships women experience in obtaining both adequate income through employment and access to transitional (crisis) housing. These two distinct yet inter-related problems have been selected to provide a manageable scope for this thesis and as a result of my own keen interest and involvement in these two areas: employment and crisis housing for women. Indeed, as a comprehensive development strategy, CED may provide the means to effectively deal with the broader complex of disadvantages such as social and economic dependency, marginalization and isolation by providing opportunities for independence and social change. Women are concentrated in low paid occupations, earn 62% of what men earn (1980), experience high unemployment and a number of employment barriers including subtle and/or overt discrimination and a double burden of work and family responsibilities. Women earn 30% (1980) of the total income in B.C., experience a disproportionate amount of poverty as individuals and as single parent family heads, and are twice as likely as men to report government transfer payments as our main source of income. In addition, one in ten women who are married or in a live-in relationship with a lover is battered, and only 50% have access to a transition house or hostel which accepts women who are battered. Due to full capacities, those houses that do exist regularly must refuse access. CED is a very simple concept intended to address very serious and complex economic and social conditions. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life of community members through community initiated and supported economic and social activity which generates employment, wealth, community benefit and a great degree of self-esteem. Community is defined here as women who share a common view or ideology and interest in employment and crisis housing provisions. Through the development of women's enterprises, employment may be generated and profits channelled to the creation and operation of transition houses. CED provides a means for incremental change through planning, and specifically, women planning for women to take greater control of our lives. Having entered a "new reality" within this province complete with restraint and privatization and increasing unemployment with associated economic and social costs, CED appears increasingly favourable, particularly for women. Unemployment and violence is increasing while resources and solutions lacking. The opportunity to examine the potential of CED to meet the objectives as stated is provided through the development of a potential scenario and considerations which must be made to increase the probability of success. If women are to experiment with CED, thorough planning must occur within a long-term development strategy. CED is not easy and provides no quick-fix solution to the disadvantages women experience. When consideration of organizational activities, capacity levels and other factors required for success is undertaken, in addition to a realistic examination of the potential and obstacles for CED, good results may occur. CED should be approached both enthusiastically and cautiously. It is my hope that women's organizations will take up the challenge and test the potential.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of
Graduate

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 69-71).
While it is acknowledged that our society is rapidly aging, the best way to ensure that people age with dignity, independence and security remains nebulous. Within 20 years, one out of three households in the U.S. is projected to be headed by someone over the age of 65; and most people want to age in their homes and communities (JCHS, 2016; AARP 2014). One possible mechanism to address both the current housing affordability challenge and the growing demand to age in place is the low-cost, self-help model of homesharing, where two or more unrelated people live together in a single dwelling. Agency-assisted homesharing emerged in the 1970's, through which organizations pair older households with younger tenants. Yet, homesharing remains a niche phenomenon today.' This thesis addresses the question of whether, given the rise of the digital sharing economy, agency-assisted homesharing could become a mainstream practice in the U.S. To address this question, I designed and implemented a Nationwide Homesharing Survey in collaboration with the MIT AgeLab. The survey's 1255 complete responses, supplemented by 50 informational interviews with experts, policy-makers, and potential homesharers, suggests that a significant market for homesharing exists in the U.S. This paper reflects on the ways in which the contemporary sharing economy has facilitated greater trust between strangers, and suggests that a technology-enabled homesharing match-up program may enable broader adoption from older people who wish to remain in their homes as they age, as well as increase the overall stock of affordable housing in the U.S.
by Noelle Marcus.
M.C.P.

