Suchergebnisse

This thesis was written against the background of intense public debate on increasing housing shortages and housing policy reform in Germany and Sweden. Potential reforms to increase housing development volumes, especially in the affordable segment, are analysed using theories of institutional change with focus on urban planning, building law and housing policy. The instruments analysed are divided into measures intended to increase housing supply elasticity and targeted affordable housing measures. Three measures intended to increase housing supply elasticity that could be transferable to Sweden are identified: 1) Development planning could be reformed through facilitated procedures, the introduction of private initiative in planning and new incentives of planning authorities. 2) The planning and building legislation could be reformed to facilitate building approvals in relation to serial housing construction, which in turn could increase the number of affordable homes being built. 3) City housing policy could promote housing development through more intense use of the policy instruments of organisation, urban planning, municipal land and subsidies, with city organisation and political attention to housing markets being identified as crucial. However, effectively targeted affordable housing policies are difficult to implement under the current Swedish housing policy regime. In the short term, Swedish housing policy should therefore concentrate on housing supply elasticity-enhancing measures. However, considering the increasing pressure on the affordable housing supply and future expected demographic changes, public discussion of potential future solutions would be valuable. A first step would be to compile housing statistics such that the affordable housing shortage and the opportunities to design effective measures to counter it could be better understood. ; QC 20170905

The housing shortage has become a major political concern in Sweden and Germany. To ease tension on housing markets, both the Swedish and German central governments aim to extend housing supply and have highlighted type approval of multi-family housing as an important concept in the provision of affordable housing. The article outlines the role of serial housing construction in a historical as well as a contemporary setting, and describes the roles of agents and institutional prerequisites related to housing policy, urban planning and building permission in the two countries. The comparative data is analysed using theories on institutional change, with the aim of tentatively explaining why and how institutional change evolves. Results show that shifts in relative prices, technology and preferences are driving reform. Although the major agents (central governments, states, municipalities and developers) have different motives for supporting or working against reform, a majority of agents are acting in favour of reform. It is concluded that it is probable that type approval of multi-family housing will be introduced in both countries. However, the time for negotiations on the scope of reform between agents involved is expected to be shorter in Sweden than in Germany, due to Sweden's fewer layers of government and a stronger set of decisive agents. Once an agreement has been reached, reform is expected to be quicker in Germany than in Sweden as legal text and an assessment institution already exist. ; QC 20171120

The housing shortage in Swedish growth regions has been heatedly debated for a number of years. Extensive reform proposals have been made by market actors and academics. The former center–right government in power until 2014 emphasized reform of the urban planning process. The current "red–green" government has ongoing planning reform on its agenda, but has instead emphasized investment subsidies. In the debate, the German housing market has been put forward as a positive example. This licentiate thesis compares the early stages of housing development in Germany and Sweden to find any differences that could provide interesting points of discussion related to further housing market reform in Sweden. As the scope of such an analysis could be very wide, this thesis is restricted to urban planning law and implementation, and to city initiatives to increase housing supply, including the affordable housing segment. The first step of the research project was to identify the major problems related to Swedish planning law and its implementation and to map the current state of reform. The identified problems encompassed issues related to municipal strategies for housing construction, the urban planning process, the appeal process, areas classified as of national interest, regulations, development agreements, and municipal land allocation. The article "The Planning Process in Sweden: current debate and reform proposals" summarizes the government inquiries, bills, and reforms introduced to date and gives an outlook on possible future urban planning reform in light of recent political developments. Second, the urban planning and appeal processes in Germany and Sweden were compared. The article "Promoting Planning for Housing Development: what can Sweden learn from Germany?" discusses three alternative processes in German local planning (i.e., private initiative, facilitated procedures in built-up areas, and omission of the local plan under certain circumstances) as well as the organization of planning authorities and city ...

The term social housing has been characterized as a "floating signifier", i.e. a term with no agreed-upon meaning. The lack of a definition often leads to misunderstandings, rather than constructive dialogue on the advantages and disadvantages of such a system. The aim of this article is to contribute to clarity by providing a discussion on the potential defining criteria of social housing and suggesting a definition of the concept. Definitions of the term social housing and descriptions of European social housing systems used in the last eight years will be presented and discussed. Five potential defining criteria derived from the literature are evaluated as to their sufficiency and necessity for a definition. ; QC 20180604

The focus of this publication is primarily on newbuilding for low-income and vulnerable groups, often referred to in English as 'affordable housing', that is, housing for groups on the market's periphery who suffer from high barriers. The financial aspects of housing are central, especially as regards new-building costs, subsidies, social housing models, and affordability. Nordic cities are segregated, and new housing development, application of diverse forms of tenure, and housing subsidies are examples of tools that can either worsen or reduce segregation, depending on how they are used. The market seems unable, on its own, to supply enough suitable housing for students, young people, low-income groups, and newly arrived immigrants, among others. This is of political interest since it challenges the whole idea of the Nordic welfare model, and social cohesion and equality as characteristics of the Nordic region.

The focus of this publication is primarily on newbuilding for low-income and vulnerable groups, often referred to in English as 'affordable housing', that is, housing for groups on the market's periphery who suffer from high barriers. The financial aspects of housing are central, especially as regards new-building costs, subsidies, social housing models, and affordability. Nordic cities are segregated, and new housing development, application of diverse forms of tenure, and housing subsidies are examples of tools that can either worsen or reduce segregation, depending on how they are used. The market seems unable, on its own, to supply enough suitable housing for students, young people, low-income groups, and newly arrived immigrants, among others. This is of political interest since it challenges the whole idea of the Nordic welfare model, and social cohesion and equality as characteristics of the Nordic region.