Viola Grille, August 15, 2024
Photo: Just Housing Europe/genAI
Fewer and fewer people can find affordable housing. Policymakers are pushing for the construction of apartments, but the construction industry is frustrated by excessive regulation and rising costs. Researchers in an interdisciplinary network are working to find solutions for a fair housing system. The project was initiated by Dr. Marco Meyer from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Hamburg.
What does the current system tell us about inequality and social justice?
Generally, those who can pay more are able to afford better housing. At the same time, the German housing market is one of the most highly regulated and politically controlled in the world. Rent control and protection laws, the construction of social housing, and homeowner assistance programs aim to improve the quality and affordability of housing for certain less affluent groups.
However, too many rules and regulations can be counterproductive, slowing down home construction and creating housing shortages and homelessness. It's similar to the musical Game of Chairs, where chairs represent houses. To succeed, you need to act fast and have a lot of luck. The number of chairs available determines how many participants are at a disadvantage.
Plus, there are vacancies that are out of reach to begin with, i.e. empty apartments that aren't being used.
So there you have it. Cities are trying to impose bans to address the vacant home problem, but these are very difficult to enforce. Unused land and low-density residential areas are even bigger problems. Taxes might help increase pressure for further development. Overall, reshaping the housing market requires a better understanding of the interrelated dynamics. This requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Is this where your project comes in?
Yes, our project aims to bring together researchers from different disciplines who are working on housing justice from different perspectives. It is surprising how little cross-disciplinary interaction there is on this and other topics. We hope that the project will generate innovative and feasible ideas on housing justice.
How can interdisciplinary questions help reduce homelessness?
Homelessness is a complex issue that requires expertise from several disciplines. A philosophical approach includes important questions such as: What does “homeless” actually mean? Are people only homeless if they sleep under a bridge? Or do they become homeless when they have no safe place to go? These questions are intertwined with doubts about our ambitions to combat homelessness.
Is it enough to provide every homeless person with a place to sleep in a shelter? Shouldn't we aim higher? Not only that. Overcoming homelessness requires a multidisciplinary approach. Here are some examples: Urban planners can help by providing affordable housing and planning integrated neighborhoods. Economists analyze the economic roots of homelessness and develop income security strategies. Sociologists investigate social causes.
What experiences and models from other countries can Germany draw upon?
Since conducting large-scale housing experiments is not an option, observations from other countries may inform what might work here. Solutions are unlikely to be directly transferable, but they can provide ideas and suggestions.
Vienna, Austria, is a successful example of social housing development. Denmark imposes a land value tax, which taxes the basic value of the land. In contrast to the German property tax, the land value tax taxes the basic value of the land, which is the total value of the property, excluding buildings and their modernization, minus the value of improvements. This is to increase land use efficiency and prevent land speculation. Scotland and the Scandinavian countries implemented a housing-first approach. First, they provided homeless people with their own apartments. This shows that having a roof over their heads can solve problems such as unemployment and drug addiction more quickly.
Dr. Marco Meyer Photo: Personal
You study economics and philosophy with a particular focus on ethics. What ethical considerations are essential for housing projects?
The ethical challenge is to weigh the various considerations involved in planning and implementing a housing project: The apartments must be affordable. But they must also meet high safety standards and environmental goals, among others. We have a long wish list. From an ethical point of view, it will be exciting to see what happens if all the goals are not fully achieved.
How can a philosophical approach improve our understanding of the social and ethical dimensions of housing?
When affordable housing is scarce, the various stakeholders in the housing market quickly retreat into their own interests. A philosophical approach allows us to see behind the rhetoric of distributional struggles and ask how to fairly distribute the benefits and burdens in the housing market. Philosopher John Rawls expressed this approach with the metaphor of the “veil of ignorance.” Thus, the only “just” solutions are those that we agree to when we are unaware of our roles as tenants, landlords, rental cooperatives, property managers, existing tenants, and apartment hunters in the housing market.
Do you plan to collaborate with practitioners and policymakers?
Our main objective is to establish a network of researchers. In this practice-oriented field, research results often have immediate reference for policymakers. For example, participating researchers have looked at how Airbnb affects rents in densely populated areas. Based on these research findings, local governments are working to regulate short-term rentals. Some of our researchers are directly involved in politics, such as parliamentary secretaries and activists.
