The formula for this year's Housing Forum was closely related to the challenges posed by the coronavirus. The event was held remotely with the theme "The need to increase housing availability in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic," and was hosted by Habitat for Humanity.
#stayathome
When the pandemic broke out, "stay at home" hashtags in many local variations reigned supreme on the internet. According to Magdalena Ruszkowska-Cieślak (Habitat for Humanity Poland Foundation), staying isolated was supposed to be a recipe for health security. Unfortunately, the other side of the coin was households unsuited to the sudden expansion of functions to include school and office. Apartments and houses - too small, overcrowded, of poor quality and standard. The pandemic brought further difficult life situations and choices, and complicated the previously uneasy housing situation.
Housing problems of Polish women and men
Commissioned by the Habitat for Humanity Poland Foundation, an opinion poll was conducted in April this year, the result of which is presented in the report "Housing problems of Polish women and men and evaluation of existing solutions." Why is it worth talking about? If only because housing issues, right after too low wages and the lack of a well-functioning health service, are, according to Poles, the most important problem to be solved (1/3 of respondents). Who should be helped to access housing first? Respondents point to people in a particularly difficult life situation, young people who are becoming independent, victims of accidents and disasters, and poor people with very low incomes. Financial support from public authorities should include the construction and renovation of public and social housing for the poor and disadvantaged.
© Habitat for Humanity Poland
Respondents were also interested in building rental housing for all citizens with and without buyouts, but with moderate rents. As the results of the survey show, Poles are interested in renting an apartment instead of buying on their own when the rental price is significantly lower than the loan installment or when the state offers rental subsidies. Realistic solutions to the problem are necessary to achieve housing stability and, at the same time, freedom to make life decisions, for example, related to expanding the family or changing jobs. This makes the development of individuals and communities possible.
green infrastructure
Can the pandemic be an opportunity to reevaluate and rethink the housing situation? According to Krystyna Wąchała-Malik of PFR Real Estate, in the context of the coronavirus, first and foremost our perception of the places where we live has changed. A house is no longer just a bedroom, but must fulfill a number of other functions, so that everything is in place. Both in terms of quality and adequate square footage, but also in terms of infrastructure. An example is the Nowy Nikiszowiec residential development quarter in Katowice, which is currently under construction by PFR Nieruchomości. The development is designed to be open, barrier-free, with community gardens in green courtyards, with wide avenues, and half a thousand affordable apartments for rent.
New Nikiszowiec residential development complex, proj.: 22ARCHITEKCI
photo: Piotr Krajewski
Konrad Plochocki of the Polish Association of Real Estate Developers spoke about changes in the development market. Many apartment buyers have changed their attitude to outdoor areas, which they now look upon with a very favorable eye. And as the PZFD's research shows, among the many green solutions, their customers are choosing simplicity, or simply greenery. Polish developers are also beginning to recognize that it is not only the needs of their future customers that are important, but also the existing neighbors of newly built developments.
forecasts for the future
What will the future look like? Joanna Erbel, an urban activist and housing expert, presented the results of a study conducted by Arup. The scenarios are four. Positive: Post Anthropocene assuming balance - a harmonious relationship between social and environmental life, and Greentocracy - in which environmental issues are worked out through various compromises. Negative: Humans Inc. - the current trajectory that builds the wealth of (some) societies at the expense of the planet, and the Extinction Express- increased degradation of the planet. What initiatives can push the world in a better direction? Among others, the introduction of the European Green Deal or actions along the lines of the Eco Avengers guide. The first signs of a desire for change can also be seen in the business world. Larry Fink, who manages BlackRock, notes in a letter to company managers this year that the logic of capital must change, because climate risks are business risks. In the temporary rental market, a sustainable alternative is Fairbnb, which operates more ethically than its well-known predecessor, and proposes to donate a portion of its rental profits to the city for social projects.
Social Rental Agencies
One answer to housing problems may be Social Rental Agencies (SANs), which broker rental apartments. A property owned by a private landlord can be rented out - at a below-market rate, but for a long-term period - to vulnerable people. SAN seems to be a solution for beneficiaries who find themselves in the so-called "rent gap," when their income is too high to apply for municipal or social housing, and too low to rent on the commercial market. Such solutions are already in operation in Warsaw (Habitat for Humanity) and Poznań (Municipal Tenancy Offices).
housing cooperatives
Another solution could be housing cooperatives. Such grassroots initiatives implemented by groups with similar values are emerging in Berlin, Vienna or Barcelona. In Poland, paths have been blazed in Wroclaw's Nowe Żerniki and the suburban town of Konstancin.
New Żerniki in Wroclaw, a fragment of the development
Photo: Maciek Przemyk
According to Adam Grehl, former deputy mayor of Wroclaw, and Piotr Górka of the Association of Polish Cities, housing cooperatives can be a city-creating solution and influence not only the improvement of urban aesthetics, but also build atmosphere and community in the city.
Housing issues are summed up very accurately by Agata Twardoch of the Silesian University of Technology: what is needed is a system consisting of diverse solutions addressed to different stakeholders. There is strength in diversity!
