Privatizing public housing in Canada,A public policy agenda

The new Progressive Conservative (PC) government in Ontario is planning to sell the 84,500 units (using the UK model) of public housing that it owns. This paper presents an evaluation of the programs to sell off public housing in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. After a comparative evaluation, the author makes several recommendations for the Ontario government. The author argues that Canadian public-housing tenant characteristics are different from those in the UK. Ontario's public-housing tenants are too poor to purchase these units. They would be unable to maintain the unit and carry the costs (property tax, insurance, and utilities) even if the units were given to them free. The author concurs that the sale of public housing units in the USA and the UK may have generated some revenue and saved some costs. However, he points out that in the long run, the modest financial gains will be offset by higher operating costs. The sale of the best units and those that are easy to maintain, along with the loss of higher-income tenants, will no doubt result in higher average operating costs for the remaining Units. Such unintended consequences of the sale should be avoided by the Ontario government. The author recommends that the province develop a comprehensive and multi-purpose plan covering an array of programs (including the sale of some units) rather than concentrate exclusively on the sale.     

Risks and principles: The management of housing with support in the social rented sector in Scotland

Social housing plays a key role in the provision of support to disabled people but to what extent can care in the community principles be upheld in the context of the financial constraints in the provision of supported housing? This paper draws on findings from an evaluation of Scottish Home’s care in the community policy, to establish the considerable consensus of opinion on the principles underlying the housing contribution to community care and the increasing concerns of providers on the complexity and instability of the funding mechanisms for supported housing. To illustrate the discrepancy between the word and the deed in housing management practice, evidence is examined from recent studies on the use of housing agreements and tenancy rights in supported accommodation in Scotland. The paper identifies the gap between the expressed aims and intentions of providers and managers towards the occupants of supported housing and housing management practice and contends that financial pressures are a key element in producing this gap. If community care policies are to be successful, appropriate funding mechanisms and housing management practice are crucial.     

Private financing in the dutch public housing sector: The rise and fall of the accumulative loan

The author wishes to thank miss Barbara den Boer for her translation.     

Multi‐family housing in the social rental sector and the changing Dutch housing market

The social rental sector has become a major segment of the housing market in the Netherlands (forming 44 per cent of the stock in 1988). Until recently, its management by non‐profit housing associations and municipalities posed no major problems: the stock was relatively new, the general housing shortage was severe, and middle‐income groups accounted for a substantial share of the tenants of social rental housing. This situation has changed; especially the older multi‐family housing in the cities has slipped into a lower position in the urban housing hierarchy, and lower‐income households predominate in this type of housing. At the same time, part of the older stock is in need of renovation. This article reports on interviews with managers of non‐profit housing associations about their strategies to keep the housing in good shape and to find tenants. It also reports on interviews with tenants in newly renovated housing complexes.     

On shaky grounds: The case for the privatization of the public housing sector in the Netherlands

The research reported on is Project 44 of the STEPRO research program of the Institute of Geographical Research IRO of the University of Utrecht. The project was supported by grant SRO 530-242-016 from the Dutch National Science Foundation ZWO. We want to thank the provincial directorate of the Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environmental Protection in Noord-Brabant for his help. A first draft of this article was discussed at the conference ‘Housing between State and Market’ in Dubrovnik in September 1988.     

Landscape Policy and Planning Practice: The gap in understanding,Ontario, Canada

Distortions inevitably occur between the creation of policy and its practical application. The gap that exists between the understanding of landscape held by the policy writers and that of the implementers of land-use planning legislation in Ontario, Canada is revealed. The story is told over a nine-month period between the passing and defeat of one planning act, and the introduction of another. A change of government and a substantive shift in governing ideology resulted in the radical transformation of the policies protecting landscapes in this Canadian province's land-use development process. The research documented took place over that crucial period and gives a window into the dynamics of landscape conservation that is created by upper- and lower-tier differences. Higher-level policy makers have a considerable task in protecting landscapes within land-use planning that demands rational and bounded terminology and processes. Conversely, the local implementers of that policy need more flexible and site-specific strategies to conserve those landscapes on the ground. It is this gap that has stalled the protection of landscapes in Ontario, where governments and communities struggle to conserve their valued landscapes - a phenomenon not uncommon in other locations. Some strategies on how to bridge that gap in understanding and improve the prospects for landscape conservation are given.     

Physical,social and economic transformation of public housing: An evaluation of comprehensive change in suburban problem areas

Friedmann, J., Planning in the Public Domain: From Knowledge to Action. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1987.     

