The Architecture History of Social Housing in Belgium. Social Housing, the Offspring of Capitalism
(2024) ENHR conference: Making Housing systems work — Location: TUDelft (26.August.2024)
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- Abstract
- The history of social housing is intertwined with that of capitalism. Since the end of the Middle Ages, the capitalist economy has put housing under pressure through rising land prices, construction costs, interest rates, and, consequently, rents. As a result, for many, housing became scarce or of mediocre quality. To overcome these problems, various initiatives emerged throughout history, leading to a variety of affordable housing forms. This article focuses on an analysis of the architectural solutions put in place throughout history to address housing affordability. It focuses on Belgium, with examples from the pre-machinist era, followed by initiatives linked to the Industrial Revolution, the post-war reconstruction, and, at present, the pressure on the housing market, particularly as a result of its financialization. Each example is redrawn with similar codes and scales to enable an objective typological comparison. These examples demonstrate the architectural inventiveness to embody alternatives to capitalism such as cooperatives, State-led initiatives, emphyteutic leases, community land trusts, etc. Nevertheless, facing this socio-political issue, one must bear in mind that architecture is never the solution but rather the expression of alternative economic models.
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Citations
Ledent, G. (2024). The Architecture History of Social Housing in Belgium. Social Housing, the Offspring of Capitalism. ENHR conference: Making Housing systems work, TUDelft. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/240192