4 cities database analysis (original) (raw)

Squatted Social Centres and the Housing Question

M.A. Martínez López (ed.), The Urban Politics of Squatters’ Movements, The Contemporary City,, 2018

Squatted Social Centres (SSCs) can hardly be detached from the housing question. Housing shortage, unaffordability, real estate speculation, market failures, social housing policies, and increasing pressures towards home-ownership in capitalist cities are usually contested by most forms of squatting. However, housing needs and struggles are not the only motivation behind the squatters' movements. Drawing upon previous analyses of squatting presented in this book, this chapter examines whether squatters' movements evolve as a self-driven process independent of the 'housing question' or as a direct response to it. Although the data we have gathered for the nine European cities under study are mainly focused on SSCs and they do not address squatting forhousing in depth, there are alternative sources of empirical evidence that allow us a comparative approach. In doing so, we discuss the particular interactions of the squatters’ movements and the neo-liberalisation of both housing markets and policies. We explain the main differences between European cities in terms of alliances of squatters with other housing movements and, as in Spain after 2011 and in Rome after 2008, the revival of the housing question by new widespread experiences of squatting.

Squatted Social Centres in London: Temporary Nodes of Resistance to Capitalism

2016

This article assesses squatted social centres in London as a means to understand the cycles, contexts and institutionalisation processes of the local squatters movement. This diffuse social movement had its heyday in the late 1970s and early 1980s when there were 30,000 squatters and still exists today despite squatting in residential buildings being criminalised in 2012. Analysis is based on a database of 245 social centres, which are examined in terms of duration, time period, type of building and location. Important centres are briefly profiled and important factors affecting the squatters movement are examined, in particular institutionalisation, gentrification and criminalisation.

Revolution? Transforming social housing in the Manchester City Region

2009

Councils in the Manchester city region have enthusiastically embraced new organisational approaches to managing social housing. The number of publicly owned and managed units has reduced during the last decade from a quarter of a million to under four thousand. Based on 62 interviews with social housing staff and directors, regulators, city officials and support organisations in Greater Manchester in late 2008, the paper builds a regional case study to review the scale and impact of this 'housing revolution'. The case study is used to deepen understanding of themes emerging from the European Network of Housing Researcher's working group on 'social housing in Europe'. In particular, the changing pattern of social housing field boundaries, illustrated by the close working between Manchester ALMOs and housing associations. The power imbalance within contemporary partnership approaches to urban governance is discussed, with a continuing role for local councils in Greater Manchester's complex and spatially layered planning, housing and regeneration partnerships. Finally, the paper reflects on the benefits of using city regions as 'windows' through which to observe the impact of housing policies and the working of networks.

Households, The Homeless and Slums Towards a Standard for Representing City Shelter Open Data

2017

In order to compare and analyse open data across cities, standard representations or ontologies have to be created. This paper defines a shelter ontology that includes concepts of shelters, slums, households and homelessness. The design of the ontology is based upon the data requirements of ISO 37120. ISO 37120 defines 100 indicators to measure and compare city performance. There are three shelter-themed indicators defined, namely 15.1 Percentage of city population living in slums, 15.2 Number of homeless per 100 000 population, and 15.3 Percentage of households that exist without registered legal titles. This ontology enables both the representation of the ISO 37120 Shelter theme indicators' definitions, and a city's indicator values and supporting data. This enables the analysis of city indicators by intelligent agents.

Social housing: What lessons can be learnt from the international experience?

2001

The National Department of Housing is currently in the process of developing a policy framework in which the emerging South African social housing sector is expected to operate. The primary goal of social housing is to provide the essential service of housing at cost to people with limited financial means. In this study the provision of social housing in Europe, South America and Africa was studied with a view, to identify the particular ways and means in which social housing is provided under different situations and also, to identify the lessons that can be learnt from such experiences for the emerging social housing sector in South Africa. This study provides a description of social housing and the evolution thereof and focuses on the institutional and other support structures necessary for a successful social housing movement, the financing of social housing and lastly the management of social housing projects/social housing institutions

Housing Data Base for Sustainable Housing Provision

The paper examined selected data requirements for housing provision in selected housing estates as applicable to house owners with the view of determining the degree of relevance to mass housing provision. The research employed a mixed method approach by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data which were analysed using descriptive analysis in SPSS. The results are presented in tables, charts and figures to illustrate the data developed. The result showed that a significant percentage of the people living in these estates are tenants and cannot afford to pay for the ownership of the houses. It also showed that the houses were not built based on any data obtained from prospective house owners hence the constant desire to make changes. The paper concludes that the housing provision as currently practised is not socially sustainable as it does not rely on data from the prospective house owners. It therefore recommends that for future housing estate developments, prospective house occupiers should be determined first in order to obtain relevant data considered necessary to be infused in the design.

Spatial Arrangement of Multifamily Social Housing – Key Criteria Relevant for the Quality of Housing

Savremena teorija i praksa u graditeljstvu, 2022

In order to ensure the sustainability of social housing, the living conditions should meet basic biological needs [demands], but they should also have a stimulating effect on the psycho-social development of the users. The focus of the research is on identification and definition of the physical and spatial criteria that are essential for the quality and sustainability of this type of housing in order to distinguish the dwelling layouts [housing models] that can be considered appropriate for the specific requirements of social housing,

Quality of social housing in the Netherlands and England

The Netherlands and England both have a large social housing stock. At first sight the quality backlog of an average public sector dwellin g in the Netherlands and England seems to be similar. However the way quality backlo g is defined and measured in the Netherlands (all backlog) and in England (backlog a bove fixed levels) differs. Within England there is a pronounced difference in quality between the social housing stock of local authorities and housing associations. The reasons for the difference in quality backlog are related to the age of the stock and dif ferences at the sector level. Housing associations in the Netherlands are private compani es who have a strong desire to develop businesslike approaches. They are also conf ronted with less regulation. Whilst English housing associations resemble the Dutch social sector, they tend to be smaller in size and as such lack the power to devel op businesslike approaches. They also have to deal with more regulations and supervi si...

[Working paper] The Political Squatters' Movement and Its Social Centres in the Gentrifying City of Rotterdam

This article analyses a database of 44 squatted social centres in Rotterdam. The database provides a useful lens to examine the squatters' movement which in Rotterdam (as opposed to other larger cities such as Amsterdam or London) is underground and little studied. The database was produced through reference to a range of sources, including participant observation, archive materials, conversations with squatters past and present, academic sources and activist websites. The projects are analysed in terms of time period, duration, location and type of building occupied. A problem experienced and evaluated is the lack of both primary and secondary sources. Some significant individual projects are described and one area for which suitable information data is available, the district of Bospolder, is used as a case study regarding the issue of gentrification (which first necessitates a review of the relevant literature on gentrification). Conclusions are reached about the cycles, contexts and institutionalisation of the squatters' movement in Rotterdam.