Dutch Housing Associations: Current Developments and Debates

In the Netherlands, social housing accounts for 37 per cent of the total stock, and as much as 75 per cent of the total rented stock. For observers from outside the Netherlands this seems an anachronism. The dominant institution within the Dutch social rented sector is the housing association: a private organisation, functioning within the public framework of the Housing Act. This paper puts forward an explanation of why the Netherlands' social housing sector is so large. An overview is provided of the social housing institutions at sector level, their effectiveness is evaluated, and questions on the efficiency of the housing associations are posed. Several variants for the future status of housing associations are assessed and the political choice made in 2000 by the Netherlands government is elucidated. Finally, there is a discussion about the recent proposals encouraging housing associations to opt out of the public system and some recommendations are formulated for the Dutch social housing sector. It is possible that these could provide a source of inspiration for housing politicians elsewhere in Europe.     

The Spatial Pattern of Low Income Housing Tax Credit Properties: Implications for Fair Housing and Poverty Deconcentration Policies

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Housing policies of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) emphasize the spatial dispersal of housing assistance to promote fair housing objectives. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, the nation's largest affordable housing subsidy program, is not administered by HUD and therefore is not closely monitored for compliance with dispersal objectives. Using spatial point pattern analyses, I identify the geographic extent of LIHTC property clustering, characterize the local clustering of individual properties and explore the determinants of local clustering within the nation's largest metropolitan areas. In most metropolitan areas, LIHTC properties are more highly clustered than multifamily housing units, although the extent of clustering differs by metropolitan area. Clustered LIHTC properties tend to be located in more densely developed central-city locations that have higher poverty rates and higher minority concentrations.

Takeaway for practice: To encourage more affordable housing construction within areas that offer greater economic and social opportunities to LHTC residents, policymakers should 1) provide incentives to locate LIHTC properties within high-opportunity areas, 2) eliminate current incentives to cluster housing in areas with inherently higher poverty and minority concentrations (Qualified Census Tracts and Difficult Development Areas), and 3) enhance coordination between HUD and the Department of the Treasury to implement federal fair housing goals.     

荷兰住房协会——社会住房建设和管理的非政府模式

荷兰社会住房比例在全欧洲最高,其社会住房主要由住房协会建设和管理.文章追溯了住房协会的发展历程以及对荷兰政府不同住房政策的反应,总结了住房协会的双重二元特征:私人机构但是却承担了公共责任,是资金来源于政府的NGO组织.在1990年代资金独立之后,公共使命和从事市场活动成为了住房协会新的特征.文章还分析了住房协会在与政府、协会之间以及居民的关系中所扮演的的不同角色,反映了其各项职能.此外,对荷兰住房协会管理的模式进行了总结和反思,以期对我国的保障性住房建设提供借鉴和思考.     

The changing role of the Dutch social rented sector

The article traces the evolution of the research interests of Dieleman, an academic who combined the development of analytical models with explorations of the policy implications of the changing structure of housing markets. During his long career as a professor of geography, he championed international cooperation in research and played a major role in disseminating the results of Dutch academic studies to an international audience. His own work was concentrated on the analysis of residential mobility. But much of that work also revealed his interest in applying scholarly insights to policy issues. Throughout his career he showed a deep commitment to improving the functioning of the social rented sector in the Dutch housing market. After reviewing some of Dieleman’s major contributions to the understanding of the housing market, the article follows in his footsteps by analyzing the current use of social rented housing. In this way, this article provides an update on his field of interest based on recent survey data that underlines the validity of his insights.     

欧洲住房金融改革对中国的借鉴意义

自从1960与1970年代以来,更多的欧洲国家放松了它们的住宅政策。我们注意到从公共融资向私人融资的转变、从社会住宅向商业住宅的转变、从住房建设补贴向住房人头补贴的转变、从管制租金向市值租金的转变、以及从租赁房向自有房的转变。大部分这些转变都可以统称为＂私有化＂以及＂自由化＂这些定义不明的词语。然而,欧盟大部分国家的住宅金融体系仍然复杂而不合理,需要更多的住宅金融改革。我们将详述一种住宅金融改革的核心内容,包括如下几点：住房建设补贴、租户的住房人头补贴、自有房的税收优惠、房屋租赁政策、以及住宅联盟的角色。通过这种分析,我们勾画出欧盟国家住宅金融深入改革的轮廓。在不久的将来,中国也会考虑相似的住宅金融改革。     

