From Plans to Policies


Book Description

Danielle Gluns examines how urban housing governance reacts to the onset of urban growth in an internationally comparative perspective. The study is based on in‐depth case studies of Washington, D.C., which is an example of primarily market‐based interactions, and Vienna, which has traditionally pursued an active steering role of the local state. The author assesses the goals of urban development formulated by local actors and analyzes their translation into housing policies within the respective governance structures. She demonstrates that path dependence is an important feature of urban housing governance, with relationships, ideologies, and physical urban structures leading to stability. Even so, change is possible, as both systems integrate new policy elements. At the same time, both structures perpetuate inequality in the urban housing system by excluding some of the most disadvantaged groups from decision‐making.




Private Rental Housing


Book Description

A new focus on private renting has been brought into sharp relief by the global financial crisis, with its profound impact on mortgage finance, housing markets and government budgets. Written by specially commissioned international experts and s




Nordic Economic Policy Review 2021: Nordic Housing Markets and Policies


Book Description

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2021-022/ This issue of Nordic Economic Policy Review is devoted to Nordic housing markets and housing policies. Nordic housing markets face more or less the same problems and challenges, but the way policies and regulations deal with them differs in many respects. A comparison of policies, regulations and results across countries yields valuable lessons for policymakers. The work has been led and edited by Professor emeritus Harry Flam and Professor emeritus Peter Englund.




International Housing Market Experience and Implications for China


Book Description

Recent rapid housing market expansion in China is presenting new challenges for policy makers, planners, business people, and citizens. Now that housing in middle-income China is driven by consumer choices and is no longer dominated by state policy decisions, housing policy issues in Chinese cities are becoming increasingly similar to those encountered in other global housing markets. With soaring prices and imbalances in housing supply favoring high income groups and housing demand driven by rising inequality in household incomes, many middle and lower-income households face worsening choices in terms of the quality and location of their housing as well as greater financial difficulties, which together can have negative implications for standards of public health. This book examines the impact of these changes on the general population, as well as on aspiring homeowners and developers. The contributors look at the effect on the widening of wealth gaps, slower economic growth, and threats to political and social stability. Though focusing on China, the editors also present discussions of specific policy design challenges encountered in Australia, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK, and the US. This book would be of interest to housing policy makers, as well as academics who are studying the social and political effects of the Chinese housing market.




The segregated city: A Nordic overview


Book Description

Issues related to segregation and integration are major responsibilities and challenges for cities, and a segregated urban environment can be understood as a symptom of wider social injustices. In this brief overview of current research on residential segregation the focus is on structural reasons to segregation. This means that it is planning policies and tendencies in socio-economic development that are discussed, rather than specific social integration measures and projects. But, there is an obvious arena where these two approaches to segregation meet, and that is in the local community and its spaces for social interaction. This is important to keep in mind, that the integrated city is both a result of strategies and initiatives on a micro scale, in the neighbourhood and between individuals, and initiatives and development on a macro scale. This report is part of a theme on segregation within the Nordic collaboration programme for effective integration and inclusion of refugees and immigrants in the Nordic countries. Read more at www.integrationnorden.org




Handbook on Home and Migration


Book Description

This dynamic Handbook unpacks the entanglements between the two notions of home and migration, which illuminate the lived experiences of (in)voluntary mobilities and the contested terrain of inclusion and belonging. Drawing on cross-disciplinary contributions from leading international scholars, it advances research on the social study of home in relation to migration, refugee, displacement, and diaspora studies. This title contains one or more Open Access chapters.




Social Housing in Europe


Book Description

All countries aim to improve housing conditions for their citizens but many have been forced by the financial crisis to reduce government expenditure. Social housing is at the crux of this tension. Policy-makers, practitioners and academics want to know how other systems work and are looking for something written in clear English, where there is a depth of understanding of the literature in other languages and direct contributions from country experts across the continent. Social Housing in Europe combines a comparative overview of European social housing written by scholars with in-depth chapters written by international housing experts. The countries covered include Austria, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, The Netherlands and Sweden, with a further chapter devoted to CEE countries other than Hungary. The book provides an up-to-date international comparison of social housing policy and practice. It offers an analysis of how the social housing system currently works in each country, supported by relevant statistics. It identifies European trends in the sector, and opportunities for innovation and improvement. These country-specific chapters are accompanied by topical thematic chapters dealing with subjects such as the role of social housing in urban regeneration, the privatisation of social housing, financing models, and the impact of European Union state aid regulations on the definitions and financing of social housing.




Immigration Policy and the Scandinavian Welfare State 1945-2010


Book Description

This book explores the historical development of post-war immigration politics in Norway, Sweden and Denmark from the perspective of the welfare state, examining how welfare states with high ambitions, generous and inclusive welfare schemes and a strong sense of egalitarianism cope with the pressures of immigration and growing diversities.




The Integration and Protection of Immigrants


Book Description

In Scandinavian countries immigration is a sensitive issue and legislators’ approach to the questions it has raised has varied over the years. Whatever immigrant and integration policies are adopted in a democratic society, it is clear that the legislation and the authorities have to ensure that the individual rights of the immigrants residing in its territory are respected. With Canada as a point of reference, this book draws attention to weaknesses in the regulation and implementation of integration provisions threatening the immigrants’ individual rights in the EU member states of Denmark, Finland and Sweden. The study challenges readers to critically review the meaning of rights and the notion of global caring. It takes a critical look at how vulnerable immigrants fare in a largely immigrant nation with a welfare capitalism legacy, when compared to three European nations which claim to embrace institutional welfare models. This book will be of great interest to scholars and decision-makers interested in Scandinavian or Canadian immigration and integration policies.




Nordic Experiences of Sustainable Planning


Book Description

For well over a decade, there has been a drive towards sustainability in planning throughout the Nordic countries. But are these countries experiencing a paradigm shift in planning research and practice with regards to sustainability? Or is the sustainability discourse leading them into an impasse in planning? This book includes overviews of the planning systems in the five Nordic countries, drawing attention to their increasing focus on sustainability. A leading team of scholars from the fields of planning, urban design, architecture, landscape, economics, real estate and tourism explore how the notion of sustainability has shaped planning research in the Nordic countries. Case studies from Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark shed light on what lessons can be learned and some possible future developments. By focusing on the actual settings and practices of local and regional planning activities, it enables a discussion on the current state of planning for a more sustainable future. This book will be valuable reading for students and academics interested in planning policy, environmental policy, architecture and urban design work.