Prosperity for the Many

The report examines the impact of housing commodification in European cities, contrasting the neoliberal policies of the UK and Germany with the social housing models of Vienna, France, and Barcelona. It highlights how public investment and political commitment to housing as a human right, rather than a market asset, lead to lower rent burdens and better urban quality of life.

• Since 2010, European housing prices have risen by 42 per cent and rents have increased by 16 per cent, driven by the increased presence of corporate landlords, hedge funds, and tourist platforms.
• The United Kingdom's shift toward a "property-owning democracy" under Margaret Thatcher's Right to Buy policy led to the sale of 2.6 million council houses, contributing to house prices being three times less affordable than in the 1970s.
• Germany's privatisation of public housing has left social housing comprising only about 3 per cent of its housing stock, leading to high cost burdens; in 2020, 20 per cent of German households were overburdened by housing costs.
• Vienna maintains high affordability through a comprehensive social housing system where 62 per cent of residents live in social housing, with income thresholds allowing approximately 80 per cent of households to be eligible.
• The Aspern-Seestadt project in Vienna is Europe's largest urban development, aiming to house 25,000 residents by 2030 with a 5 billion euro investment, prioritising low-energy buildings, district heating, and a transport split of 40% cycling/walking, 40% public transport, and 20% motorised traffic.
• Barcelona has attempted to counter a "housing shock"—marked by the acquisition of 500,000 homes by US hedge funds—by increasing its public housing stock from 7,500 units in 2015 to 19,912 by June 2022.
• France has the lowest share of overburdened households in western Europe (5.5 per cent in 2019) due to a 2000 law requiring municipalities to meet 25 per cent public housing targets by 2025, resulting in 1.8 million public housing units.

APA

de Sus, M. G. (2022). Prosperity for the Many. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/prosperity-for-the-many/

Chicago

de Sus, Manuel Gabarre. Prosperity for the Many. Green European Journal, 2022. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/prosperity-for-the-many/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Sus |first1=Manuel Gabarre |title=Prosperity for the Many |publisher=Green European Journal |date=30 November 2022 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/prosperity-for-the-many/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{desus2022prosperity, author = {de Sus, Manuel Gabarre}, title = {{Prosperity for the Many}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/prosperity-for-the-many/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }