Housing is central to people’s lives and their wellbeing. Making housing affordable and adequate is one of the most important policy challenges at both national and local level, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic when people need to spend more time at home than ever before.
The challenges of housing affordability and sustainability are affecting cities, especially those which are densely populated. Closure of commercial services in urban areas has led to a decrease in economic activities in cities, thus putting pressure on businesses and their profitability which directly translates into inability of businesses to sustain the workforce.
Housing sustainability challenges and approaches to addressing them differ from country to country. Given the diverse national and local contexts of the housing sector, and the diverse legal frameworks and living traditions within the UNECE region, there is no one solution that fits all. Sharing and exchanging experiences and good practices allows the formulation of viable solutions and policies appropriate for specific national and local contexts.
This event presents the report of the study “Housing2030: Effective policies for affordable housing in the UNECE region” which have been developed by the UNECE in cooperation with Housing Europe, UN-Habitat and other partners. The #Housing2030 study and an online platform were launched on 6 October 2021 at the UNECE Ministerial Meeting on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management.