Summary
Keywords : housing, health, residential stories, architecture, Paris
The renewal of the issue of health and well-being in housing after the enclosure of Covid 19 accelerates the debates between housing actors (architects, developers, social landlords) on “new needs” (Bajos et al., 2021). In France, between 2020 and 2022, three official reports question the notion of housing quality (Badia Le Mas, 2018, Idheal 2021), (Girometti & Leclercq, 2022). The recomposition of the housing field between public and private actors as well as the emergence of associations (Fijalkow, 2019) leads users to assert themselves as health-conscious clients. We are witnessing a transformation of the relationship between the use of private space and common space as well as the relationship to national policies, particularly in terms of energy saving (thermal renovations, search for sobriety) (Grant, 2020).
To analyze the relationship between health, well-being and housing quality, the SAPHIR program proposes to investigate the residential pathway of buildings, dwellings and households. If well-being in housing depends on the capacity of the inhabitants to use their dwelling to develop their social life, the inhabitants’ account of their dwelling seems to us to be an important factor. Individual interviews, surveys on housing tenure and focus groups are conducted in twelve types of social housing buildings and five private buildings. The first results from Paris Habitat’s social housing stock and from condominiums show the emergence of new requirements for “healthy” housing as well as new social inequalities in housing.
SAPHIR « Santé Paris Habitat Histoires Résidentielles » (housing, health, and residential narratives in Paris) : is a research-action program that proposes to analyze the well-being in the habitat based on the residential paths of its occupants and the building history. This research project is supported by the PHC Hubert Curien program of the French Ministry of Research in partnership with the State of Israel and implement by the Center for Housing Research in Paris.
THEMES ENHR
The struggle for the right to housing. The pressures of globalisation and affordability in cities today.
The situation of the real estate market in cities like Barcelona gives a very clear picture of the contradiction of the current process of globalisation. A perfect storm of various internal and external forces are putting pressure on cities and demonstrating the limited capacity of local governments to cope with the housing crisis. The right to housing is at stake.
One of the keys to this process is the financialization of the real estate market, which embeds housing in volatile financial cycles. The main question is : how can we end this feedback between the price of housing and finance ?
Moving from causes to consequences, an important issue is the current debate on rent-control policies. This discussion focuses on its effectiveness in controlling the rent bubble. Another key policy issue is the significant lack of affordable housing for low-income individuals that is affecting all global cities. In the face of this shortage, how can governments and the sector promote affordable housing ?
We must also call attention to tourism and gentrification, which are challenges for the urban landscape of our cities, as well as the design of sustainable and energy-efficient housing in response to the climate crisis.
The New Housing Researchers Colloquium (NHRC) – 30 August 2022 : Primarily aimed at researchers, who are working on their doctoral theses related to housing. In any case, this is a space that is open to other researchers who want to present their research in a space that offers them critical mentoring for their work.
European Network for Housing Research (ENHR) Annual Conference – 31 August to 2 September 2022 : Aimed at both young and experienced professionals working in housing research and specialist sectors to provide a space where they can meet, discuss approaches and results and compare policies of European countries.