The remarkable stability of social housing in Vienna and Helsinki: a multi-dimensional analysis

Abstract

The supply of social housing has been marked by erosion and decline in most Western Europe countries since the 1990s, albeit with considerable variation in timing, speed and degree. Recently, it has been suggested that the sector has kept a more prominent position at the local level, at least in some cities. This paper scrutinizes this claim by comparing the development of social housing in two cities in two distinct national housing systems that have traditionally had a strong commitment to social housing: Vienna and Helsinki. To do so, we build a multi-dimensional framework that encompasses sector size, stock privatization, new housing production, and residualization. We empirically demonstrate a remarkable stability along these dimensions in both cases, albeit with some differences in degree. A number of factors need to be considered to explain this stability. They relate to aspects of institutional design of the social housing systems, as well as to continuity in policies at national and local levels.

From social and natural vulnerability to human-centered climate resilient coastal cities

“…Such initiatives also create opportunities from design for a more diverse society, that is to create new solidarities through housing and adaptable built environments that also contribute to the wellbeing of vulnerable citizens. Among the many ways to design for a more diverse and inclusive society and to create resilience and new solidarities through housing, the important role of cooperative projects, for example, social housing in Vienna, Helsinki, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen, is of particular relevance (Tsenkova, 2021;Kadi and Lilius, 2022;Kazepov and Verwiebe, 2022).…”

Reconsidering the real estate state

“…However, not all of it is in use. Many cities own more than they can manage, use, or even know they own (Kaganova, 2010). This untapped inventory could dampen inequality by putting public propertied resources to use in combatting the excesses of financialization.…”

“…This untapped inventory could dampen inequality by putting public propertied resources to use in combatting the excesses of financialization. The classic example is Vienna, Austria, where subsidized housing moderates private sector rents and tenant protections and tampers evictions and price gouging (see also Kadi and Lilius, 2022). Rather than privatizing and liquidating assets, the state needs to experiment, explore, and invent new ways to create public value and redistribute wealth.…”

Social housing development: a case study in Bac Ninh province, Vietnam

“…The social housing development is different in each specific period, but it plays an important role for low-income people. Besides, it is also affected by factors such as stock value and profits from social housing investment, especially policies and laws on social housing development (Aigner, 2019; Kadi and Lilius, 2022). Research policies to develop social housing for refugees.…”