November 2022 Session
November 2022
Housing crisis
Housing affordability is decreasing at a record pace. Real estate speculation is exacerbating existing inequalities, making housing less and less affordable in major cities across the world. London, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm… the list seems endless. People are being pushed out of their very own homes – and into poverty and homelessness.
Young people are getting trapped in a cycle of renting apartments that are becoming less and less affordable, whilst at the same time being pushed out of the real estate market. Lower-income communities face evictions and are left without a place to live. The inflated cost of housing is due to the profit-driven interests of investors. On one hand, the number of empty houses is enormous, while on the other, social housing is declining. Alarmingly, it is most often children and families that end up without a home. The problem is even worse in the Global South, where the number of people living in informal housing is projected to exceed 1 billion by 2020.
Film: 4 November at 00:00 CEST – 10 November at 23:59 CEST
Push
PUSH is a new documentary from award-winning director Fredrik Gertten, investigating why we cannot afford to live in our own cities anymore. The movie features Leilani Farha, former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing. Housing is a fundamental human right, a precondition for a safe and healthy life. But in cities all around the world, having a place to live is becoming increasingly difficult. What are the factors that make housing one of today’s most pressing world issues?
Director: Fredrik Gertten
Country: Sweden
Subtitles: French, Italian, Spanish and English.
Debate: 8 November at 19:00 CEST
Housing is not just a local issue; the right to housing is international and guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Numerous examples across Europe show us that it is possible to enable decent housing when the political will is there. The current state of the housing market is not a natural, inevitable development. It is increasingly used as an instrument for profit-making. And it can change. People should be able to afford to live in their own cities. It is time to recognize that housing is a human right, not a commodity.
Inspired by the movie, a discussion with Green politicians who have been working tirelessly on adequate housing took place during the week of screening ’PUSH’. We had an interesting debate with Leilani Farha, former UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing and a leading character in the movie, Dan Boyle, Local Councillor of Cork, Ireland, Kim Van Sparrentak, Member of the European Parliament and Sibylle Steffan, European Greens Committee Member, Moderator.