寻求社会公正与融合的可持续途径:荷兰社会住宅的发展与现状

作为世界上住房保障制度最为完善的国家之一,荷兰自20世纪初期以来长期重视社会住宅,即公有出租的保障性住房的规划和建设,将其作为解决城市住房问题、促进社会公正的主要方式,并根据社会经济背景的变化对其发展政策和策略进行合理的调整.与此同时,荷兰也已将社会住宅的规划建设作为解决社会问题,特别是克服不同收入阶层与种族间的居住空间隔离问题,促进社会融合的重要手段之一.本文将结合政策与实例分析对荷兰社会住宅发展进行具体探讨,以期对我国目前的保障性住房规划建设提供借鉴.     

Housing and care for older adults with dementia: a European perspective

The ageing of society goes together with an increasing number of older adults with dementia. This group has specific housing and care needs reflecting their physical and mental health status, which has implications for the housing market, the public housing task, and the related provision of care. Within the European Union, there are various care and welfare regimes that constitute an underlying cause of the broad range of solutions chosen to organise care and housing of older adults with dementia. These regimes also account for the large differences that exist in the current housing situation of older adults with dementia in relation to the level of care they receive and the involvement of relatives. The paper zooms in on the situation in the Netherlands, where national policies focus on (1) ageing-in-place, (2) the separation of residence and care, and (3) substitution of institutional by non-institutional types of living. Within institutional settings, a transition is made towards small-scale group accommodation (SSGA) for older adults with dementia. Solutions within the domain of care consist of facilitating family carers, whereas housing solutions are directed to SSGA and use of technology and implementation of modifications to the living environment.     

荷兰的社会住宅：明确的传统与未知的将来

在荷兰,社会（公有）出租的住房的比重占到了35％——是欧盟范围内这一比例最高的国家。这一部门是在1901年住房法确立的公共框架下由独立经营的住房协会所主导的。本文阐述了住房协会在1995年“总收益与收支平衡实施办法”执行前后的历史渊源和发展变化。自从这一办法实施以来,住房协会不再扶政府接受实物补贴。但是．它们却变得愈加富有。这一点将会影响住房协会的社会形象。由于结合了社会与市场行为,在坚实的公共框架下运作、并经营高品质多样化的住宅,荷兰的社会住宅可为其他欧盟国家、俄罗斯和中国提供借鉴。     

Regeneration of Dutch post-war urban districts: the role of housing associations

In the Netherlands the regeneration of post-war urban districts is closely intertwined with the role of housing associations. This is hardly surprising, given that the housing associations have such a large share of the market (usually over 50%; sometimes nearly 100%) in many early post-war urban districts. This has caused a growing concentration of low-income households in those urban areas and a selective migration by middle- and high-income households from the city to the suburb. Official government policy on housing and urban renewal is directed at a redifferentiation of the urban housing stock. Specifically, the policy promotes more owner-occupation, larger and higher-quality homes, and a greater percentage of homes with a garden. This implies the demolition of social housing estates and selling social housing. The position of housing associations in the regeneration of Dutch post-war urban districts is somewhat enigmatic. On the one hand, national government is expecting them to take initiative and invest in urban renewal; on the other, government is urging them to cut down their market share. How are housing associations coping with this paradoxical challenge? And what are the current national policies about the position of housing associations? Aedes (the umbrella organisation of Dutch housing associations) and the Dutch Ministry of Housing have agreed upon the so-called great transition of housing associations. Here we explain and critique this great transition, which will hamper the current regeneration of Dutch urban districts. As an alternative we present the new transition.     

Housing Finance Reform in the Making: The Case of the Netherlands

Current housing finance systems are mostly a poor reflection of the government's policy priorities. This paper explains how the current Dutch housing finance system works, and analyses its weaknesses against the backdrop of a well-functioning housing market and national policy goals. It specifically looks at recent proposals and some building blocks for future housing finance reform in the Netherlands. The paper ends with conclusions on the potential relevance of the analysis for other European countries.     

Redesigning Domesticity: Creating Homes for the Elderly

Sally Stewart , Deputy Head of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art, highlights how nurturing a sense of ‘home’ can be a key ingredient in the creation of successful accommodation for the elderly and those with dementia. What, however, sets a ‘home’ apart from mere housing provision, and how can architects engender it? Stewart looks at some recent projects in the UK, Japan and the Netherlands in search of the answer.