The thesis studies the housing question in three Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Greec... more The thesis studies the housing question in three Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Greece) as it is articulated through the discourses and actions of housing movements which have been active in the metropolis of these countries during the period 2000-2010. The claims, public discourses and repertoires of actions of housing movements are examined in relation to the housing system and especially the housing policies of each country. The research design is primarily based on two disciplinary/theoretical fields: social and urban movement studies and housing studies. The right to housing, a crucial notion for this thesis, is explored in a two-fold way: (a) as a terrain of state intervention (housing studies approach) and (b) as a contested and contentious terrain among institutions and social movements (social movements’ approach). Drawing from this theoretical and methodological background, the thesis develops a common analytical framework for the three case studies, which are ...
Το παρόν κείμενο πολιτικής εστιάζει στην επισφάλεια στον ενοικιαζόμενο στεγαστικό τομέα στην Ελλά... more Το παρόν κείμενο πολιτικής εστιάζει στην επισφάλεια στον ενοικιαζόμενο στεγαστικό τομέα στην Ελλάδα, επισφάλεια που εντείνεται από επιχειρηματικές δραστηριότητες στο οικιστικό απόθεμα και την απουσία κοινωνικής στεγαστικής πολιτικής. Καταγράφει τα κύρια προβλήματα που έχουν προκύψει στην ενοικιαζόμενη στέγη και τις βασικές αιτίες στις οποίες αποδίδεται η έλλειψη οικονομικά προσιτής και ποιοτικής κατοικίας προς ενοικίαση. Αναπτύσσει αρχικά μία σύντομη ιστορική επισκόπηση της εξέλιξης του ενοικιαζόμενου τομέα στην Ελλάδα και των δημόσιων πολιτικών ρύθμισής του. Αναφέρεται σε πτυχές του δημόσιου διαλόγου που πρόσφατα άνοιξε στην Ελλάδα για το ζήτημα των ενοικίων. Παρουσιάζει τη σχετική συζήτηση στην Ευρώπη και αναφέρεται σε καλές πρακτικές και πρόσφατες προσπάθειες αντιμετώπισης της μειωμένης προσφοράς και της αύξησης του κόστους της ενοικιαζόμενης κατοικίας. Τέλος, διατυπώνει προτάσεις και αιτήματα πολιτικής για την αντιμετώπιση της στεγαστικής επισφάλειας, αναδεικνύοντας ευκαιρίες άμεσης παρέμβασης στο τομέα των ενοικίων αλλά και την αναγκαιότητα μακροπρόθεσμων μέτρων και σχεδίου πολιτικής για τη στέγαση, συζητώντας τα πλεονεκτήματα και μειονεκτήματα των διαφορετικών επιλογών παρέμβασης. Το κείμενο πολιτικής επιδιώκει να αναδείξει βασικές αιχμές του ζητήματος στο ελληνικό πλαίσιο και να αποτελέσει πηγή γνώσης και πλαισίωσης αιτημάτων για το δικαίωμα στην κατοικία και τη διεκδίκηση πολιτικών για τον ενοικιαζόμενο τομέα.
Especially since 2008, housing has emerged once again as a key terrain of contradiction and confl... more Especially since 2008, housing has emerged once again as a key terrain of contradiction and conflict. The field is very much related to the roots of the global financial crisis (especially due to the scale of housing finance); however, it is also one of its most dramatic consequences and of particular strategic importance to the processes of capital recovery (Harvey, 2012). The abrupt destabilization of previous welfare and societal arrangements that provide housing for the vast majority creates a momentum of deeper understanding and questioning of the contradictions expressed through housing – between commodity and human right, and between exchange and use value (Harvey, 2014). In such a moment, previous perceptions and certainties are reviewed. Discussions about alternative ways of providing affordable and decent housing are generated as demands for public intervention and alternative solutions become more widespread (Marcuse, 2009; Hodkinson, 2012).
