At the World Urban Forum, it was emphasized that the housing issue is already a global problem of democracy and development.
Modern.az reports that Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), stated this at the panel session titled “Global Housing Crisis: What is the Plan?” within the 13th session of the World Urban Forum held in Baku.
She noted that the housing crisis is no longer limited to slums and informal settlements. Today, even people with jobs face housing problems, and the situation is taking on an increasingly dangerous scale.
“This is no longer just a problem of the global north or the global south. The housing crisis has become a structural development and democracy challenge. The future of democracy also depends on the housing issue,” she emphasized.
Emilia Saiz noted that for many years, social housing has been planned in the wrong areas, and this approach continues.
“People are being evicted from homes they built themselves. The reason for this is that these areas are considered informal or the market value of the land has increased. In many places, land is valued as a source of income, and housing as a commercial product,” the speech stated.
She also emphasized that community participation, local knowledge, and collaborative planning should become a fundamental principle in housing policy.
According to the Secretary General, as climate change, migration, and urbanization change the demographic situation, the living environment should be shaped based on the principle of “co-created space.”
In her speech, she also pointed out that speculation and the financial system are among the main factors deepening the housing crisis:
“For many years, we thought that economic development would solve the housing problem itself. This did not happen and will not happen without a change in the existing financial architecture,” she said.
Emilia Saiz called for social housing projects to be evaluated outside of public debt and investment constraints. She emphasized the importance of international, regional, and national development banks demonstrating a common approach in this direction.
She added that while local and regional governments in many countries are responsible for housing, they do not have sufficient authority in this area.
“If the issue of authority does not change, it will not be possible to solve a number of problems,” she noted.
The Secretary General stated that housing is no longer an emergency, but a structural problem that determines the future of humanity and democracy.
“We must approach this issue through the prism of justice. Discrimination in access to housing is one of the clearest indicators of social inequality,” E. Saiz concluded.
