A silent shift? The precarisation of the Dutch rental housing market

The traditional Dutch rental contract is permanent (i.e. time unlimited), but there are indications that in recent years the number of temporary rental contracts has increased considerably. Dutch housing policy appears to be responding to this by pursuing deregulation of the conditions under which temporary rent is permitted. It is in this regard startling that there is no reliable data available about the size or character of the temporary sector, and it has thus far not attracted any scholarly attention. Given that temporary rent can be viewed as a form of precarisation, a transfer of risk to citizens, with corresponding negative effects on the lives of those involved, it is imperative to close this knowledge gap. This paper is a first attempt to do this. Firstly, I systematically review the scarce evidence that is currently available, and secondly, I explore why the rise of temporary rent has thus far failed to stimulate any social debate; it appears to constitute a silent precarisation that contrasts with the politically sensitive issue of labour precarisation. In doing so, I will identify the research questions that must be answered if the significance of this process for both tenants and wider welfare-state restructuring is to be fully understood.     

Reframing the ‘gap market’: lessons and implications from Cape Town’s gap market housing initiative

In South Africa, households which earn too much to qualify for South Africa’s impressive capital subsidy programme and too little to access mortgage finance are referred to as the gap market. As the gap continues to grow, address is of increasing policy priority, a focus of local and national efforts. However, this paper argues that the gap market has been misunderstood and inappropriately framed in South African housing policy discourse. The case study of the City of Cape Town’s ‘Sale of Serviced Erven for GAP Market Purposes’ demonstrates the assumption that the gap market is a functional housing submarket which can be targeted uniformly. This paper argues that the gap market is instead a derivative of South Africa’s housing policy history and premised on the problematic ‘ownership imperative’. While the gap market is a useful conceptual tool to be understood within its historic trajectory, it should be discarded from policy design processes and replaced with more useful categories driven by analysis of the households and dynamics which comprise the market. This argument is relevant for all countries which seek to address gaps in their housing markets.     

The housing careers of younger adults and intergenerational support in Germany’s ‘society of renters’

Abstract

Through narrative interviews with younger adults and their parents, this paper explores how the housing transitions of younger adults, both within the rental sector and into homeownership, are shaped through intergenerational intra-family support in Germany’s society of renters. Our findings highlight the profound qualitative differences between regular transfers for establishing and retaining residential independence in the rental sector and inter vivos gifts for house purchase. Where the former support type is given and taken unconditionally, transfers for house purchase follow a different logic and carry different meanings. Being a necessary condition for property acquisition at young age, they have the power to completely rebalance family relations and undermine younger adults’ autonomy accordingly. In an aggregate perspective, our study further suggests increasing socio-spatial inequalities within the younger generation which run along both class and spatial origin, sharply dividing the housing market opportunities of ‘original Berliners’ and those who have moved to the city from more affluent regions in Germany.     

Second homes in the Spanish housing market: one market or two?

This paper explores the relationship between primary and secondary homes in the overall Spanish housing market against the background of conflicting views on the nature of this relationship. Some of the theoretical arguments in favour of the independence of the two sectors are critiqued and a series of research questions on the precise nature of any relationship are posed. In answering these questions, a range of empirical data for different spatial scales is examined. It is concluded that, for indigenous Spaniards, the two sectors of the housing market are inter-related in various ways and that the most significant contemporary dichotomy in the Spanish housing market may be between Spaniards and foreigners rather than between primary and second homes.     

‘Equal right to housing’ in Hong Kong housing policy: perspectives from disadvantaged groups