The way housing affordability evolved since WW2 in Greece-and in its capital city in particular-i... more The way housing affordability evolved since WW2 in Greece-and in its capital city in particular-is an example of how the South European welfare system managed, for several decades, to provide socially inclusive housing solutions without developing the services of a sizeable welfare state until global forces and related policies brought it to an end. The increased role of the market in housing provision since the 1980s, the rapid growth of mortgage lending in the 1990s, the neoliberal policy recipes imposed during the crisis of the 2010s and the unleashed demand for housing in the aftermath of the crisis have led to increased housing inequalities and converged the outcome of this South European path with the outcome of undoing socially inclusive housing solutions provided by the welfare state in other contexts. The article follows long-standing and recent developments concerning the housing model in Greece and especially in the city of Athens, focusing on mechanisms that have allowed access to affordable housing for broad parts of the population during different historical periods, and examines the extent to which the current housing model remains inclusive or not. The aim here is to discuss the most important challenges concerning access to decent housing and highlight the need for inclusive housing policies to be introduced into the current social and political agenda.
The percentage of vacant houses in Southern Europe is relatively high due to several reasons. In ... more The percentage of vacant houses in Southern Europe is relatively high due to several reasons. In the metropolitan region of Athens their number increased during the 2000s and their distribution pattern has changed significantly. Their highest increase was observed in central densely built and socially vulnerable neighborhoods. The paper takes into account the spatial distribution of vacant housing in Athens and outlines a project that uses them as the main resource to address housing needs for an increasing number of groups who cannot afford market rents, including the considerable number of refugees living in Athens. This project seeks sustainability within conditions of recession and lack of social rented housing tradition, by aiming at combining welfare and local development targets abd by seeking mutually beneficial arrangements for the social actors involved (tenants and petty landlords) and a planned division of labor among institutions (local authorities, international funders and NGOs)
The thesis studies the housing question in three Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Greec... more The thesis studies the housing question in three Southern European countries (Italy, Spain, Greece) as it is articulated through the discourses and actions of housing movements which have been active in the metropolis of these countries during the period 2000-2010. The claims, public discourses and repertoires of actions of housing movements are examined in relation to the housing system and especially the housing policies of each country. The research design is primarily based on two disciplinary/theoretical fields: social and urban movement studies and housing studies. The right to housing, a crucial notion for this thesis, is explored in a two-fold way: (a) as a terrain of state intervention (housing studies approach) and (b) as a contested and contentious terrain among institutions and social movements (social movements’ approach). Drawing from this theoretical and methodological background, the thesis develops a common analytical framework for the three case studies, which are ...
Το παρόν κείμενο πολιτικής εστιάζει στην επισφάλεια στον ενοικιαζόμενο στεγαστικό τομέα στην Ελλά... more Το παρόν κείμενο πολιτικής εστιάζει στην επισφάλεια στον ενοικιαζόμενο στεγαστικό τομέα στην Ελλάδα, επισφάλεια που εντείνεται από επιχειρηματικές δραστηριότητες στο οικιστικό απόθεμα και την απουσία κοινωνικής στεγαστικής πολιτικής. Καταγράφει τα κύρια προβλήματα που έχουν προκύψει στην ενοικιαζόμενη στέγη και τις βασικές αιτίες στις οποίες αποδίδεται η έλλειψη οικονομικά προσιτής και ποιοτικής κατοικίας προς ενοικίαση. Αναπτύσσει αρχικά μία σύντομη ιστορική επισκόπηση της εξέλιξης του ενοικιαζόμενου τομέα στην Ελλάδα και των δημόσιων πολιτικών ρύθμισής του. Αναφέρεται σε πτυχές του δημόσιου διαλόγου που πρόσφατα άνοιξε στην Ελλάδα για το ζήτημα των ενοικίων. Παρουσιάζει τη σχετική συζήτηση στην Ευρώπη και αναφέρεται σε καλές πρακτικές και πρόσφατες προσπάθειες αντιμετώπισης της μειωμένης προσφοράς και της αύξησης του κόστους της ενοικιαζόμενης κατοικίας. Τέλος, διατυπώνει προτάσεις και αιτήματα πολιτικής για την αντιμετώπιση της στεγαστικής επισφάλειας, αναδεικνύοντας ευκαιρίες άμεσης παρέμβασης στο τομέα των ενοικίων αλλά και την αναγκαιότητα μακροπρόθεσμων μέτρων και σχεδίου πολιτικής για τη στέγαση, συζητώντας τα πλεονεκτήματα και μειονεκτήματα των διαφορετικών επιλογών παρέμβασης. Το κείμενο πολιτικής επιδιώκει να αναδείξει βασικές αιχμές του ζητήματος στο ελληνικό πλαίσιο και να αποτελέσει πηγή γνώσης και πλαισίωσης αιτημάτων για το δικαίωμα στην κατοικία και τη διεκδίκηση πολιτικών για τον ενοικιαζόμενο τομέα.