After the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, the economy of Hong Kong has not fully recovered but the housing prices in Hong Kong market have been rising strongly after 2009. In the late of 2008, Hong Kong’s housing prices started to rebound and began to surge since early 2009 surpassing the peak in 1997. Government senior officials have issued their warnings for the increasing risk of a bubble forming in the housing market. In accordance with my study, the causes of the rapid growth in the housing prices could be generalized from three major factors which are 1) low interest rates, 2) Government housing policy and 3) hot money. It is found that the scenarios and backgrounds have resemblance to the Japan’s bubble economy in 1989. The bursting of the ‘Bubble Economy’ has led Japan’s economy to a serious recession of more than 20 years. In order to prevent the bursting of the housing bubble after the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, the Hong Kong Government has implemented a series of preventative measures to eliminate the boom of bubble in the housing market. Those measures are first started in 2009 and in 2010, other concerned measures have been released by Government continuously after the following years. However, the housing prices still ascending in the past few years. Mr. John Tsang, the Hong Kong Financial Secretary warned that the price of secondhand flats on Hong Kong Island hit record levels, surpassing the peak reached during the 1997 housing bubble. Nowadays, Hong Kong is facing the downturn of world economy and the bad debt problems in Europe which will weaken the people’s confidence on the housing market. In fact, the bursting of the housing bubble could be triggered by any adverse news or scandals. It will cause the housing prices begin to decline. The descending of the housing prices will further deteriorate the confidence of the people. It will generate a consequence so called the ‘The Herding Effect’ and will cause a huge amount of capital including the foreign investments retreated from the housing market within a very short period of time. The consequence will led the housing prices further collapse and trigger the bursting of housing bubble. In order to avoid the collapse of the Hong Kong housing market, the Government shall take much and more effectiveness preventative measures to tackle the booming of the housing bubbles. Otherwise, coupled with the consequence from ‘The Herding Effect’ and the continuously booming on the housing prices, once there is any adverse news or crashes come from internal or external, the housing bubble will be burst. The overall economic and financial stability in Hong Kong will face another serious impact and the Hong Kong Government, the home owners as well as the non-home owners have to experience another painful and bitter lesson since 1997 again.
published_or_final_version
Housing Management
Master
Master of Housing Management

The Portland metropolitan region has seen unprecedented growth in the last three decades, resulting in both economic expansion and considerable gentrification. While lauded for its commitment to sustainability and a "smart development" ethos, many questions remain for the city with respect to the needs of displaced residents and a burgeoning population of young professionals. This study examines how various levels of government implement growth management policies to accommodate these demographic changes, and aims to assess whether and how the consequences of growth, especially gentrification and displacement, are meaningfully addressed. Qualitative interviews were conducted with staff members and elected officials from city, county, and regional government structures across the Portland metropolitan area to investigate the "regional housing crisis." Inductive analysis of these data considers the implications of Portland's layered government structure for making equitable growth-related decisions. Participants expressed a mismatch in what was expected of them--both from higher levels of government and their constituents--and their perceived capacity to do so. While government officials advocate the need for new development of affordable housing units, they see themselves as limited by a series of technical barriers in the stratified planning process, as well as an unequal distribution of influential power in public involvement processes. Findings are synthesized to offer policy recommendations and consider alternative government responses to public housing issues.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
Having inherited a huge housing shortage from the previous apartheid regime, the government of the newly liberated Republic of South Africa embarked on an ambitious programme to resolve the problem, as was required of it by its constitution. The government’s approach was (and is) to offer a once-off subsidy, which has become increasingly generous over the years, to qualifying households. Twenty years later, some three million dwelling units have been built, but there remains a shortfall of some two million houses, which is growing annually. Having regard to the size of the problem and the fact that it is growing despite Herculean efforts on the part of the government, it is clear that intervention by the private sector and civil society is required. The private sector, however, is constrained by the fact that profitability in the affordable housing market is small. In the absence of reasonable profit margins, and in the context of the fact that there is a dire need for adequate shelter, the question arises why corporations who have a long history of donating to social causes, do not allocate more of their corporate social investment budgets to organisations involved with the problem? The answer is that the need is for a private good that is already receiving significant government support, with the result that corporate social investment is crowded out. In addition, corporations are increasingly recognising the need to align their social investment strategies with their business strategies. This is not happening in the housing context partly because corporations are struggling to conceptualise the relationship between the two strategies, and partly because there is no framework within which to do so. Corporate social investment strategies are meaningful and justifiable when they open new markets and opportunities for the company. Successful human settlements exist where economic and social opportunities are integrated seamlessly. Should the government’s housing policy use the principle of integration as a point of departure, it could encourage corporations to channel moneys to social causes. The ideal vehicles for the corporations to employ in such endeavours are social enterprises, because these are non-profit organisations that are managed in a business-like manner. They bring focus to the investment and assurances that moneys are spent well, and their entrepreneurial approach makes them self-sustaining over time.