The ‘right to housing’ incorporates at least five different dimensions which are all indispensible for the minimum satisfaction of such right, namely, housing that is adequate and affordable, enjoyed without arbitrary interference or forced eviction, and the right of choice to opt for rent or home-ownership as well as neighbourhood. ‘Equal right to housing’ essentially means equal opportunity or non-discrimination in the fulfillment of all dimensions of ‘right to housing’. In Hong Kong, for those with economic means, the extent of their ‘right to housing’ are largely satisfied; however, this may not be the case for those from the lower socioeconomic strata, especially members of disadvantaged groups from the latter, who are doubly deprived. This paper will examine the views on ‘equal right to housing’ in Hong Kong housing policy from four disadvantaged groups, namely, single-parent families, ethnic minorities, homosexuals and Mainland New Arrivals, by drawing on information from in-depth interviews with members of these groups, representatives of organizations serving these disadvantaged groups, property sector practitioners, Equal Opportunity Commission representative and members of the general public. On the whole, the members of the disadvantaged groups, especially those from the lower socioeconomic strata may not enjoy equal opportunity to different dimensions of the ‘right to housing’ in Hong Kong, mainly due to discriminatory selection of tenants on the part of private landlords as well as the limited economic means of some of them. These may be, to some extent, magnified by some biased practices in public housing policy. This paper will end by examining some of policy implications of ‘equal right to housing’.     

From informal housing to apartment housing: exploring the ‘new social’ in a gecekondu rehousing project,Turkey

This article engages with the question of the ‘new social’ that emerges in the relocation of the poor in slum renewal projects. Drawing upon both Lefebvre’s theorization of abstract space of capital and social space of people, and the neoliberal framework in which the economic dominates the social, the complex relationship between the spatial and the social embedded in political economy is demonstrated. In the Turkish context, the ‘new social’ is situated at the intersection of spatial transformations, housing representations, neoliberalism and Islam. In the housing estate of the case study, the abstract space was challenged by the bottom-up responses of some residents who tried to create their social space rooted in their previous experiences in the gecekondu; it was reacted by other residents who embraced the higher status of apartment living. The void produced by destroying the gecekondu habitus was filled by religious activities and consumption-inspired everyday practices.     

From long-term homelessness to stable housing: investigating ‘liminality’

Abstract

This paper uses the term ‘liminality’ to refer to the experience of feeling like an outsider when people are transitioning from one housing status (long-term homelessness) to another (housed). Three dimensions of liminality are identified: ‘material’, ‘relational’ and ‘psychological’. The material dimension covers how people feel about their housing and whether they find it difficult to make the transition from homeless to housed. The relational dimension focuses on whether people are able to rebuild relations with family and friends. The psychological dimension includes how people deal with the stigma of homelessness. The paper demonstrates that most people can overcome the material dimension of liminality if they are given appropriate support, but they find it more difficult to overcome the relational and psychological dimensions of liminality. We conclude that moving on from long-term homelessness is not straightforward and we point to the policy implications of these findings.     

Testing the ‘Wright Space’: using isovists to analyse prospect-refuge characteristics in Usonian architecture

Historians and critics argue that the innate appeal of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture can be traced to the way in which it balances the properties of outlook, enclosure and mystery. Such properties, it has been theorised, are responsible for the positive emotional response felt by inhabitants of Wright's buildings. Hildebrand explains these psychological responses by proposing the existence of a particular pattern of prospect-refuge characteristics: the ‘Wright Space’. In response to this claim, the present paper uses isovists to analyse the spatial and visual experience of moving through five of Wright's Usonian houses to seek evidence of this pattern. The mathematical properties of these isovists provide measures for comparing the spatio-visual character of different locations. The results of this research show some evidence of the spatial pattern identified by Hildebrand but it is insufficient to class this as either unique to Wright or especially significant.     

Quality of housing and association with ADL situation among older adults in China’s rural contexts

The aging of the rural population is an increasingly influential factor affecting China's social and economic development. By extracting 5450 samples of “rural older adults” with the corresponding entries of housing quality and activities of daily living from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2013, the study yielded an overview of the seniors’ housing conditions in China’s rural areas. Binary logistic regression analysis was applied to explore the potential association between three aspects of housing characteristics (general features, indoor equipment, and spatial composition) and the ADL status of the rural older adults, revealing that the building age, the building style of independent or compound, the type of structure, and whether there are flush toilets and telephone connections indoors, present a significant association with the ADL status. Possible interpretations of the results and strategies for improving the living conditions for the aging rural population were discussed. This study attempts to bridge the knowledge gap related to the housing conditions of seniors in rural China, thereby providing references for planners and policymakers.

