Ludovic Halbert is co-organizing, in collaboration with the Local Finance Network, a workshop on "affordable" housing policies under budgetary constraints.
Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (video conference)
The affordable housing sector, which explicitly aims to offer rents below those of the "free" market (social housing, intermediate housing, etc.), is at the crossroads of urban, social, and environmental issues. The goal is to ensure the development of a large stock of accessible housing while contributing to environmental transition. However, various financial constraints are overlapping to hinder the construction and renovation of housing. The cost of land and construction is rising, while the shrinking resources of occupants and housing applicants are forcing rents down. Against a backdrop of public sector consolidation, there are also budgetary constraints. These are leading to profound changes in the public financing system, which is relying less and less on direct state aid and more on the financial capacity of the organizations that produce and manage housing. Local authorities, which play a central role in housing production (through subsidies, the provision of land, loan guarantees, etc.), are also facing cuts in their funding and local tax reforms as part of policies to restore public finances.The workshop aims to review the ways in which these various financial constraints are being implemented, describe the changes they are bringing about in the sector and in public policy, and, above all, explore different scenarios for resolving the tensions between budgetary constraints and the continuing demands for the development and greening of affordable housing stock.
Program and access codes for the videoconference