Financial intermediaries are paramount for modern society. During the last decade, however, our reliance on these institutions have been meticulously debated, especially in the aftermath of the financial crisis. This thesis contributes to this debate with a novel perspective on loan supply changes in light of the recent events in the Swedish real estate market. More specifically, it investigates what influence housing prices have on the supply of commercial and industrial loans. This is done by estimating dynamic panel data models using a quarterly panel containing balance sheet data for 68 Swedish monetary financial institutions, during the post-financial crisis period of 2009-2017. The results indicate that housing prices do not have a significant effect on commercial and industrial loan supply. However, these loans are to a considerable degree dependent on the institutes’ earlier levels of commercial and industrial loans.

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One looming question has persisted in the minds of economists the world over in the aftermath of the 2007-2008 American Housing and Debt Crisis: How did it begin and who is responsible for making this happen? Another two-part question is: What measures were implemented to help end the crisis and what changes are being implemented to ensure that it will never happen again? Many speculate that the major contributing factor was the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999 that prompted a virtual feeding frenzy among the banking community when new calls from Capitol Hill encouraged home ownership in America as well as the secondary mortgage market which skyrocketed thereafter. The Glass-Steagall Act will be among many of the topics explored in this paper along with the events leading up to the 2007-2008 housing/debt crisis as well as the aftermath.

Almost 40.000 Greeks became homeless the past 8 years due to the economic crisis. But there is still hope! This project reflects on how architecture can lead to a more humane society using democratic methods and a city’s urban strengths. It explores how volunteers, the State and the Private Sector can collaborate through competitions and win-win agreements in order to gradually transform an abandoned commercial center and landmark, MINION, into a qualitative pilot housing project with socialization space for hundreds of homeless people. This could finally lead to the revitalization of the decaying Athenian environment through a number of stages. The project has a dual purpose and the idea is very simple. On one hand the project needs to include stores and other commercial spaces that reflect the old Athenian character in order to attract the interest of the higher financial layers of Greece and invest their capital. On the other hand the State will use this capital in order to provide qualitative housing to people in need. MINION is actually turns from a ‘commercial machine’ that used to be, into a ‘social machine’. All these actions will be completed with the collaboration of the tenants of the building.
Nästan 40 000 greker har blivit hemlösa de senaste 8 åren på grund av den ekonomiska krisen. Men det finns fortfarande hopp! Detta projekt reflekterar över hur arkitektur kan leda till ett mänskligare samhälle med hjälp av demokratiska metoder och en stads urbana styrkor. Det utforskar hur volontärer, staten och den privata sektorn kan samarbeta genom tävlingar och win-win avtal genom att gradvis omvandla ett övergivet kommersiellt centrum och landmärke, MINION, till ett kvalitativt pilotbostadsprojekt med socialiseringsplats för hundratals hemlösa. Detta skulle slutligen leda till en vitalisering av den förfallande atenska miljön genom ett antal steg. Projektet har ett dubbelt syfte och tanken är mycket enkel. Å ena sidan måste projektet omfatta butiker och andra kommersiella utrymmen som återspeglar den gamla atenska karaktären för att locka de högre ekonomiska lagren i Grekland att investera sitt kapital. Å andra sidan kommer staten att använda detta kapital för att ge kvalitativa bostäder till människor i nöd. MINION förändras från en ’kommersiell maskin’ till en ’social maskin’. Alla dessa åtgärder kommer att utföras i samarbete med alla bostadsprojektets invånare.