     

Towards a synergy between ‘content’ and ‘process’ in Dutch spatial planning: the Heuvelland case

Spatial planning in the Netherlands is shifting from regulatory toward more developmental modes of planning. This paper explores the background of these changes and discusses current approaches to developmental planning, especially in rural areas. It combines views reflected in planning theory with the accumulated experiences of a project in the southern part of the Netherlands, called Heuvelland. The Heuvelland project is aimed at the mobilisation of market parties for spatial developments. It is an attempt to circumvent the path-dependency in which many current spatial innovation projects get caught up, owing to established institutional planning and policy arrangements. We argue that in order to stimulate innovation and create a new economic base for rural spatial developments, new economic actors and new public–private structures and networks must be mobilised. We consider how this can be done, taking into account the importance of sustainable regional development.     

‘The party’s over’: critical junctures,crises and the politics of housing policy

The key argument set out in this article is that historical and comparative forms of investigation are necessary if we are to better understand the ambitions and scope of contemporary housing interventions. To demonstrate the veracity of our claim, we have set out an analysis of the UK housing polices enacted in the mid-1970s as a basis for comparison with those pursued 40 years later. The article begins with a critical summary of some of the methodological approaches adopted by researchers used to interpret housing policy. In the main section, we present our critical analysis of housing policy reforms (implemented by the Labour government between 1974 and 1979) noting both their achievements and limitations. In the concluding section, we use our interpretation of this period as a basis to judge contemporary housing policy and reflect on the methodological issues that arise from our analysis.     

‘The star in the profession she invented for herself’: a brief biography of Elizabeth Denby,housing consultant

This paper offers a short biography of the housing consultant Elizabeth Denby (1894–1965). It begins by proposing a context, and way of conceptualizing how the built environment is created, in order to explain Denby and her work and suggests that she is best understood as forming part of a tradition of influential women space‐makers which began with Octavia Hill. It then proceeds to a discussion of the three main areas of practice in which she became a significant figure in the world of housing and architecture in inter‐war England. This focuses on design projects such as Kensal House; her development of a distinctively pro‐urban theory of planning exemplified in the All‐Europe House mixed‐development project; her book Europe Re‐housed and her work in design reform. In concluding, the paper evaluates Denby’s longer‐term influences and argues first that the extent of her ideas and influence in the inter‐war period helped perpetuate the eligibility of women to comment upon and inform the making of the British landscape into the post‐war era. Secondly, it argues that this influence also derives from her membership of that cohort of reformers which effected the union of the philosophies and practices of the voluntary housing sector with the emerging modernist movement in architecture, design and planning in the 1930s and war years, a marriage that would have considerable impact on the form of post‐war Britain.     

Social housing in Spain: what role does the private rented market play?

The global economic and financial crisis has hit the Spanish economy hard, creating an unstable framework for employment and growth. Since 2007, housing markets have been deeply affected by the crisis. The private rented market has exhibited two specific consequences: on the one hand, the bursting of the real estate bubble has inhibited profit gains in the homeownership sector, providing better incentives to operate in the rented market. On the other hand, huge social conflict has emerged in relation to the lack of proper shelter for certain households which can be seen in the increase in evictions and in homelessness. We want to focus on the latter: since Spain lacks a critical mass of social housing, low-income households have been attracted by the private rented sector, particularly during expansion periods, as quite often there is no available (and affordable) alternative. In periods of economic recession, the substantial pressure that rents put on the financial situation of these households might even cause them to move out of their homes. The hypothesis we will test in this paper is that private rented markets fill several aspects of the role of social housing provision in Spain reinforcing the negative effects the lack of social housing creates in the country, highly visible during recession periods.     

Cedric Price: From the ‘Brain Drain’ to the ‘Knowledge Economy’

Stanley Mathews looks at Cedric Price's Fun Palace and Potteries Thinkbelt as polemics addressing the changing economic and social character of postwar Britain moving into a period of deindustrialisation, with the expansion of higher education, and the emergence of information technology.     

