BACK TO SCHOOL WITH… ANDREA PRINS #3
Lezing / Debat
The financialization of housing has been no accident – it has been a deliberate process. Many benefit from it: the government by creating a (conservative) population attached to home ownership, the construction industry which has consolidated its power position, and homeowners because of the substantial subsidies and the increasing value of their property. But the financialization of housing has also led to increasing housing inequality, making it inaccessible to an increasing number of people. Part of this also has to do with a knowledge deficit: people think that home ownership is the only housing solution – even if buying only brings misery. On this evening, we will discuss alternatives to ownership and explore what can be done about this illiteracy together with housing law specialist Nicolas Bernard. In his talk he will address question such as: Why does property hold such fascination today? What explains why housing assistance policies (at least in Belgium) are so heavily focused on homeownership? What values does this promotion of property convey? What are the benefits, but also the unintended consequences, of this policy? And, most importantly, are there alternatives—perhaps more social, less costly for the community, more collective, and more ecological—to private, individual, and perpetual ownership? The Community Land Trust is one such solution, but it is not the only one. Ultimately, how can we rethink our approach to property without falling into collectivism?