15 the architecture of governance 09 housing economy

As designers, producers, and researchers of the built environment, we

understand that housing is a human right. But supply strategies and

housing solutions are not meeting the needs of the ‘other half’, the

billions of low-income people worldwide. Housing for all is a serious

responsibility that demands strong leadership and increased urgency

within the global development agenda.The international housing crisis

has already assumed a scale that continues to result in the exclusion

of over one billion people. Against this backdrop, we seek to trigger

positive change through an agenda aiming to informalize the formal

and formalize the informal. We are committed to developing alternative

housing solutions for the growing number of our fellow citizens deprived

of the diverse benefits of urban life. Architects, urban designers,

landscape architects, planners, social scientists, and policy makers

from across the world, we have come together on the occasion of the

NO COST HOUSING conference at ETH Zürich to explore and debate

innovative approaches to housing research, design, construction, and

delivery. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we have found common

ground. We deliver the following declaration with one voice.

We need new alliances to arrive at different solutions. For this reason,

we propose a collaboration between UN-HABITAT and universities to

create a series of chairs committed to the realization of the SDG’s and

NUA through research, teaching, and projects that result in exemplary

housing solutions for all.

1st July 2016, Zürich

Leibniz University Hannover

ETH Zürich / Urban Think Tank

UN-Habitat

ETH Wohnforum – ETH CASE


ETH Zürich

Technical University of Munich

Newcastle University


University of Sao Paulo

ETH Zürich

Deutsches Architekturmuseum

UN-Habitat

Anupama Kundoo Architects

ETH Zürich

Silesian University of Technology

u4e


McKinsey

McKinsey

Materia Inc.

Verein Wunderkammer




ETH Zürich

University of Califorinia, Berkley

ETH Zürich

ETH Zürich

ETH Zürich

Leibniz University Hannover

University of Lisbon

Federal University of Paraíba


University of Namibia

Oxford Brookes University

ETH Zürich

ETH Zürich

University of Sao Paulo

University of Basel



University of Technology Eindhoven


University of Belgrade

ETH Zürich



Slovak University of Technology Bratislava

University of Granada

Externado de Colombia University

Caritasverband Mannheim e.V.

ETH Zürich

Affordable Housing Institute

Singapore University of Technology and Design

Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT

Build Change

School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal

School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal

ETH Zürich

Bauhaus University Weimar

Urbitandem


Silesian University of Technology

University of Vienna

Technical University of Berlin

baumann.dürr Architekten

ETH Zürich

MAssachusetts Institute of Technology MIT

University of Lisbon

Kielce University of Technology

Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne EPFL

University of Neuchâtel

National University of Colombia

Freelance

Delft University of Technology

Future Cape Town

ETH Zürich


Ministry of Urban Development

Ministry of Urban Development

ETH Zürich

ETH Zürich

Istanbul Technical University

ETH Zürich

Oxford Brookes University

ETH Zürich

ETH Zürich

RZU Regionalplanung Zürich und Umgebung

Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Berlin

ETH Zürich

Southeast University

University of Duisburg-Essen

Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl

University of Kassel





ETH Zürich

Ghent University

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology


ETH Zürich

LafargeHolcim

ETH Zürich

LafargeHolcim

ETH Zürich

Julia Hinderink Architecture

Andreas Rubin Architektur

ETH Zürich


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01 ADEQUACY When it comes to housing, one solution does not fit all. Con-textual factors need to be understood and considered within the broader definition of adequate housing.

02 CULTURAL CONTEXTThe cultural context, from lifestyle and use of space, to tra-ditions, family structures, gender roles, and religion, must be the driver for all housing-related policies and decisions..

03 POLITICS AND DESIGNA people centered low-cost housing policy does not equate to low-quality single dwellings. Sustainable and durable solutions require a preventive and curative urbanization plan that also addresses the need for low-cost transport facilities.

04 PROCESSHousing is a process, not a product. Incremental and self-built housing strategies better reflect the realities of low-income people and developing neighborhoods. These strategies must be appreciated and supported to enable positive and sustain-able transformations.