The difference of ‘being diverse’: City branding and multiculturalism in the ‘Leicester Model’

This city profile on Leicester focuses on the representation of ethnical diversity in city branding. Through a historical approach, the paper discusses how the local authorities have taken advantage of the arrival of different migration flows into the city, in order to redefine its post-industrial identity in terms of multiculturalism, tolerance and inclusivity. In so doing, the paper emphasises the combination of deliberate marketing communicative activities, the provision of services for attracting and retaining foreign businesses and the creation of an open urban milieu where various ethnic groups are free to express and celebrate their own cultures through festivals and events. The paper identifies the alignment between place communication and place ‘offerings’ development as the crucial element underpinning Leicester's model for multicultural cooperation and critically assesses the recent challenges that are being posed to the sustainment of a multicultural city image.     

In search of conceptual modernization: The new Dutch ‘national spatial strategy’

In the Netherlands the publication of a new policy document on spatial planning is always a milestone, as the national government is such an important player in this field. The National Spatial Strategy is no exception and, at first sight, marks a complete change of tack. Instead of emphasizing spatial quality – as usual – it concentrates on easing the restrictions on spatial development. Central government wants to take a step backwards in favour of allowing the local authorities, and in particular the provinces, to play a key role. Although the liberal approach to development control is revolutionary, most of the spatial concepts in the National Spatial Strategy are based upon traditional ideas about spatial organization.     

Sizing up ‘the box’ in order to fit in

Participants in design processes make an effort to come up with solutions that will be deemed acceptable, while accomplishing to ‘think out of the box’. Thinking ‘outside the box’ is often announced as a challenge to and for design teams. ‘The box’ is a metaphor often used in creative processes, and in organisational practices, as a term for rules and regulations, everyday routines and tacit knowledge of ‘how things usually are’ and ‘what we know about the world’. Such a challenge is meant to encourage participants to approach a situation with an open mind, challenge the most basic assumptions and be willing to do things differently. Basically, something different is being called for. Studies have shown that it is striking, how much the participants orient to actually ‘fit’ the box, even when asked to develop it. This paper shows how participants in design processes are ‘sizing up the box’, while participating in meetings or workshops in order to develop a design. They identify key stakeholders of the designated design project; they share their own expectations of these key stakeholders' possible perceptions, discuss the success criteria and negotiate the values that are to govern the design team in the development process.     

A computational approach to ‘The Image of the City’

In The Image of the City Lynch describes how individuals perceive and recall features in urban spaces. The most distinctive elements in the urban landscape - categorised in paths, nodes, edges, districts and landmarks - give shape to individuals' mental representation of the city. Lynch’s approach has stimulated research into spatial cognition, urban design and artificial intelligence, and it still represents an essential pillar in the analysis of urban dynamics. Nevertheless, an explicit link between The Image of the City and GIScience has not been completely explored yet. In this paper, a computational approach to The Image of the City is proposed. Different perspectives in spatial cognition and GIS research are integrated to obtain a complete Image of the City, in which the most salient elements are shared by a large part of citizens. Nodes, paths and districts were identified through network science techniques. Methods drawn from the information approach to The Image of the City are used to detect landmarks, integrating the complexity of points of reference in their visual, structural and semantic components, as conceptualised by Lynch and successive research. The methods were applied to the central area of Boston and built using freely available spatial datasets. Results were compared to Lynch’s maps to evaluate the methodology: besides a considerable discrepancy with regard to landmarks, a good correspondence for paths, nodes, edges and districts was found.     

The electricity supply industry in Germany: market power or power of the market?

This paper analyses the electricity supply industry in Germany, which was liberalized in April 1998. Noticeable aspects are the eligibility of all end-users, the lack of constraints on the vertical industry structure and the option for negotiated third party access. There is no sector-specific regulation. This paper argues that the vertically integrated firms concentrate on excessive network access charges, whereas the stages generation and retail appear to be relatively competitive. Empirical evidence suggests that in Germany network access charges make up a significantly higher share of end-user prices than in the UK, which is used as regulation-benchmark.