Values and Housing

Scanning the literature on housing debates learns that the term values is mostly applied to express the financial value of a house and dealt with in economic literature. The combination of moral values and housing policy is neither found in the housing, nor in the philosophical literature. Diving deeper in the housing debate learns, however, that there are a host of moral values present throughout this debate that are often not explicitly articulated and explicated, such as inclusiveness, sustainability, autonomy and security. The aim of this special issue is to address the role of values in housing policies and design.

Dear Colleagues,

Housing systems connect land, bricks, and finance with the need to have a roof over one’s head. Organizing adequate housing may seem a rather technical issue; in practice, however, values and political ideologies play a key role in shaping housing systems. Values such as social equality, community, and collectiveness play a role in social rental housing and connect to social democratic (and Christian democratic) ideologies. Furthermore, home ownership has a strong connection to particular values, such as achievement and ultimate security as demonstrated in “the American dream”. These values are rooted in conservative political ideologies. Since the 1990s, market efficiency seems to have been the dominant value in the housing debate, and therefore, the private rental sector is embraced and promoted by policymakers.

This Special Issue aims to contribute to a better understanding of past, current and future debates in housing. Unravelling the role of values in housing systems may help to create housing that could better accommodate current housing needs, while taking into account future societal demands and requirements. We welcome contributions from various perspectives in which housing and values are connected to each other. In particular, we invite prospective authors to connect different strands of academic literature: housing, public policy, social theory and applied ethics. As a starting point for the special issue, the guest editors have written a reflection paper. Reactions to this paper are also very welcome.

Prof. Dr. Marja Elsinga
Dr. Behnam Taebi
Dr. Joris Hoekstra
Dr. Mohamad Sedighi
Guest Editors

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