05 INNOVATIONIn an age of mass urbanization, new models of housing and infrastructure must be developed to pursue ‘frugal’ innovation through an accelerated phase of experimentation. Govern-ments should support a large number of pilot projects, jointly developed by all stakeholders.

06 LANDServiced land must be secured for low-income populations that is close to infrastructure and livelihoods. Current land markets and policies make this difficult. Governments should institute laws that reposition land ownership for collective use, common ownership, and land lease in order to avoid informal urbanization in risky areas.

07 MATERIAL CULTUREWe need an ethical material culture for housing construction that fosters local craft and creates and sustains jobs by building socially and ecologically benign value chains. National material standardization is necessary, but should focus on performance, not prescription. The use of local materials, for instance rammed earth, bamboo, and alternative materials from urban mining, should be encouraged.

08 FINANCIAL MODELSCurrent financial models rarely work for low-income citizens. Free housing has also proven to be ineffective and detrimental. We must re-evaluate financial instruments and adjust them to fit needs. In particular, by developing local and international

institutions that recognize and assist self-help and bottom-up strategies. The focus should not only be on ownership, but also rental land and housing.

09 HOUSING ECONOMYHousing is an engine of economic development. Policies, instruments, and incentives must be developed that foster small building enterprises alongside large building industries, preserving support for local value chains.

10 MAPPING AND INVENTORIZATIONWe need to know more about the conditions and composition of existing housing stock, as well as housing demand and supply. Governments should support web-based data collection, such as participatory mapping and volunteer geography. Detailed inventories will allow for better planning decisions.

11 CONDITION OF EXISTING AND HISTORIC HOUSING STOCKHousing conditions in historic town centers deserve greater attention. Appropriate financing and improvement programs must be developed that are culturally sensitive, affordable, quick to implement, and that mitigate the social risks of gentrification and abandonment.

12 TRANSIENT AND DISPLACED POPULATIONSWe must be more aware of the housing needs of transient and displaced populations, such as migrant workers and refugees. Appropriate locations should be identified, and adequate housing standards formulated. The most vulnerable groups, such as single women and children, require particular attention. Permanent housing solutions have to be developed for temporary residents.

13 EDUCATIONDesigners of the built environment must be trained to design for the other half. Schools should restructure their curricula to respond to the housing needs of the majority through a truly interdisciplinary approach. A special focus on the underlying mechanisms of land policy and financing is needed. Formats like action learning, research, teaching, and life long education need to be encouraged.

14 CO-PRODUCTIONThe stakeholders involved in designing, negotiating, and con-structing housing and related services are a central part of an integrated project approach. Knowledge sharing, as well as the interchange of services and sweat-equity, are valuable approaches that must be re-evaluated.

15 THE ARCHITECTURE OF GOVERNANCEAll stakeholders, from academia and policy makers, to de-velopers, the building industry, and other public and private partners, must unite to reach an agreement with civil society of what has to be done and how to achieve it, with defined targets and measurable results.

16 ENHANCE RESILIENCEMany cities are increasingly vulnerable to hazards and dis-asters, leading to severe damage and destruction of existing housing and neighborhoods. We must strengthen collabora-tion between international organizations and link them with municipal authorities and other local stakeholders with the aim of reaching the most vulnerable citizens.

17 PARTICIPATIONCommunity-based organizations have significant skills and capacities. They must be empowered to assume a leading role in neighborhood development and the formulation of housing strategies. But communities are not homogeneous. We must ensure women, minorities, and socioeconomically disadvan-taged groups have the right to participate in decision-making.

18 URBAN RECONSTRUCTIONThere is an urgent need to demystify the complexity of urban reconstruction in the wake of natural or man-made disas-ters. We can strengthen the capacity of international agen-cies, governments, and municipal authorities by developing knowledge-based tools and guidelines for urban post-disaster reconstruction.

15 the architecture of governance 09 housing economy

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