Maintaining an acceptable standard of living through to the later stages of retirement for the baby boomer generation (those born 1945 to 1964) is one of the most important policy challenges for policymakers and industry in many developed countries with a rapidly ageing population, including Australia. With an increasing emphasis on personal responsibility for fiscal management and increased self-funding of retirement, concern is growing among retirees, the community, and policymakers regarding how these citizens will manage financially while ageing in their own homes for as long as possible. With increasing pressure to arrest the increase in government-funded age pension obligations, reforms to sources of retirement income has become an imperative, particularly with increasing rates of income poverty in retirement, and future generations of Australians unlikely to be able to meet the taxation impost to sustain current age pension entitlements. In response, consumers and stakeholders are considering all potential sources of income to fund everyday living expenses, healthcare, and aged care, as well as potential changes to age pension policy. In some countries with high levels of home ownership among retirees, including Australia, there is the argument that homeowners are not adequately drawing on the equity in their home as a means to support retirement consumption. As such, this thesis examines the role of the two main assets of Australian retirees—superannuation and housing–-and the contribution these assets make to retirement income in the context of Australia’s current age pension policy, and in particular, for the baby boomer generation. The hypothesis tested in this thesis is that, ‘The majority of Australia’s baby boomer retirees will be able to modestly supplement their retirement incomes, for a minimum term of 25 years, by drawing on less than 50 per cent of the equity of their owner-occupied property’. Consistent with this hypothesis, this thesis poses four research questions to address the primary research question (PRQ) of: Could the housing equity of Australia’s baby boomers supplement their retirement income? The first research question (RQ1) is: What is the financial position and wealth holdings of current and emerging retirees in Australia? The second research question (RQ2) is: What is the income of Australians aged 65 and over in Australia? The third research question (RQ3) is: What is the level of financial stress and risk of poverty at retirement for retirees in Australia? Finally, the fourth research question (RQ4) is: How is retiree property wealth currently, and potentially, able to contribute to retirement income and lifestyle in Australia? The empirical part of this thesis uses Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data and data from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. The HILDA survey provides information on more than three thousand Australians already aged over 65 years, and over 15,000 younger Australians and is population weighted to account for gender, location and other individual profiles and differences. The subsequent aim of this thesis is to provide evidence of the potential ways home equity can be utilised (leveraged or withdrawn) to support wealth accumulation and retirement income, particularly for baby boomers. Overall, the thesis demonstrates that targeted home equity drawdown products can supplement retiree income and relieve financial stress in retirement through provision of modest income supplementation for baby boomer retirees. This thesis suggests that integrating theory from behavioural economics alongside life cycle theory is a better option to help people participate more in dissaving in retirement in a way that will be in their interests, including by driving development of financial products for dissaving in retirement that are aligned with policy levers. The findings of this thesis contribute to the literature in a number of ways. First, the thesis extends the literature on retirement income policy and home equity withdrawal in Australia. Second, the thesis illustrates the current and potential role of housing equity in portfolio composition. Third, the thesis proposes a framework for a new, securitised home equity withdrawal product to supplement retiree income for baby boomers. Finally, the thesis contributes to a case for scaled financial advice for retirees for retirement income planning.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept Account,Finance & Econ
Griffith Business School
Full Text

A partir de duas monografias paralelas que analisam territórios emblemáticos de habitação social na periferia de São Paulo e Paris, propomos nesta tese um entendimento simultâneo da situação da Cité Balzac, um grand ensemble característico dos anos 1960 que atravessou recentemente um profundo processo de \'renovação urbana\', confrontada com a história de um fragmento do maior complexo de conjuntos habitacionais da América Latina, a Cidade Tiradentes, como estratégia para compreender os últimos cinquenta anos da história da habitação social em ambos os países. Projetos recentes de renovação urbana, de novos conjuntos habitacionais e equipamentos públicos de excelência em ambos os territórios confirmam a excepcionalidade dos casos estudados, a partir dos quais buscamos estabelecer similitudes, contrastes, questões comuns e \'olhares cruzados\'.
In this thesis, we propose a simultaneous understanding of the history of two emblematic territories in the outskirts of São Paulo and Paris as a strategy to comprehend the last fifty years of the social housing history in both countries, through the analysis of the transformations of a tipical grand ensemble build in the 1960 that has been recently through a deep renewal process, the Cité Balzac, confronted with the particular case of one fragment of the biggest housing projects complex in Latin America, the Cidade Tiradentes. Recent projects of urban renewal, new collective housing constructions and some special public equipments in both territories reinforce the exceptionality of the chosen cases, starting point for parallels, contrasts, common questions and crossed sights.

