Housing and territorial cohesion

Until May 27th, the date on which Observador organizes the Cities Summit , we challenge some experts to write about the challenges of the cities of the future. Entry to the event is free, upon registration, which can be done HERE .

Answering the question “what is the main challenge for the cities of the future in the area of ​​housing?” is a task that seems quite difficult and that immediately leads me to ask another question “which cities?!”. The main challenge for Lisbon or Porto will certainly not be the same as those faced by Bragança, Tomar or Santiago do Cacém; not even for the other cities that make up the two metropolitan areas will the challenge be the same.

For all these cities, saying “respect for the right to housing” is an answer that is as accurate as it is vague. Because the right to housing begins with having a roof over your head, a place to live, but it is not limited to that.

Such a roof must provide physical security, protection from cold, humidity, heat, rain, wind and other threats to health and life (habitability); it must provide access to natural and common resources such as drinking water, energy for cooking and heating, lighting, sanitation and food storage facilities (availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure); it must be located in locations that allow access to employment opportunities, health services, schools and other social infrastructure and must not put inhabitants at risk due to proximity to sources of pollution or environmental hazards (location); it must respect the cultural identity and ways of life of its occupants (cultural appropriateness); it must be physically accessible to all, including vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, children, etc. (ease of access); it must be at a cost that does not compromise the ability to meet other basic needs such as food, education and health (affordability); and it must be safeguarded from forced or arbitrary evictions, harassment or other threats, regardless of the form of occupation (legal security).

These are the elements that the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights lists as constituting the right to housing. And so the housing problem is, in reality, a combination of housing problems, in varying proportions, depending on the city. For example, in Câmara de Lobos, it is a housing problem that 30% of the homes are overcrowded. But it is also a housing problem that, in Barreiro, 20% of the employed population takes more than an hour to get to work.

Having said that, I believe I now have an answer to the question posed. In Portugal, the biggest challenge for cities in the area of ​​housing is territorial cohesion. This is probably not an obvious choice, at a time when the debate is focused on the increase in house prices, with the aim of discussing the dimension of economic accessibility – even though price, due to the distinctive characteristics of housing and, consequently, the special functioning of its market, is a poor indicator of that element of the right to housing.

But the truth is that price issues are also not unrelated to the country that is territorially very unequal. The Housing Framework Law recognizes the link between the right to housing and territorial cohesion. Therefore, in a way, the other themes of the Cities Summit – mobility, environment, technology – are also about housing. And it will be very important to discuss them together.

Vera Gouveia Barros has a degree and a master's degree in economics. She was a lecturer at the University of Madeira and a researcher at ISEG. She is the author of the essay Tourism in Portugal and co-author of the study The Real Estate Market in Portugal (both from the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation) .