Empty offices to co-living: Five ways cities tackled housing crises in 2020
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation From affordable home shortages to ongoing evictions during the pandemic, the past year has laid bare worsening housing crises around the world. Armed with digital title deeds and empty offices, here are some of the ways cities sought to tackle those challenges in 2020: Empty officesThe coronavirus pandemic has increased pressure […]
After Grenfell fire, UK social housing tenants get ‘stronger voice’
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Social housing tenants in Britain will have new rights to demand improvements to their homes under a reform launched in the aftermath of a deadly 2017 fire at a London block, the government said on Tuesday. The blaze that killed at least 71 people in Grenfell Tower – a 23-storey block […]
Rural homelessness in England seen doubling as locals priced out
Thomson Reuters Foundation Homelessness in rural areas of England has more than doubled in the past two years as the rising cost of housing has priced out local people, researchers said on Wednesday. Nearly 20,000 households were categorised as homeless by local governments in 2019/20, up 115 per cent from 2017/18 figures, according to a […]
Snakes and sewage: Housing troubles grow in South Africa’s Soweto
KIM HARRISBERG, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from the Soweto suburb known as ‘Snake Park’ on how a scheme to rehouse families has left them with homes “susceptible to flooding, cracking and crumbling”…
Armenia property tax reform raises gentrification fears
Thomson Reuters Foundation A property tax rise in Armenia risks forcing elderly people from homes they have lived in since the Soviet era and which have risen dramatically in value since then, critics have warned. The reform was signed into law this week and will bring thousands of homes that were previously exempt because of […]
Postcards: Delhi’s illegal colonies await makeover after coronavirus
RINA CHANDRAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how a plan to legalise hitherto illegal settlements in Delhi will benefit millions…
As US lockdowns lift, evictions loom for poorest city dwellers
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation A torrent of evictions looms as US coronavirus lockdowns are lifted, putting millions of people, often in black communities, at risk of losing their homes, housing researchers and activists warned. Many states have halted evictions since mid-March, as the novel coronavirus spread rapidly, but such provisions are scheduled to […]
Tiny homes seen as big solution to New Zealand housing crisis
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation A petition calling for rules on small houses and mobile homes to be eased was submitted to New Zealand’s parliament on Tuesday, as residents piled pressure on the government to address a chronic shortage in affordable housing. The country has the highest rate of homelessness among the 36 wealthy nations of […]
With Oscar glory, ‘Parasite’ shines light on Seoul’s housing crisis
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation South Korean film Parasite, which became the first non-English language movie to win the Best Picture award at the Oscars, highlights the widening divide and lack of affordable housing in the capital Seoul, according to social analysts and academics. Director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which also won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, […]
BUBBLES TO CAMPOUTS: SPANIARDS FIGHT HOME EVICTIONS AS RENTS SKYROCKET
SOPHIE DAVIES, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on Spain’s housing crisis…