Tese de Mestrado em Arquitectura de Interiores
O objectivo deste estudo é o de desenvolver uma proposta de projecto de arquitectura para uma habitação que satisfaça as condições básicas humanas no âmbito do Concurso OS House – Open Source House Design Competition, segundo um pensamento sustentável. Procura-se perceber e propor uma arquitectura que possa responder de forma eficaz perante uma situação de grande carência socioeconómica e equacionar como a arquitectura poderá tornar-se uma ferramenta ágil e capaz de ajudar a resolver os problemas básicos da condição humana no domínio da habitação, de forma sustentável e com economia de recursos. Pretende-se assim, estudar como a arquitectura pode melhorar a qualidade de vida das pessoas quando estas são confrontadas com situações de precariedade. Procura-se avaliar as condições do local destinado a esta proposta - o Gana, e equacionar soluções de intervenção que minimizem a crise habitacional vivida neste país. O presente relatório de projecto final no contexto da arquitectura e desenvolvimento social, inicia-se com a participação no Concurso OS House – Open Source House Design Competition e incide no Caso de Estudo do Gana, partindo da análise das condições de vida da população pertencente à classe média emergente deste país no objectivo de elaborar uma proposta de habitação. Com este estudo, pretendem-se lançar contributos para um debate quanto à problemática da habitação e do respectivo projecto de arquitectura num contexto em vias de desenvolvimento. Parafraseando Cameron Sinclair, acredito que “onde os recursos e competência técnica forem escassos, o projecto inovador e sustentável pode fazer diferença na vida das pessoas” e contornar o problema social da habitação sentido em alguns países do mundo, bem como a crise habitacional que se sente actualmente no Gana.
The purpose of this study is to develop an architectural project proposal for a dwelling that meets the basic human conditions within the Contest OS House - Open Source House Design Competition, according to a sustainable concept. We seek to understand and propose an architecture that may effectively respond to a situation of high socio-economic deprivation, and consider how architecture can become a flexible tool to help solving basic problems of human condition in the field of housing, in a sustainable and resource-saving manner. Thus, the aim is to study how architecture can improve people’s quality of life whenever they confront precarious situations. We aim to assess the conditions of the site for this proposal - Ghana, considering intervention solutions that can minimize house living crisis in this country. This final Master Degree project, presenting a proposal for housing in the context of architecture and social development, begins by participating in the Contest OS House - Open Source House Design Competition, focuses on the Case Study of Ghana and is based on an analysis of living conditions of the population that belongs to the emerging middle class of the country. With this study, I intend to launch a contribution to a debate about issues of housing and its architectural design in the contingency context and economic fragility. To paraphrase Cameron Sinclair, we believe that “where resources and expertise are scarce, the innovative and sustainable design may make the difference in peoples lives”, and help to minimize the social housing problem in some countries in the world, as well as the housing crisis that actually affects Ghana.

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Bachelors
Business Administration
Economics

Urban Studies
Ph.D.
Over the last decade, the United States had experienced a boom and bust in the subprime mortgage market. The ups and downs of the subprime mortgage market became a primary factor triggering the most severe global economic recession since the Great Depression. The dissertation contributes to the literature by inquiring whether the subprime lending has exacerbated social inequity between subprime neighborhoods and other neighborhoods, through analyzing the subprime mortgage market in the Philadelphia MSA from 2000 through 2010, and focusing on two research questions: (1) the spatial distribution of subprime mortgages across census tracts; (2) the relationship between subprime intensities and housing price variations across zip-code areas. As the dissertation's study area expands from an urban to a MSA, spatial heterogeneity merits attention in this relative huge area. As a result, this dissertation not only employs a global, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model, but also a local, Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model to examine spatial variations across different neighborhoods. For the first research question, the dissertation finds: (1) a higher concentration of higher-priced mortgage for purchase and refinance in tracts with higher proportion of African-American and Hispanic residents, lower median household incomes, higher-unemployment rates, lower self-employment rates, and higher capitalization rates, after controlling for other variables; (2) the association between higher-priced mortgages and explanatory variables varies across census tracts. Because the dynamics of neighborhood subprime originations are heterogamous, the association between subprime mortgage origination and socioeconomic characteristics may be stronger in some neighborhoods than other neighborhoods. For the second research question, the dissertation finds: (1) subprime mortgage shares have a significant negative association with housing price appreciations during the housing boom period (2001-2006); (2) subprime mortgage shares have a significant positive association with housing price depreciations during the housing bust period (2006-2010); and (3) the association between housing price variations and explanatory variables differs across geographic submarkets within the Philadelphia region. The result confirms that areas where more residents obtained subprime mortgages have suffered more severely than other from the housing market's ups and downs over the last decade. The empirical results can draw broad policy implications. The primary implication is that it is time for the federal government to rethink its homeownership policy. Increased homeownership levels arising from the expansion of subprime mortgages are not sustainable, and subprime lending has exacerbated social inequity between subprime neighborhoods and other neighborhoods. The second implication is that the government needs to enforce the fair lending laws, because the cluster of subprime mortgage origination reflects the unequal opportunities of prime mortgage accessibility across different neighborhoods. The third implication is that the government needs to promote place-based policy making. As the GWR demonstrates, the dynamics of the mortgage market and housing market are uneven across different neighborhoods. Therefore, place-based making can increase the efficiency of public policy. These implications based on the dissertation's empirical results are helpful for designing more efficient, effective, and sustainable housing policies of the United States.
Temple University--Theses

