Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Posts Tagged ‘Housing

A solution staring us in the face for Europe’s housing crisis – Li Andersson MEP, Left Alliance, Finland

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This is an extremely useful article, very relevant to the housing crisis in Ireland.

Links :
A solution staring us in the face for Europe’s housing crisis

I am back! And here to tell you that I did an op-ed in EUObserver on solutions to the housing crisis and why we should be focusing on non-profit rentals instead of talking about ”affordable housing”. euobserver.com/eu-political…

[image or embed]— Li Andersson (@liandersson.bsky.social) December 6, 2024 at 11:46 AM


In this legislative mandate, there are many expectations for housing. The EU Commission has appointed its first-ever commissioner for energy and housing, and Ursula von der Leyen addressed the issue in her political guidelines, outlining that the commission will need to “urgently address the housing crisis facing millions of families and young people.”

Danish commissioner Dan Jørgensen will be responsible for the first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan.

In addition to this, the commission will revise the state aid rules to enable housing support measures and plans to double cohesion fund investments in affordable housing.

Over the past 10 years, average rents within the bloc have risen by 19 percent, while house prices have surged by 47 percent.

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Hostile Architecture (Exclusionary Design) in Dublin City – Photographer Chris Reid reports on a homeless scandal

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Chris Reid reports :

She thought she had a safe place for her tent. This space with its railings was once part of the entrance to St. Andrews Church on the street of the same name. St. Andrew’s Church and it’s grounds have been empty, unused and locked up for over a decade. This small space became a place for her tent – It was/is fenced off from the street; a space that can be defended. I took the photo of her and her tent. I returned to the same spot a few weeks ago to find the space entirely occupied by a structure designed to keep homeless people out of that specific space. An example of what some call Hostile Architecture or Exclusionary Design.


Hostile Architecture, Exclusionary Design, Dublin
A woman gave me permission to photograph her in her tent located beside St. Andrew’s church, Dublin 2. She considers that this is as safest place she could get to erect her tent.

The next time you hear an election candidate oppose safe accommodation for homeless people and refugees on the grounds that their local area is not affluent – Think : Hostile Architecture, Exclusionary Design.

One comment on Chris Reid’s facebook page sums it up :

I hope everyone who is considering voting for FFFG/Greens tomorrow sees this. We’re desperately in need of a government that cares about the homeless and poor people in the country