How knowledge and political ideology affects rental housing policy in Ontario,Canada: application of a knowledge paradigms framework of policy change

A case study of the Tenant Protection Act in Ontario, Canada is presented. A Conservative government elected in 1995 introduced an Act to deregulate rents and amend the Ontario Human Rights Code to allow use of income criteria to screen potential tenants. Document review and in‐depth interviews with tenant advocates were applied to understand how tenant advocates in Toronto used knowledge and other strategies to influence the legislation in the context of a new framework of policy change. The findings revealed that while different forms of knowledge, scientific, anecdotal and critical, had some influence on the process, the political ideology of the government played a significant role in determining the influence of opponents to legislation. The research concludes that while the neo‐liberal political ideology of the government did not consistently influence policy making in all areas, housing policy was particularly sensitive to political ideology. While the views of tenants did not influence the Conservative government, they did influence the policies of the Opposition parties that called for the restoration of social housing and rent control. On 2 October 2003, an Opposition party supporting these positions was elected in the Ontario general election.     

Biophysical processes and bioregional planning: The Niagara Escarpment of southern Ontario, Canada

The Niagara Escarpment is the dominant landscape feature of Southern Ontario and has been designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. As with many such natural features, the resource planning and management strategies developed tend to be based upon the present-day situation rather than upon a recognition of the changing and evolving nature of the feature. To develop strategies incorporating change demands that a knowledge be gained of the processes operating in those components of the ecosystems in which measurable activity will take place within a planning framework; that is a timescale of several decades. In this particular case, the context is natural resource planning for the scarp face itself. The critical system elements are those related to earth surface processes, forest ecosystem dynamics, and in particular, their interrelationships. Different planning objectives require information at differing spatial scales. Yet these objectives must be related, whether they are local site-specific issues, or are related to the maintenance of the biodiversity of the whole 725 km of the Escarpment. One way to achieve these goals is to establish a hierarchical system of spatially nested land units. These units, however, must be based on the underlying biophysical processes responsible for the dynamics in any one of these spatially determined frameworks. In this case, the underlying biophysical processes relating to geomorphology and forest ecosystem dynamics are found to be influenced by one of three dominant slope forms. The recurrence of these slope forms throughout the Escarpment then permits 9 distinct regional land units to be identified. Within these units, site-specific analysis examines earth surface/forest interactions and change. Subsequently, from these site specific analyses data are accumulated to develop a more general model of earth surface/forest ecosystem interaction for the Escarpment as a whole.     

The supply of private rented housing in Canada

Canadian housing policy objectives are generally pursued through a market framework. There is little provision of non-market housing. Thus, while Canada has a substantial private rented sector, it has only a small social rented housing sector. About a third of all dwellings belong to private landlords for market renting and only six percent are owned by public and private landlords for non-profit renting. The supply of dwellings newly constructed specifically for private market rental has fallen over the last 20 years. This fall has been compensated for in part by the supply of existing dwellings that have been transferred from other tenures. There has also been a fall in the proportion of private market rented dwellings owned by corporate landlords and an increase in the proportion owned by small-scale individual landlords, including individuals buying existing dwellings in other tenures to convert to private renting. These recent supply-side changes have been in response to three factors. First, changes to the federal tax system and direct supply incentives have reduced the attractiveness of investing in private renting for corporations but increased it for individuals. Second, the demand for private renting has fallen amongst middle- and high-income households because of demographic and tax changes. This has reduced the numbers of private renting households able to pay the rents needed to make new construction profitable. Third, other public policies have also had an impact on supply, including rent controls imposed by provincial governments and land use planning restrictions and building standards imposed by local authorities. An important feature of the Canadian private rental market is its geographical diversity, with supply-side trends varying in different provinces and urban areas in accordance with variations in demand and local policies. Tony Crook is Professor of Town & Regional Planning and Head of Department at the University of Sheffield. His main current research interest is housing policy, especially the investment decisions of private landlords and housing associations and the relationships between housing policy and land use planning. His research work has been funded by DoE, ESRC and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It has been widely published in books and in academic and professional journals. He is currently Chair of the Conference of Heads of Planning Schools. He is also active in the worlds of policy and practice. He is a member of the RTPI Housing and Renewal Panel, trustee of two housing associations, and an independent director of one of the new Local Housing Companies.     

The role of state and market in the Malaysian housing sector

This paper discusses the development of housingpolicy in Malaysia, focusing on the role ofstate and market in low-income housingprovision. Since independence, the state hasstrongly intervened in the housing sector, andits housing policies have expressed its racialand political preferences in housingdevelopment and distribution. The privatesector performs better than the public sector.But the excessive state control over housinghinders the development of the market, while the potential of the private sector's capacityis under-utilised. The paper illustrates theproblems of the housing system and ends withsome recommendations for ways to overcome theseproblems.     