Following the collapse of property values and an increasing rate of default on high-risk mortgages, the United States experienced a subprime lending crisis that led to massive financial losses for holders of mortgage-backed securities. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine if loan product and loan amount predict the likelihood of loan foreclosure. The theoretical framework grounding the study was Minsky's financial instability hypothesis, which describes the basis of capitalism as economic expansionism followed by financial crises. The population consisted of 473 loan cases from archival data of the Atlanta Sixth Federal Reserve District in Georgia. The method used to collect the data was a probabilistic simple random sample taken from the archival data. The use of binary logistic regression resulted in a finding that the variables of loan product and loan amount significantly predicted the likelihood of loan foreclosure, Ï?2(4) = 10.65, p = .031, Nagelkerke R2 = .09. The Nagelkerke R2 value indicated that the model explained 9% of the variability in foreclosure. The findings specifically showed that Federal Housing Authority and Veterans Administration loan products were significantly more likely than conventional loans to cause losses for mortgage lenders. The implications for positive social change include increased stakeholder knowledge of various factors that can contribute to foreclosure and sustainment of community value with fewer homeowners losing their home in foreclosure.

This thesis is an attempt to capture and understand how young people in Stockholm experience the housing market. It explores what housing policy decisions made by government actually do to people ‘on the ground.’ The research asks: How does the housing crisis manifest for young adults living in Stockholm?This study centers around interviews with 27 young people who are living at least part-time in greater Stockholm. All of these informants were between the ages of 23 and 30 (with the exception of one woman who was 32). The three chapters of this thesis are organized the three major social themes: independence vs. co-dependence; privilege and perception of ‘luck’; and discrimination and scamming. The results show clearly that the housing market does not only mean that people need to pay expensive rents or that some live at home with their parents. Rather, most of the informants lived in temporary and often suboptimal living conditions, and some had experienced emotional harm as a result. By focusing on something as personal as one’s home, this investigation led to discussions of such topics such as common understandings of Swedish society, relationship dynamics, and young people’s feelings about being “adult.”

This project is a reaction towards the static nature of the built world, and seeks to empower the end-user in the housing market by developing a highly customizable non-load bearing prefabricated panel system that allows for people to design, build, own, change and move their own apartments. It then explores the potential for it to resolve the current housing situation - both as new construction and through parasitic means (inhabiting parking garages, industrial buildings, renovation projects) - and the dynamics of user-defined living within society as a whole.

The dissertation investigates suitable living environments for the healing and rehabilitation of people in crisis in South Africa, focusing on the human experience of space. Through the understanding of the problem and the context, the product of the investigation is a shelter for the homeless in the city of Tshwane. The shelter can be defined as transitional housing for the adult urban homeless and their children, which focuses on the healing and ultimate rehabilitation of homeless people, including the reintegration of these people into society. The significance of the project is that the development becomes a metaphor for the reintegration of people into society. The project aims to empower people to become contributing members of society and discontinues the cycle of destitution by providing an opportunity for economic activity and by improving the physical environment of the homeless as well as the physical environment of the community in general.
Mini Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2010.
Architecture
unrestricted

The objective of conducting primary research for the Summit Place Apartment Homes is to create a profile of people that are presently living in Summit Place. When dealing with apartment properties, marketing plans are definitely a necessity, as well as a good crisis plan. The residents' main concerns were safety and better customer service.

