Quality Sustainable Living

DOCUMENTS

Can Secured Housing Help Cities Mitigate Effects of the Crisis for their Citizens?  Read more
Design coding and the creative, market and regulatory tyrannies of practice  Read more
Synthesis of Baseline Studies of the URBACT projects focusing on 'Integrated and sustainable development"  Read more

Quality Sustainable Living



An overwhelming majority of the world’s population are concentrated in some form of urban settlement pattern, but the way people live in the city is obviously highly differentiated.

While homelessness, inhabiting slums or sub-standard properties, living below the poverty line or in illegality, third-generation unemployment, exclusion from educational opportunities, etc. are unacceptable features of the urban condition, these realities form a constant reminder of the tensions characterising interaction between management of the physical environment and the socio-economic circumstances of its citizens. It is increasingly recognised that involved, "healthy" communities form the primary building blocks of truly sustainable cities, but the struggle to accommodate the balanced, interdependent, inclusive and qualitative development pattern that this implies is far from being resolved.

Within this context housing provision has traditionally been seen as both problem and solution, and relationship between house and home is indeed a crucial factor in considerations of quality of life. However in its statement clarifying the "human right to adequate housing" (UN Universal declaration of human rights – 1948, European Social Charter revised version – 1999), the United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights suggests that "adequacy" is determined also by social, economic, cultural, climatic, ecological and other factors (The right to adequate housing (Art.II(I). CESCR General Comment No. 4 – 1991). Furthermore it includes an important background message in relation to this sub-theme namely that the right to adequate housing is not simply about legal security of tender but also about: availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure; affordability; habitability; accessibility; location; and cultural adequacy. So the terms of reference for this sub-theme can be firmly positioned to make the link between housing as essential human requirement and community building - thereby targeting the development of sustainable, qualitative housing areas/neighbourhoods within a balanced and integrated framework as set out for European cities in the Leipzig Charter.

The projects HOPUS and SUITE represent more the physical dimension in this dialogue, where HOPUS is concerned almost from the "Baukultuur" point of view to generate better housing environments based on the adoption of design coding, while SUITE addresses the problems of how to deliver adequate and appropriate supplies of qualitative social/affordable housing in our cities. The primary focus of Building Healthy Communities is on real community health issues, but in this juxtaposition an opening is created both to confront the role of housing in this respect but also to think about how communities themselves can be enabled to participate effectively in improving the conditions in which they live. Two new URBACT projects started in December 2009 further strengthen this angle of approach. Bring Up, initiated by the Urban Community of Dunkerque, concentrates attention on integrated urban and landscape interventions in neighbourhoods in difficulty (weak property markets). Together looks to examine the principle of "co-responsibility" by promoting structures of cooperation between public authorities, citizens and private stakeholders as a means of generating effective social cohesion. It is also anticipated that networks dealing with aspects of deprived neighbourhoods can make valuable contributions to this thematic subject just as the SUITE and Building Healthy Communities projects actively participated in the URBACT Annual Conference Workshop 2009 "Quality of Life in Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods".

 

1. Working on a common theme
2. URBACT ARTICLES – Quality Sustainable Living
3. URBACT REPORTS – Quality Sustainable Living
4. URBACT EVENTS – Quality Sustainable Living
5. Other EVENTS relevant for Cities concerned with Quality Sustainable Living
6. Useful LINKS for Cities working on Quality Sustainable Living
7. URBACT CASE STUDIES – Quality Sustainable Living

 

1. Working on a common theme


During meetings organised to bring these projects together in 2009 it became clear that a strong basis for joint working could be identified. Project representatives agreed that understanding the relationship between "quality of life" and "quality of place" formed a key area of common concern in the challenge to improve the living experience and general well-being of individuals, families and communities - especially those under pressure from the effects of long established and ongoing crisis and social exclusion. Each project can bring a particular insight into this discussion where first impressions might suggest a preoccupation with a very general topic.

However the realisation that the problems of communities at risk and neighbourhoods experiencing multiple difficulties, cannot simply be resolved by intervention in the physical regeneration of the urban fabric (buildings, infrastructure and landscape) is a potent counter argument. Physical condition of housing, the surroundings of the home, local accessibility and service provision remains of prime importance but successful integrated responses require to bring this together with other priority, flanking measures and impulses in order to provoke more sustainable solutions. Conversely therefore, the diversity of project focus can in fact narrow the scope of reflection by confronting different response patterns and so place a more complete package of measures at the disposal of cities, policy makers and practitioners:

  • ensuring provision patterns meet the real needs of local inhabitants (articulating quality of supply with sophisticated demand assessment)
  • building community well-being through evaluation and reaction to commonly recognised social, economic, environmental, cultural indicators
  • inciting improvement through processes of soft regulation and guidance (i.e. design coding)
  • encouraging active involvement of essential stakeholders, enablers and particularly local residents (end-users)
  • ...

