Facade d’un bâtiment résidentiel. The housing shortage accentuates inequalities In the majority of Western countries, housing is scarce and expensive, usually between two and four times more than the original construction cost. In The Housing Theory of Everything article published in Works in Progress, Sam Bowman, John Myers, and Ben Southwood, explain: “In the 1960s, it was commonplace that a middle-class single-earner American or British family would be able to afford a comfortable home.” This is no longer the case, and not only in the United States or Great Britain. In the past forty years, average house prices in the New York metropolitan area have increased 706%. House prices in San Francisco have gone up 932% – making them 326% higher than American salaries. In the same period, house prices have increased 800% in Dublin, Ireland; 1,450% in Sydney, Australia (compared with a 480% increase in hourly pay); and 2,100% in London (1,500% more than local salaries). In France, the financial pressures are such that it is almost obligatory to combine two salaries to be able to buy a home. Today, 62% of buyers are couples with both partners working. In 1990, this was the case for only 35% of buyers. In the words of Christophe Lalande, Housing Unit Leader at UN-Habitat: “Housing is a major challenge because it is the point of entry for economic, social, and cultural inclusion. It must be intrinsically sustainable, which means it must be constructed in such a way as to provide stability and dependable living conditions for the long-term.” A residential building facade. ©iStock/Nongnuch Pitakkorn 19 CONSTRUCTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
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