Redevelopment of public housing estates: The Australian experience

This paper provides an overview of some key aspects of the different contemporary approaches being utilised across the Australian States to redevelop public housing estates. Questions are raised about the effects of the projects on existing and future tenants, both in terms of the strategies used to address particular concentrations of disadvantage on the estates and the success in maintaining the current and future supply of public housing stock. In addition, the study points to the need for further evaluation of the approaches used in redevelopment, as currently little is known about the success or otherwise of the projects.     

Landscape Policy and Planning Practice: the gap in understanding, Ontario, Canada

Distortions inevitably occur between the creation of policy and its practical application. The gap that exists between the understanding of landscape held by the policy writers and that of the implementers of land-use planning legislation in Ontario, Canada is revealed. The story is told over a nine-month period between the passing and defeat of one planning act, and the introduction of another. A change of government and a substantive shift in governing ideology resulted in the radical transformation of the policies protecting landscapes in this Canadian province's land-use development process. The research documented took place over that crucial period and gives a window into the dynamics of landscape conservation that is created by upper- and lower-tier differences. Higher-level policy makers have a considerable task in protecting landscapes within land-use planning that demands rational and bounded terminology and processes. Conversely, the local implementers of that policy need more flexible and site-specific strategies to conserve those landscapes on the ground. It is this gap that has stalled the protection of landscapes in Ontario, where governments and communities struggle to conserve their valued landscapes - a phenomenon not uncommon in other locations. Some strategies on how to bridge that gap in understanding and improve the prospects for landscape conservation are given.     

The dismantling of public housing in the USA

The market reigns supreme in the housing system of the United States. Its prominence has led to the efficient provision of housing of ever-rising standards for most Americans. At the same time, the poor continue to live in appalling conditions. The majority of them have to secure their housing without public support. In spite of the long history of government intervention in the housing system, the effect of that support has been marginal at best. Although the large cities contain substantial numbers of assisted housing, the public housing program has failed to provide the poor with the “decent housing and the suitable living environment” promised to every American family in the 1949 Housing Act. Even the direct support of households through housing vouchers and certificates has not broken up the concentrations of poverty. Many households remain trapped in substandard housing in crime-infested urban areas. The articles in this issue evaluate the (possible) outcomes of the latest round of reforms of the American public housing program, which are geared to more private-sector involvement. Jan van Weesep is Professor of Urban Geography and Urban Policy at Utrecht University (The Netherlands). His publications cover a range of housing and urban issues in various countries. He has studied and worked in the United States. Hugo Priemus holds the chair in housing at Delft University of Technology and he is managing director of OTB Institute for Housing, Urban and Mobility Studies.     

Private sector housing in urban China since 1949: The case of Xian

Research on urban housing policies in socialist China and Eastern European countries has concentrated on understanding the production and distribution of state housing. More recently researchers have shifted their attention to the commodification of urban housing and establishment of private housing markets. A very important aspect of socialist housing ‐ the process of nationalisation of privately owned urban housing in the early period of socialist development ‐ has been relatively neglected. Ignoring this aspect of the historical background of socialist urban housing policy may create difficulties in understanding the nature of the public sector and recent privatisation experience.

This paper intends to fill this gap in relation to China by examining both the nationalisation of urban privately owned housing in the early years of socialism and the more recent privatisation and commercialisation of the urban housing sector. This highlights shifting approaches to the urban housing market in different periods of socialist development and helps in understanding recent developments in housing reform. It examines the development of policy and the resultant impacts on the private housing market in Xian, one of the major cities in central China. The pattern of private ownership, the state policy of nationalisation and the more recent commercialisation of urban public sector housing are the main issues examined.     

Women,public housing and inequality: A Northern Ireland perspective

This paper traces the development of public housing in Northern Ireland and highlights the unique structure of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Using data from the 1991 census it goes on to assess how women as independent consumers have fared in this system of administration.     

US public housing in the 1930s: The first projects in Atlanta,Georgia

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, European philanthropists, industrialists, and governments built homes and communities aimed at improving the health and welfare of low and middle income workers. By 1930, the United States remained the only developed country in the Western world without a national legislative and financial commitment to housing. This paper explores the attitudes and circumstances affecting the creation of American public housing in the 1930s and examines the federal government's first attempts at replacing slums with subsidized apartments in the Techwood and University Homes projects in Atlanta, Georgia.