HOUSING
- Student Work
Housing plays an integral part in our everyday lives and has the ”unique capacity to define the urban form and the character of the city”
Generally, Social Housing is understood as a residential project for those who could not otherwise afford accommodation, which is either built by the government or a non-governmental organization. Residents can purchase units, rent them at subsidized prices, or be given them.
However, the current understanding of social housing is constantly changing. The definition is far removed from its original meaning, and now includes a wider range of residential types. In Europe, the term “social housing” varies across the continent. In Britain it is called “social housing”, in France, “housing at moderate rent” (habitation à loyer modéré), while in Denmark it is “common housing”, Austria “people’s housing”, and in Germany, it is called “housing promotion”.
The changing views and terminology around social housing shift with changing politics, “with housing seen as something earned, to being a universal right and back again”. Architects today are reengaging with the topic of social housing, after years of it being marginalized.