Especially since 2008, housing has emerged once again as a key terrain of contradiction and confl... more Especially since 2008, housing has emerged once again as a key terrain of contradiction and conflict. The field is very much related to the roots of the global financial crisis (especially due to the scale of housing finance); however, it is also one of its most dramatic consequences and of particular strategic importance to the processes of capital recovery (Harvey, 2012). The abrupt destabilization of previous welfare and societal arrangements that provide housing for the vast majority creates a momentum of deeper understanding and questioning of the contradictions expressed through housing – between commodity and human right, and between exchange and use value (Harvey, 2014). In such a moment, previous perceptions and certainties are reviewed. Discussions about alternative ways of providing affordable and decent housing are generated as demands for public intervention and alternative solutions become more widespread (Marcuse, 2009; Hodkinson, 2012).
The way housing affordability evolved since WW2 in Greece-and in its capital city in particular-i... more The way housing affordability evolved since WW2 in Greece-and in its capital city in particular-is an example of how the South European welfare system managed, for several decades, to provide socially inclusive housing solutions without developing the services of a sizeable welfare state until global forces and related policies brought it to an end. The increased role of the market in housing provision since the 1980s, the rapid growth of mortgage lending in the 1990s, the neoliberal policy recipes imposed during the crisis of the 2010s and the unleashed demand for housing in the aftermath of the crisis have led to increased housing inequalities and converged the outcome of this South European path with the outcome of undoing socially inclusive housing solutions provided by the welfare state in other contexts. The article follows long-standing and recent developments concerning the housing model in Greece and especially in the city of Athens, focusing on mechanisms that have allowed access to affordable housing for broad parts of the population during different historical periods, and examines the extent to which the current housing model remains inclusive or not. The aim here is to discuss the most important challenges concerning access to decent housing and highlight the need for inclusive housing policies to be introduced into the current social and political agenda.
The percentage of vacant houses in Southern Europe is relatively high due to several reasons. In ... more The percentage of vacant houses in Southern Europe is relatively high due to several reasons. In the metropolitan region of Athens their number increased during the 2000s and their distribution pattern has changed significantly. Their highest increase was observed in central densely built and socially vulnerable neighborhoods. The paper takes into account the spatial distribution of vacant housing in Athens and outlines a project that uses them as the main resource to address housing needs for an increasing number of groups who cannot afford market rents, including the considerable number of refugees living in Athens. This project seeks sustainability within conditions of recession and lack of social rented housing tradition, by aiming at combining welfare and local development targets abd by seeking mutually beneficial arrangements for the social actors involved (tenants and petty landlords) and a planned division of labor among institutions (local authorities, international funders and NGOs)
This ossue of Quaderni focuses on anti-gentrification practices and challenges which have been on... more This ossue of Quaderni focuses on anti-gentrification practices and challenges which have been on the rise in public debates in many cities of the European South in recent years. It presents a variety of practices carried out in several European cities and presented by activists and/or by academics who met and engaged in a collective dialogue on the topic In the first part of the Quaderni, activists highlight their experience of involvement in practices against evictions, austerity, commodification of urban space for touristic uses and speculation in various cities. In particular, they were asked to share their experience, repertoire of practices and proposals for action. In the second part of the issue, scholars stress the theoretical epistemological challenges, spotlight the ambiguities, contradictions and conflicts that this subject presents. In some cases, the researchers locate themselves halfway between academia and activism, critically engaging in conversation with activists, or directly involved in housing protest and/or alternative housing policy design. The result is a polysemy of voices, a collective effort, that enrich our understanding of what it means to resist gentrification.
