Place Matters: affordable social housing at the centre of cities

The New Urban Agenda (NUA) is calling for a paradigm shift in the implementation of urban policies, legal frameworks, strategies. One of its three transformative commitments refers to ‘effective decentralization’, and recognizes the role and responsibility of local authorities in the implementation of policies and programmes. The NUA is also recognizing the importance of positioning housing at the centre of urban development with an emphasis on the importance of location, instead of in disconnected places, far-away from employment, health, education and recreation opportunities. In light of the NUA, local governments can play a major role if they take into account the need for housing to be integrated within a system of infrastructure which can enhance better living conditions for the most poor and vulnerable. This entails local tools and regulations put in place to improve affordability of housing in central areas. The most poor should be integrated into areas of the city that can actually offer better opportunities in all senses, ensuring the right to the city to all! Place matters and local governments can play a major role in integrating affordable social housing within a system of infrastructure and livelihood opportunities, also creating alternatives to the private property for these solutions, including public and social rental housing, enhancing living conditions for the most poor and vulnerable. This depends on local policies that consider social housing as a part of a broader urban policy, put in place to improve the access to well-located areas for social housing and affordability of housing in central areas itself. The networking event proposed by the São Paulo Municipal Housing Secretariat and São Paulo City Hall (SEHAB and PMSP) in collaboration with UN-Habitat will bring together municipal governments, city leaders and partners, to share and discuss innovations and achievements in providing affordable social housing at the centre of urban development agendas.