Le peuplement du Languedoc méditerranéen au cours des IVème et IIIème millénaires s’inscrit dans une dynamique environnementale marquée par l’emprise des agropasteurs sur le milieu naturel, dans un contexte climatique relativement stable. La longue histoire de la recherche sur les sociétés préhistoriques dans le Midi de la France, fait apparaître leshéritages dont bénéficient les travaux interdisciplinaires actuels et l’importante quantité de données en contexte stratigraphique sur laquelle s’appuient les connaissances. La définition des groupes culturels à partir de leurs productions matérielles et l’analyse des formes de l’habitat alimentent un questionnement en évolution permanente sur l’occupation du sol et la dynamique de peuplement. Cette réflexion conjugue la transformation radicale des échellesd’observation qui accompagne le développement de l’archéologie préventive avec un renouvellement méthodologique profond. Au croisement des données sur l’habitat, sur les espaces naturels et sur les productions matérielles et symboliques, de nouvelles perspectives s’offrent aux recherches portant sur les dernières sociétés néolithiques d’Europe. Des enregistrements de fouilles aux modèles socio-historiques en passant par l’évolution des milieux, l’archéologie du Néolithique final tente d’apporter une réponse aux interrogations touchant à la structure de la société et aux conditions qui provoquent la chute du peuplement à la fin du troisième millénaire en Languedoc. En décalage avec les modèles académiques, l’étude de la fin du Néolithique illustre des développements non linéaires, une variété géoculturelle, un recours à la violence et à l’échange de biens à des fins politiques et un effet gradué sur le milieu naturel
Studies of populating of the Mediterranean Languedoc during the fourth and third millennia participate of a dynamic environment marked by the influence of agro-pastoralists on the natural environment. This action occurs in a relatively stable climate. The long history of research on prehistoric societies in southern France shows the various heritage from which benefit the current interdisciplinary work and also the large amount of data which are based on stratigraphic context knowledge. The housing environment, the territories, the cultural facts offer a frame for definition in ongoing changes about the population dynamics. This studies joint the radical change of the scales of observation it keeps pace with the development of the preventive archaeology, in he low plain of Languedoc, with an important change of the methodological practices. By taking into account the data on the housing environment, natural places and artefacts, this researches offert new perspectives about local and global change of last neolithic in Europe. Recordings of excavations to go to the sociohistoric models, we pass by the evolution of the environment, archaeologist try to bring an answer to the questioning touching the structure of the society and the conditions which cause the fall of the populating at the end of the third millennium in Languedoc. In contradiction with the academic thesis, the study of the end of the Neolithic show not linear developments, a variety géoculturelle, an a using of the violence and to the exchangein political purposes, and gradual effect on the natural environment

Many questions about the behavior of the economy and some specific market emerged after the outbreak of the crisis called subprime crisis. The arrival of the crisis in other countries has increased the range of new questions to be answered by the economic theories. Some markets have excelled in this crisis, such as real estate, birthplace of the crisis in the United States. By observing the market where the crisis emerged and the crisis spreading to other countries, including Brazil, the question arises to purpose of this paper, if it happened and how it happened to contamination of the Brazilian real estate market by the U.S. financial crisis.
Muitas dúvidas sobre o comportamento da economia e de alguns mercados específicos surgiram após o deflagrar da crise chamada de crise do subprime. A chegada da crise em outros países aumentou o leque de perguntas novas a serem respondidas pelas teorias econômicas. Alguns mercados se destacaram nessa crise, como o imobiliário, nascedouro da crise nos Estados Unidos. Ao se observar o mercado onde a crise surgiu e o espraiamento da crise para outros países, o Brasil inclusive, surge a pergunta propósito desse trabalho, se aconteceu e como aconteceu a contaminação do mercado imobiliário brasileiro pela crise financeira americana.

This doctoral thesis studies the ways in which resistance and self-organisation have emerged in the sphere of social reproduction in the post-2008 global financial crisis context. It argues that social reproduction and everyday politics are key arenas for contestation, and fields where alternatives to contemporary forms of financialised capitalism can be articulated. Following an abductive research design and using a critical comparative methodology, it analyses multiple anti-austerity struggles in defence of the right to adequate and affordable housing and the universal access to free at-the-point-of-use healthcare in Spain and the United Kingdom. The thesis examines how the use of prefigurative politics and the creation of autonomous spaces of solidarity, together with the adoption of complex strategies of institutional transformation across a range of scales, have been central in contemporary struggles over social reproduction for the development of processes of politicisation, the collective empowerment of vulnerable groups and the grassroots protection of basic social rights.
Aquesta tesi doctoral estudia l’emergència de diverses formes de resistència i auto-organització en l’àmbit de la reproducció social en el context posterior a l’esclat de la crisi financera global l’any 2008. L’argument principal és que la reproducció social i la política quotidiana són escenaris clau per a la contestació, així com terrenys on es poden articular alternatives a les formes actuals de capitalisme financer. Seguint un disseny d’investigació abductiu i una metodologia comparativa crítica, aquesta recerca analitza diferents lluites anti-austeritat en defensa del dret a un habitatge digne i assequible i per l’accés a una atenció sanitària gratuïta i universal a Espanya i al Regne Unit. La tesi examina de quina manera l’ús d’una política prefigurativa i la creació d’espais autònoms de solidaritat, acompanyades de l’adopció d’estratègies complexes de transformació institucional a diverses escales, han estat elements centrals en les lluites actuals per la reproducció social per tal de desenvolupar processos de politització, d’empoderament col·lectiu de grups vulnerables i d’autodefensa de drets socials bàsics.