 

2. URBACT ARTICLES – Quality Sustainable Living

The article addresses the need to acknowledge and intervene in respect of the critical mutual relationship between (un)employment (impact on income generation and capacity for personal responsibility) and continued access to housing. Europe has not been affected by the same levels of home repossession, eviction etc. which have characterised the US experience as a result of the global economic crisis. However existing imbalances between poverty, and expenditure required to ensure housing occupation and capability to remain in the local community have been made even more precarious as a result of reduced employment opportunities, limited income and restricted service provision.   

In view of an apparent revival in the adoption of design coding as a tool to raise quality levels in the urban fabric, particularly in housing areas and their surrounding environment, the paper focuses on the roles and relationships between different stakeholders in steering this process. It explores the comparison between pre-conceptions about coding and how it has/is being used in practice in an attempt to reassess the potential wider role  (across the EU) design coding could play as a real instrument to deliver better living environments for urban populations.    

 

3. URBACT REPORTS – Quality Sustainable Living

To coincide with the end conference (23rd April, 2010) and conclusion of project activity the HOPUS network has produced a final publication, a book entitled "Housing for Europe". The theme of the publication is focussed on improving design and sustainability in housing stock through public sector guidance and control, particularly the instrument of design coding.  It includes articles explaining the experiences shared between network partners during the lifecycle of the project – University of Rome, Delft University of Technology, Mediterranean University and City of Reggio Calabria, Gdansk University of Technology.

The book is a compendium of interesting papers on design coding as tool, on housing quality criteria, on various housing sub-themes and is further richly supported by a range of good practice examples drawn from across Europe.

This illustrated 227 page document provides valuable support for policy makers and practitioners involved in tackling the challenges of delivering "Good, Green, Safe, Affordable Housing"  both in the public and private spheres (housing policy makers, housing managers, architects, designers, planners and urban practitioners...).

This synthetic document, produced during the project's first Thematic Workshop in Lódz (Poland) in June 2009, outlines the process of defining mutually agreed, measurable indicators related to health and quality of life. Workshop participants focussed on three themes: economic development; cultural and social cohesion; and environmental regeneration in order to scope needs and priorities. This document provides a detailed but highly accessible review of the projects reference framework. It represents a particularly topical introduction for those seeking to integrate health issues into urban policy formulation and a model confirmation for decision makers already working with this subject matter. Furthermore, the report incorporates a very informative glossary definition of the indicators selected and in conclusion, a short overview of the orientations of project partners' Local Action Plans.

 

4. URBACT EVENTS – Quality Sustainable Living

  • Together Kick-Off Meeting
    28-29 January 2010, Mulhouse
  • Building Healthy Communities 2nd Thematic Workshop 
     "Healthy Sustainable Lifestyles"
    4-6 March 2010, Torino
  • SUITE Thematic Workshop
    "Developing Socially and Qualitative Housing with Restricted Public Budget"
    20-21 April 2010
  • HOPUS Final Conference
    22-23 April 2010, Roma


5. Other EVENTS relevant for Cities concerned with Quality Sustainable Living

  • The International Social Housing Summit
    13-14 October, 2010 -  The Hague
  • IMISCOE 7th Annual Conference
    New Migration in Industrial Cities and Regions of Europe
    13-14 September 2010 - Liege- Belgium
  • Everyday life in the Segmented City
    July 22, 2010 - July 24, 2010
  • European Network for Housing Research, Istanbul conference - "Urban Dynamics and Housing Change".
    3 - 7 July 2010
  • European Housing Forum 2010 Lecture Series:  Changing Lifestyles, Changing Climate – the role of housing
    Lecture 4 – Gentrification versus Working Class Neighbourhoods,  which urban  future for Europe
    29th June, 2010 – Brussels
  • Everyday Life in the Segmented City
    22-24 July, 2010 – Florence
  • Cities and their Growth: Sustainability and Fractality
    5-6 August, 2010 Centre for Spatial and Socio-Economic Analyses, University of Poznan
  • Effects of Demographic Change on Urban Structures
    13-14 September, 2010 - EUKN 2010 Conference, Budapest
  • Understanding  Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the new European context
    5th Annual Research Conference on Homelessness in the EU –FEANTSA
    17th September, 2010 - Budapest
  • Public Space and the Challenges of Urban Transformation in Europe: Politics and Culture
    10-11 November, 2010 –  Interdisciplinary Centre for Culture and Public Space, Vienna
  • European  Consensus Conference on Homelessness
    9-10 December, FEANTSA - Brussels

6. Useful LINKS for Cities working on Quality Sustainable Living

7. URBACT CASE STUDIES – Quality Sustainable Living
(content coming soon)