Over 30 European ministers and officials have pledged bold actions to tackle the escalating housing crisis in Europe. NMBU urban planning expert Roberta Cucca was amongst those drafting the actions.
By reaffirming housing as a human right and introducing measures such as regulating tourist rentals, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) aims to make housing more accessible and sustainable for all.
Housing affordability is a pressing issue across Europe. A recent study by UNECE revealed that over one-third of households in the lower 40% income bracket experience housing stress, with many spending over 45% of their income on housing.
This crisis is evident even in wealthy Norway, where in urban areas such as Oslo and Viken, many residents spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
Against this backdrop, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) contributed its expertise in urban and regional planning to the formulation of new UN commitments on housing affordability and sustainability.
Tackling housing challenges
The commitments are the output of last week's gathering of over 30 European ministers and high-level representatives in Geneva for a UNECE ministerial meeting on housing. The UNECE member states pledged to:
- Expand public, cooperative, social, and community-led housing models through increased public investment and innovative financing mechanisms, such as green bonds and sustainability-linked loans.
- Regulate short-term tourist rentals to curb speculation and enhance affordability.
- Implement fairer land value taxation to promote equitable land use policies.
- Retrofit (upgrade existing buildings/structures) and repurpose (adapt a building/structure for a new function) buildings to improve energy efficiency and adapt underused spaces to housing needs.
The commitments are designed to promote housing as a human right, linking affordability and sustainability to broader issues such as economic equity, climate resilience, and community well-being.
“By adopting these commitments, Ministers and high-level representatives of UNECE member States send a powerful message that housing affordability and sustainability are fundamental priorities and that our region stands united in tackling them through international cooperation, evidence-based policy, multi-level governance, and above all, equity and inclusion,” stated UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean in a UNECE press release.
NMBU’s role
NMBU urban planning expert Roberta Cucca was one of 35 specialists who participated in a UN workshop to draft the declaration of commitments.
“We recognized the need to address the factors causing housing shortages and rising costs, while at the same time promoting better environmental standards,” says Cucca.
“Building new housing always has a significant environmental impact. It is therefore essential to ensure that new construction genuinely contributes to addressing affordability issues, rather than fuelling new forms of speculation.”
“One solution is to allocate part of the new housing stock to non-profit organizations for social rental housing, which helps maintain affordability over time. Another important measure is to regulate short-term tourist rentals. This helps prevent too many properties from being removed from the long-term rental market and reserved for tourists, which reduces housing options for local residents, drives up rents, and makes housing less affordable,” explains the professor at NMBU’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
The Norwegian university has an active role in tackling housing challenges. It is, for example, a partner in the European ReHousIn project, which explores conditions that can spark innovative policy solutions towards inclusionary and sustainable housing.
Broader impacts
The UNECE commitments extend beyond housing. They address social, economic, and environmental challenges that affect millions of people. Housing stress disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups, such as immigrants, young families, older adults, and single-parent households, pushing many into precarious situations.
These new commitments aim to alleviate such pressures by fostering policies that prioritize equity, sustainability, and inclusion. The emphasis on retrofitting and repurposing buildings not only addresses housing shortages but also aligns with global climate goals by reducing energy consumption and carbon footprints.