The Zimbabwean construction industry is currently facing an enormous challenge to provide affordable housing to the urban dwelling low income earners. The urban population of Zimbabwe rose rapidly from 27% in 1992 to 42% by early 2002, and the urban housing backlog had risen to over 1,000,000 units by 2005. The use and cost of established construction materials, such as, cement, steel and brick are beyond the reach of most Zimbabweans. Thus, there is a pertinent need for a more affordable alternative. This study investigated the use of contemporary stabilised earth construction as an alternative solution to address the urban low cost housing crisis in Zimbabwe. Although experimental stabilised earth construction projects were a great success in Zimbabwe, this technology has not yet been widely adopted. Factors, such as benefits, drawbacks, inhibitors and drivers thus play an influencing role in the adoption of contemporary stabilised earth construction technologies. These factors must be understood as there are limited appropriate alternatives in Zimbabwe. A critical appraisal of the literature revealed that there is sparse structured research to date carried out to identify the factors that affect the widespread use of contemporary stabilised earth construction. Furthermore, the factors identified in the literature review lack empirical evidence and well structured research is essential to substantiate whether the factors are real or mere speculation. Earth construction is still largely representative of ancient architecture and unfortunately is still related to poor and primitive construction. Contemporary stabilised earth construction is still a relatively new technology in Zimbabwe; therefore, construction professionals will play a pivotal and significant role in the widespread adoption of this technology. Therefore, this study developed a holistic understanding of the factors influencing the adoption of stabilised earth by construction professionals in order to address the low cost housing crisis in Zimbabwe. The aim of this study resided in the interpretivism philosophy; the factors found in the literature review are directly and indirectly related to complex social phenomena. A critical review and appraisal of the literature, combined with findings of the Delphi technique produced a list of generic factors which formed an initial conceptual framework. A series of in-depth interviews were subsequently conducted with construction professionals to validate the generic list of factors and refined the conceptual framework in the context of Zimbabwe.

The third sector will play a major role in the reform of public services within the UK under the flagship rhetoric of the Big Society. There is a lacuna of research into third sector performance in comparison to the public and private sector, which renders this study relevant and timely. This three-paper PhD thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge in the field of performance management within UK third sector housing associations using a longitudinal, multiple case study analysis. The first contribution to knowledge is the development of a theoretical performance management model from a single case study analysis which encompasses trust, culture, and capability using empirical evidence to support the skeletal framework of change within a historically highly regulated third sector lifeworld. The second contribution to knowledge is a comparative study of performance measurement and management within housing associations and SMEs. The study revealed that both sectors were subject to institutional behaviours regarding their motivation for monitoring performance. These behaviours included coercive isomorphism, normative isomorphism and mimetic isomorphism. The study also revealed that the existing lifeworld was being steered towards a more commercial lifeworld via a process of colonisation from legal, power and financial steering media. This new environment will require clear and firm leadership. The third contribution to knowledge is the multiple case study analysis of leadership and performance within housing associations. The study revealed that contrary to previous research, this particular part of the third sector does not suffer a leadership deficit, nor is it in an embryonic state. The study yielded rich empirical data which revealed multiple leadership types including servant leadership, transactional leadership and transformational leadership. The latter leadership type has led to innovative growth within housing associations. The study also recognised the tension of a social business which needs to remain sustainable within private sector disciplines whilst staying true to its values and mitigating against mission drift. The final contribution to knowledge is the extension of the skeletal Habermasian framework; this has included institutional theory which has been applied to public sector reform. The new framework unifies the earlier work by Broadbent et al. (1991, 2001) and uses empirical richness to construct a more practical model suitable for the context of social housing.