Foreword
Housing issues remains a crucial topic. The current economic situation of high inflation and high interest rates – which affect families' ability to own property – plays its part, of course, but so does the fact that governments must always prioritise looking after the most vulnerable groups in society.
In response to this, the Italian Delegation to the OECD has initiated an international project on social housing in Italy, working alongside the OECD Secretariat at ECO Directorate level, and the Triennale di Milano. The aim of the project is to examine not only the economic and social aspects of housing issues, but also other social impacts such as the current and future makeup of the urban environment. Drawing on this partnership, the hope is that the project will enable Italy to make a valuable contribution to the discussion on the future of cities.
The project is being delivered over several stages. The first, which has already taken place at the OECD Conference Centre in Paris, was an exhibition of images and videos created by the Triennale, highlighting innovative social housing in Italy. The second stage is the publication of this volume. And the third stage will consist of a meeting to be held at the OECD headquarters with notable figures in the housing sector, to discuss the topics addressed in this book.
The Importance of Social Housing in OECD Countries
Representing nearly 30 million households and accounting for approximately 6% of the total housing stock in OECD countries, rented social housing plays a crucial role in social welfare policies and the provision of affordable homes.
The recent pandemic further highlighted housing shortages and low housing standards, especially among low-income families. People living in substandard housing or unsafe conditions are exposed to significant health and safety risks, while workers whose financial situation changes can suddenly find it hard to afford their monthly rent, mortgage, or utility payments without essential support.
Moving forward, governments will need to develop longer-term structural responses to address ongoing housing challenges and ensure that infrastructure investments in housing promote social inclusion. Since the turn of the millennium, several factors have hindered the growth of housing supply, including rising construction costs, shortages of workers in the construction industry, high land prices and/or limited availability of land, and problems related to land-use and planning regulations. The housing supply has failed to keep up with demand, leading to increased housing costs and creating additional barriers for vulnerable people seeking decent homes.
Investments in affordable and social housing can be a catalyst for economic recovery. Simultaneously, they can bolster small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and employment within the construction industry, facilitate residential mobility, and aid in the prevention and reduction of homelessness. Moreover, substantial investments in public housing – a core component of the European Green Deal – can stimulate economic recovery, support environmental sustainability objectives, and enhance the wellbeing of residents within the OECD and EU.
The OECD's view of social housing in Italy has not been uniformly positive. This initiative spearheaded by the Italian Delegation, in collaboration with the OECD and the Triennale, presents an opportunity to redress the balance and consider the situation on the ground. There are many initiatives underway with potential for further development, particularly as part of projects financed by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
The model adopted in Italy dictates that the state does not directly involve itself in the development of social or public housing infrastructure. Central government maintains control over policy, programmes and the majority of financial resources, but has delegated delivery to regional and municipal authorities. This is particularly the case with land-use planning, which involves complex factors that affect efficient delivery of the programmes.
Some of the most notable initiatives are those being delivered as part of the NRRP and in particular through the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure’s National Innovative Programme for the Quality of Living (PINQuA), which aims to enhance living standards through public works funded by the NRRP. The primary objectives of these works are to revitalise urban areas and encourage the construction of new public housing to alleviate housing problems in the suburbs. The programme has received total funding of €2.8 billion and should help reduce urban decay, increase the energy efficiency of public residential buildings, and usher in urban regeneration measures to improve people's quality of life.
Under the mixed central-local governance system for the project, the necessary agreements have been signed between the Ministry of Infrastructure and the municipalities that own the selected projects, followed by the ministerial decrees of approval and the disbursement of the initial funding.
The work of the Triennale, meanwhile, emphasises the significant role of social housing in Italy and underscores the productive partnership between the public and private sectors, spotlighting local authorities.
After several decades of public housing initiatives led by public institutions, the recent evolution of social housing in Italy comes with a local approach. The Cariplo Foundation, a banking foundation that invests its assets with a focus on socially beneficial activities, launched a private social housing project in the early 2000s with the backing of the public institutions in Lombardy, where the Foundation is based. The initiative launched just as a speculative bubble in the property market was making it challenging for families to find suitable housing solutions. Delivered in various areas of the Municipality of Milan, the plan relied on resources from a property fund associated with the banking sector.