Since the mid 2010’s there has been a significant rise in rental costs across Greece. This fact, ... more Since the mid 2010’s there has been a significant rise in rental costs across Greece. This fact, combined with the continuous increase in the overall housing costs, the stagnant low incomes and the high levels of unemployment, as well as the degradation of the already inadequate social housing policies, render this issue vitally important for a large part of the country’s population. The present policy paper focuses on the high levels of housing insecurity in the rental sector in Greece. Drawing inspiration from the multiple efforts to address the housing crisis in cities and countries across Europe, it suggests specific interventions and political demands. While some are more immediately implementable and others more long-term, they are complementary, forming a comprehensive grid of actions that aims at the gradual development of an integrated institutional framework, mechanisms and policy tools that would ensure an affordable and secure rental housing in Greece. Our objective is for this policy paper to serve as a source of knowledge and to provide context for demands concerning the right to housing and the assertion of policies for the rental housing sector, thus aiming to activate political will and mobilise civil society. https://eteron.org/en/research/eteron-research-sky-high-rents-focusing-on-renters/policy-paper-housing/
The web page housing360.eteron.org covers nine topics, which although they’re distinct chapters, ... more The web page housing360.eteron.org covers nine topics, which although they’re distinct chapters, overall they form a cohesive and comprehensive text. Those topics are: rents, short term rentals, speculation and financialisation, vacant houses, youth housing, home ownership, energy poverty, vulnerable groups and urban space.
In each one, we strive to provide answers to certain essential questions:
What’s the actual issue? What’s the available data on said issue? Why is this happening?What could we do about it?
Combined with the “Policy Paper: For the right to affordable rental housing”, the aim is to enrich the relevant public debate that would explore the necessary and appropriate responses to the current housing crisis, which would, in turn, lay the foundations for securing the right to housing for all.
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Papers by Dimitra Siatitsa
The paper takes into account the spatial distribution of vacant housing in Athens and outlines a project that uses them as the main resource to address housing needs for an increasing number of groups who cannot afford market rents, including the considerable number of refugees living in Athens. This project seeks sustainability within conditions of recession and lack of social rented housing tradition, by aiming at combining welfare and local development targets abd by seeking mutually beneficial arrangements for the social actors involved (tenants and petty landlords) and a planned division of labor among institutions (local authorities, international funders and NGOs)
The paper takes into account the spatial distribution of vacant housing in Athens and outlines a project that uses them as the main resource to address housing needs for an increasing number of groups who cannot afford market rents, including the considerable number of refugees living in Athens. This project seeks sustainability within conditions of recession and lack of social rented housing tradition, by aiming at combining welfare and local development targets abd by seeking mutually beneficial arrangements for the social actors involved (tenants and petty landlords) and a planned division of labor among institutions (local authorities, international funders and NGOs)
share their experience, repertoire of practices and proposals for action. In
the second part of the issue, scholars stress the theoretical epistemological challenges, spotlight the ambiguities, contradictions and conflicts that this subject presents. In some cases, the researchers locate themselves halfway between academia and activism, critically engaging in conversation with activists, or directly involved in housing protest and/or alternative housing policy design. The result is a polysemy of voices, a collective effort, that enrich our understanding of what it means to resist gentrification.
The present policy paper focuses on the high levels of housing insecurity in the rental sector in Greece. Drawing inspiration from the multiple efforts to address the housing crisis in cities and countries across Europe, it suggests specific interventions and political demands. While some are more immediately implementable and others more long-term, they are complementary, forming a comprehensive grid of actions that aims at the gradual development of an integrated institutional framework, mechanisms and policy tools that would ensure an affordable and secure rental housing in Greece.
Our objective is for this policy paper to serve as a source of knowledge and to provide context for demands concerning the right to housing and the assertion of policies for the rental housing sector, thus aiming to activate political will and mobilise civil society.
https://eteron.org/en/research/eteron-research-sky-high-rents-focusing-on-renters/policy-paper-housing/
In each one, we strive to provide answers to certain essential questions:
What’s the actual issue? What’s the available data on said issue? Why is this happening?What could we do about it?
Combined with the “Policy Paper: For the right to affordable rental housing”, the aim is to enrich the relevant public debate that would explore the necessary and appropriate responses to the current housing crisis, which would, in turn, lay the foundations for securing the right to housing for all.