By the EESC Civil Society Organisations’ Group

Reimagining the design of cities, communities and housing is essential in order to face current challenges. Civil society organisations (CSOs) have a key role to play in steering this transformation. Sustainability and the right to housing must be at the heart of future strategies. The EU could contribute to this by increasing European funding for affordable housing and supporting the social economy.

Making housing, public spaces and communities in the EU future-proof was the focus of a conference organised by the Civil Society Organisations’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on 2 July. The event was one of the first high-level conferences to be held under the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which began on 1 July. It took place at the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA) in Copenhagen.

Séamus Boland, President of the Civil Society Organisations’ Group, said: ‘In the face of climate change, increasing inequalities and the housing crisis, there is no choice but to embrace change in the way that we design, build and develop urban housing and public spaces. There is much that other countries could learn from Denmark, whose equitable housing policy, accessible to everyone irrespective of income, goes back over 100 years. Today, the Danish non‑profit housing sector accounts for a fifth of the market and is characterised by high energy standards and mixed, inclusive communities’.

Mr Boland emphasised the need to create spaces that serve both environmental objectives and social cohesion. Sustainability and the right to housing should be at the centre of future housing strategies. Co‑creation and co‑ownership must go hand in hand to build greener and more inclusive housing and public spaces. The president of the group, representing civil society from the 27 EU Member States, added that the EU could help by ‘increasing European affordable housing funds, strengthening EU renovation programmes and supporting the social economy, notably cooperative ownership models’.

Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, Danish Minister for Social Affairs and Housing, said: ‘Affordable and sustainable housing is a top priority for me – also during our EU Presidency. By building greener and more inclusive communities today, we’re not only addressing today’s challenges, but laying the foundation for stronger, more resilient societies tomorrow. It’s part of building a safer, more competitive and greener Europe. I look forward to continuing this important conversation at the conference I’ll be hosting in September on affordable and sustainable housing’.

Read the full press release.

The conference conclusions and recommendations will be available here shortly.