This model of private social housing, already prevalent in the rest of Europe, has since been picked up again and must now be spread as widely as possible across Italy. Even in a country traditionally marked by a majority of property owners, there is no doubt as to the importance of promoting investments in social housing that primarily target the most vulnerable social groups, particularly young people and migrants.
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this volume and highlight the significance of the collaboration fostered by this Representation between the OECD and the Triennale di Milano. It is my hope that the work undertaken will not only stimulate further discussion on the evolving housing needs in Italy and beyond, but also illuminate potential solutions to these needs.
Social Housing in Italy - A study by Triennale Milano promoted by the Permanent Delegation of Italy to the OECD
“To be Catholic; to recite a Lord's Prayer, a Hail Mary and a Nicene Creed daily for the Fugger family; to be at least 60 years old; to have lived for at least two years in Augsburg; and to have become indigent without debt.”
These were the conditions for applying for accommodation in the subsidised housing development designed by Jakob Fugger in 1516 in Augsburg, Germany. Over five centuries have elapsed since this groundbreaking project, and numerous other public housing initiatives have been established. The criteria for accessing social housing have also evolved, yet there remains much to explore and understand about this topic.
Throughout its 100-year existence, Triennale Milano – which celebrates its centenary in 2023 – has been a close observer of the history and evolution of housing issues. In some cases, it has altered the direction of travel and been a significant facilitator of important cultural exchanges.
In a way, the history of the Triennale is a grand journey through the concept of the home. This journey has not only seen the evolution of housing types, but also the narrative surrounding it and its role in the broader architectural culture. Starting from the recreated domestic interiors displayed in the Villa Reale in Monza, through to the numerous life-sized prototypes constructed in Parco Sempione, and the real-life experiments that have served both as exhibits and as tangible fragments of a new world.
The most iconic example of the latter is undoubtedly the construction of the numerous experimental INA-Casa dwellings and of an entire district – Quartiere Triennale 8 (QT8) or Quartiere Sperimentale – for the 8th International Exhibition in 1947. Coordinated by Piero Bottoni, this project was based on a concept conceived in the 1930s with Giuseppe Pagano and Mario Pucci. Many of the most prominent architects of the era contributed to its design, including Franco Albini, Ignazio Gardella, Gino Pollini, Giancarlo Palanti, Pietro Lingeri, Vittoriano Viganò, Marco Zanuso, and Ernesto Nathan Rogers.
In subsequent decades, a number of exhibitions have provided a consistent focus on the theme of the home as a key resource in challenging situations caused by various forms of emergency, both urban and environmental. These include Le case della triennale (Raggi, 1983), Il progetto domestico (Bellini, Teyssot, 1986), I racconti dell’abitare (Derossi, 1994), and the more recent Casa per tutti. Abitare la città globale (Irace, 2008), Stanze. Altre filosofie dellabitare (Finessi, 2016), 999. Una collezione di domande sull’abitare contemporaneo (Mirti, 2018), and Home Sweet Home (Bassoli, 2023).
It was therefore an honour for the institution I lead to accept the invitation from the Italian Delegation to the OECD to compile a study on the current state of social housing in Italy, along with the associated economic, social and urban planning challenges.
Salvatore Porcaro, an architect, planner and social analyst, led the research for a study titled Social Housing, an Italian Project. Places, Practices and Stories. Developed in collaboration with video maker Francesco Mattuzzi, the project documents six case studies of social housing in six different Italian cities: Bari, Bergamo, Matera, Milan, Padua and Turin.
Designed as a multidisciplinary analysis, the project combines various mediums with sociological research, in line with the ethos of our institution, which was established with the goal of advancing research and policies on ‘living’ by blending together the arts. For a century, our institution has been championing the progression of architecture by integrating artistic disciplines to address the languages and challenges of the contemporary world.
The housing challenge and access to housing are but one aspect of a highly topical issue: the growing social inequalities that are most keenly felt in large urban areas. And this will be the focus of our next International Exhibition, scheduled for 2025.
