Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.52.3.1
Housing Accessibility Versus Housing Affordability: Searching for an Alternative Approach to Housing Provision
Richard Sendi
orcid.org/0000-0003-0463-0985
; Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
In this paper, it is argued that after decades of a strong dominance of the notion
of housing affordability in the housing provision discourse, there is a need to shift
the emphasis from housing affordability to housing accessibility. Based on a literature
analysis of how the concept of housing affordability has been debated and promoted
as an appropriate policy instrument our main argument is that affordability does not
necessarily guarantee accessibility for all. Starting with a review of the recent housing
policy changes across Europe, the central part of the paper focuses on the discussion
about the characteristics and inappropriateness of the concept of affordability and the
introduction of the concept of housing accessibility. In the last part of the paper, we
build on the notions of ‘merit good’ and ‘right to housing’ as the theoretical bases for
proposing the introduction of a universal housing care system, along the principles of
the universal health care system practiced in many developed countries
Keywords
housing accessibility; housing affordability; right to housing; merit good; universal housing care; welfare state; housing policy
Hrčak ID:
128778
URI
Publication date:
20.10.2014.
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