Housing and Segregation in Southern EU Cities 2024 PDF

Housing and segregation Lower levels of residential segregation of immigrants in Southern EU cities  4 preliminary observations: 4) structural and 1) fragmentation...

Housing and segregation Lower levels of residential segregation of immigrants in Southern EU cities  4 preliminary observations: 4) structural and 1) fragmentation contextual factors: the processes and socio- extenstion of owner urban changes in S- 3) there is a weak occupation among the EU central areas need 2) there are social spectrum, the low significant presence of low residential mobility to be contextualized and middle-low divergences in the among long-term within the broader income immigrants residents in all social process of urban socio-economic composition of the in the traditional strata, the role of the renewal and working-class family in access to and gentrification and, central and peri- provision of housing central areas (port neighbourhoods of more specifically, stock, the impact of and continental the first peripheral current metropolitan need to be compared ring of the majority of cities) sprawl on the formation with the time of S-Eu cities of larger and more arrival of homoegenous residential immigrants areas The socio-urban stratification of S-Eu cities, associated with urban and housing dynamics, has led to distinctive patterns of ethnic settlements, characterised by poor housing conditions combined with sub-urban scattered distribution Macro- contextual factors - The state of economic conjuncture - The ideology of host society - Immigration flows - Socio-urban structure Common factors that facilitate immigrants’ insertion in S-EU cities 1) Immigrants’ highly diverse characteristics, in terms of education and skills as well as urban origins and the large presence of transnational communities organised around entrepreneurial activities 2) Persistent demand for cheap labour (low productive sectors and in the family care system) 3) Role played by the informal labour and housing market as temporary stepping-stones to more stable conditions Common factors hindering immigrants’ insertion in S-EU cities: 1) dominant social discourse (utilitarian, non-inclusive and repressive attitudes) 2) labour market segmentation  direct implications on immigrants’ capability to pay rents 3) socio-urban processes influencing a «recast of social groups in place»: indirectly creating a barrier for non- western residential insertion 4) housing regime  imbalanced tenure distribution, dualist housing system dominated by owners  housing affordability issue All four macro-scale dimensions have led (or are leading) to patterns of disperse ethnic settlement scattered in the peripheries and metropolitan suburbs, as well as to a decreasing ethnic presence in central areas and to growing forms of socio-tenure differentiation. Despite significant differences among the S-Eu cities, these patterns of low spatial segregation among immigrants often hide a real problem of marginalisation and social exclusion when associated with poor quality housing, rent exploitation, precarious living conditions, overcrowding and poor access to infrastructure In particular, the problem of housing affordability and marginalization is a direct consequence of the high promotion and production of owner occupation, which is a mainstream condition of the S-Eu societies and which is reproduced both in the national and municipal agenda Relative size of the social renting housing stock % of total housing stock 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 l n ds stria ark om nce land land land rea land land enia alta ralia way Italy ium nd1 tes2 da3 ary pan any uga ey4 tvia blic urg ain5 onia ania blic bia6 rla Au enm ingd Fra Ire Ice Fin Ko tzer Po lov M ust Nor e lg ala ta na ung Ja rm ort urk La epu bo Sp st hu epu m e S Ge P T E Lit R olo e th D dK Swi S A B Ze ted Ca H k R xe m u h C N n ite N ew Uni lo va L z ec U S C OECD 1980 liberalisation of the S-Eu housing market: abolition of rent control provision of owner occupation as an instrument of local economic policy and as a major device for urban growth and renewal increasing land prices and the selling of public land have curtailed the production of affordable housing for low-income groups by the co-operative Immigrant exclusion/low levels of segregation 1) In S-Eu the problem of housing residualism and exclusion experienced by non-western immigrants is a permanent condition, given the structural and societal attributes of the process of differentiation 2) During the last decade residential differentiation has widened in scale and depth across the social spectrum, particularly between native and non-Western foreigner groups. At the same time, it has become less visible due to processes of ethnic de-segregation and peripheralisation 3) The reproduction of dualistic housing regime anchored in owner occupation and the construction of emergency policies as the primary response to social and immigration issues are not allievating, but are increasing the problem of housing affordability and social marginalisation. Housing as integration Housing conditions can reproduce inequalities Home is a fundamental place of intersection between different abstract dimensions: capitals  whose presence guarantee a certain degree of integration into the main society (cultural, economic, cognitive, sybmbolic…) In some countries ownership is stronlgy Housing afforability Housing affordability refers to the relationship between a household's income and the cost of housing, indicating whether individuals and families can access housing without experiencing financial strain Income-to-Housing Cost Ratio: A common benchmark is that housing costs (including rent or mortgage payments, property taxes, and utilities) should not exceed 30% of a household's gross income. Exceeding this threshold may indicate affordability challenges.  Housing vulnerability Housing vulnerability refers to the conditions in which the housing does not solve anymore a function of protection and integration but becomes a major issues (usually among others) in hindering the process of social inclusion of an individual, a household or a group. Hosuing vulnerabilty includes a wide range of situation that have in common the fact that housing strongly participate to the marginaliation and social exclusion, both as a driver and a consequence. HOUSING and SOCIAL INCLUSION are connected in two ways Exclusion FROM housing Exclusion THROUGH housing Homelesness and those who are at risk of Not adequate housing conditions, unsafe losing the house neighbourood or laking services i.e. access to social housing seems to affect the working conditions beacuse of limited social and working network, low levels of social capital and cohesion. In addition the areas where usually socially housing is located is characterized by scarcity of services (transports, care..) Although the risk of being homeless or at risk of it is reduced in comparison with the private market, the public housing does not solve all the problematic issues linked to housing affordability NEW PROFILES OF HOUSEHOLDS HAVING AFFORDABILITY ISSUES Young adults Single parents Elderly people  A change in the socio-economic profile of dwellers in arrears. Young people coming from multi-problematic households and never entered into the job market are the weakest group  An accumulation of social disadvantages falling outside of the housing dimension but leading to the incapability of paying the rent  Some conditions become cronical very easily often giving rise to housing and social marginalities  HOUSING AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION The relationship between social exclusion and housing marginality is not so linear. There can be housing exclusion with no social exclusion. Not only the poverty contributes to the housing exclusion: i.e. immigration