Activity

  • OPEN FORUM ON DIGNIFIED RENTAL HOUSING, WORLD SOCIAL FORUM, MEXICO, 2022
    Activity Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2022 - 16:30 UTC
    Duration: 120 min
    Brief Description:

    As a part of a pre-event towards World Social Forum, WPC and Labour Axis together with the International Alliance of Inhabitants and Habitat International Coalition coordinated and organised a webinar on Increasing affordability, access, diversity and security of rental housing at Asia Pacific Social Forum (APSF) on 19th February 2022, which was very well received. Perspectives on rental housing from Indonesia, Vienna, India were shared. The deliberations after the presentations clearly indicated that rental as an alternative has significant potential and there is a need to build more synergy round the subject of Rental housing and there is a need to be better prepared. Rental housing is a trend across countries and therefore finding the right balance between public, private and people is critical for strengthen housing as a right, the security of tenure and sustainability for the whole, maximising the benefits for the urban poor. Therefore, we propose to take the above conversation forward by organising another meeting on the same ideas at the World Social Forum in Mexico City, Mexico.

    Rental housing is one of the many alternatives that help create decent housing for the urban poor will be deliberated in housing event at the World Social Forum (WSF) in Mexico. Several governments across the globe, at some point in history, have implemented policy on rental housing as a strategy for the provision of housing for its people. These policies have been successful where the public sector has been able to implement effective policies: on the one hand, a rental service with quantity and quality that is competitive with the market, and on the other, regulation and calming of the private sector. On the contrary, privatization and deregulation of the sector are among the main causes of the structural housing crisis, in particular of insecurity of tenancies, evictions and unsustainable housing costs.
    While rental is one of the alternatives, it is essential that we anchor all the deliberations on the human rights and broader sustainable cities agenda. Therefore, this event will look at housing through the lens of Right to the city framework and form a broader coalition that bring forth various alternatives to housing besides rental.
    The session is proposed in two parts
    1. A panel that reflects on the aspects of rental housing as an alternative. Here are some indicative questions (subject to who is there in Mexico)
    ● Can rental housing be one of the Alternatives solutions to housing
    ● How should Rental housing be developed and regulated
    ● What should be the role of public sector (government) in the provision/ creation / managing of rental housing
    ● What should be the role of private sector, public sector (state), civil society and citizens within the rental market
    2. To have a round table of all the various organizations that are working on housing and build a consensus and explore on a way forward/ strategize with an imagination of sustainable housing and cities and with the right to the city framework; build the Network and campaign on Decent/ Adequate Housing.
    This network will comprise of all social organisations, inhabitants, trade unions academicians, professionals and others from Asia to work towards building solutions for Asian challenges that pertain to Decent Housing. The Asia Decent Housing Network and campaign that will be launched in this forum will seek to explore, demand and attempt to build alternatives in the area of comprehensive housing so that the goal of access to decent housing for all can be a reality, not a faraway dream.
    In all, this open forum on housing looks at potential needs and their solutions at policy as well as grassroots level. This will help in developing new interventions and policies create a good quality of life for the people where we create a sustainable, resilient, and just society. We look forward to your participation and support for this event to be a success.

    Language(s) of the Activity: English
    How to get in touch and participate in activity?:

    anjumanikoth09@gmail.com

    Thematic space(s) of the activity: 1. Economic Alternatives of Peoples and Socioeconomic Justice
    Modality: Presence-based Activity (100% presential)