The HouseInc project is making progress on its mission to investigate the factors behind housing inequality, to find practical solutions with a focus on marginalised communities.
A significant step towards this goal has been to examine the initiatives and solutions already existing across Europe. HouseInc researchers have compiled an atlas of examples into a handy dataset that categorizes housing solutions across the three dimensions of affordability, sustainability and inclusivity.
The atlas brings together data in a structured format and contains 222 housing initiatives from 15 EU countries, plus the U.K. The country selection was based on geographic diversity, governance models, and relevance of housing challenges.
All the solutions collected fall under the three categories of affordability, sustainability and inclusivity :
- financial solutions or innovative business models (Affordability)
- technical / technological and digital solutions (Sustainability)
- social innovations (Inclusivity).
The Atlas, along with a user guide, includes:
- An explanation of the methodology used to construct the dataset.
- An overview of the data on solutions included.
- A summary of the main takeaways, including measures funded through Next Generation EU.
- Key insights from 6 promising solutions across Europe.
By providing a systemic overview of the projects and solutions currently available, the Atlas provides those working in the sphere of housing inequality (policymakers, NGOs, civil society groups, practitioners) with a valuable reference resource to inform the future direction of housing policies and further research.
6 promising housing solutions
A key outcome of the Atlas was identifying six promising solutions from the 222 initiatives mapped to explore them further. The solutions selected were filtered by:
- Geographical representation: ensuring diverse representation of countries and contexts, with a focus on countries implementing innovative housing affordability, sustainability, and inclusivity strategies.
- Financing source: focusing mainly on EU-funded solutions (but not only).
- Targeted communities: prioritising solutions addressing most vulnerable communities.
- Evidence of impact: prioritising solutions recognized by relevant institutions or awarded international prizes.
Solutions from Greece, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Denmark and the Czech Republic were chosen for in-depth interviews and on-site visits. These case studies were analysed for key enabling features, governance structures, financing mechanisms, and challenges encountered to provide insights and for further research.
To find out more details about these solutions, download the housing solutions booklet.
