Urban Land for Affordable Housing

The issue of providing affordable housing in urban areas is a complex issue involving a number of factors, including the availability and cost of land, zoning regulations, construction costs, and financing. The objective of this session is to foster a transatlantic dialogue (Americas and Europe) on the subject, examining exemplary cases in Europe and the United States with a critical reflection of government officials operating on both continents.

Much has been written about land value capture tools and tax incentive mechanisms to obtain developer contributions in the form of housing units. Here we will focus more on the supply of urban land and how it can be achieved. We will examine in particular the cases that:

1. Increase the supply of land, for example, by redeveloping underused land or converting derelict buildings into residential space. (Jose Tellez SostreCivic, Spain)
2. Create Community Land Trusts: Community land trusts are non-profit organizations that buy and hold land in trust for the benefit of the community. This can help ensure that the land is used for affordable housing and can also provide long-term stability for residents. (John Emmeus Davis – The Center for Community Land Trust Innovation).

The event will have the participation of:

Diego Aulestia – Head of the Human Settlements Unit, ECLAC

Claudia Murray – Henley Business School, University of Reading

Semida Munteanu -Lincoln Institute for Land Policy

Henk Bouwmann -metrex

Cristina Gomez Jurado – Urban Operation Manager, Quito, Ecuador

Erik Solano – Former President of the National Institute of Housing and Urbanism (INVU), Costa Rica

michaela kauer – Director, Brussels Liaison Office, Vienna, Austria

Luis Vergara – University of the Border

Stephen Gallagher -metrex