Workshops

This working group that organises this workshop adopts the umbrella term ‘collaborative housing’ to develop scientific knowledge on a wide range of collectively self-organised forms of housing, such as resident-led housing cooperatives, cohousing, Community Land Trusts (CLTs), experimental work-life communities, eco-villages, new settlements based on (local) community asset ownership, self-building, etc.
Central themes of the working group are:
1. Wider social, economic and technological trends underpinning contemporary collaborative housing initiatives.
2. The organisational dynamics of collaborative housing: management, stakeholders and networks
3. The links between collaborative housing initiatives and wider policy and institutional frameworks
4. Collaborative housing, urban planning and neighbourhood dynamics
5. Epistemological frameworks, methods and ethics in collaborative housing research
The WG accepts papers on the above and related topics.
Please direct any enquiries to the 2024 working group organisers:
Darinka Czischke: D.K.Czischke@tudelft.nl
Claire Carriou: claire.carriou@u-pec.fr

The main aim of the organising Working Group is to promote the comparative international study of housing policies and systems. For this workshop we welcome abstracts and papers addressing:
• comparative studies of housing policies and systems
• development of comparative methodologies in housing studies
• assessment of regional (such as Europe-wide) policies relating to housing
• dissemination of housing policies in individual countries, suitable for further international comparisons
Workshop Chair will be Michelle Norris.

The WG Crises, Conflict, and Recovery invites researchers to share progress, papers, and presentations on relevant topics. Collaboration with universities from conflict-affected countries like Ukraine is encouraged for research and networking. This event will contribute to the bigger interdisciplinary project – Panorama Ukraine. In collaboration with local initiatives Panorama Ukraine aims for long-term reconstruction in combination with short-term aid and is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science.
The WG’s focus on housing systems amid crises aligns with ENHR’s 2024 theme. Established in 2022, the WG facilitates research exchange and collaboration among European researchers and policy developers. Notable activities include events, publications, and partnerships with organizations like PBL, UNUN, RMIT University and TU Delft. Contributions include policy research papers, presentations, and symposiums, with ongoing involvement in Ukraine’s housing policy development. Among them presentations to policy working groups of the Ukrainian government, the European Commission DG NEAR expanded Ukraine Service, and also international organisations such as the Technical Working Group of Housing and Land Policy.
Recent efforts include organizing events in Vienna and Brussels, contributing to international field trips and symposiums, and influencing legislative reforms in Ukraine’s housing sector. The WG remains actively engaged in shaping Ukraine’s housing policies and legislation, with ongoing contributions to the Ukraine Plan and housing law development.

This Working Group welcomes contributions on urban neighbourhoods and local communities. We are interested in the social mechanisms behind and the implications of concentrated poverty and deprivation, segregation between various socio-economic groups, and broader social inequalities between residents. Additionally, we invite papers related to the conference theme ‘Making housing systems work: Evidence and solutions,’ particularly those aligned with the focus of our working group.

Energy stands as a fundamental and strategic pillar of our modern society, permeating every aspect of daily life. Its significance intertwines with critical challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, social security, poverty, health, food production, agriculture, and water resources, among others. Notably, the housing sector shoulders a considerable burden, responsible for 27% of global energy consumption (or 24% of total greenhouse gas emissions). Consequently, it grapples with multifaceted challenges spanning planning, design, construction of new housing, and the renovation and maintenance of existing housing stock. Thus, the energy efficiency of housing and its broader environmental sustainability have garnered significant attention within research and policy communities today. This Working Group serves as a platform for research-based discussions on specific facets of energy-efficient housing, alongside broader considerations of housing’s environmental sustainability. These encompass:
• Core concepts and methodologies; technologies and policies
• Applications across different stages of the housing process, including planning/policy, design, certification, regulation/legislation, construction, occupation, renovation/demolition, pre- and post-occupancy evaluations, etc.
• Insights and implications for policymaking and industry practices
• Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 (affordable and clean energy), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production), and 17 (partnerships for the goals), encompassing goals, targets, and performance indicators
• Implications for broader economic, social, and institutional frameworks or debates.

‘The feminisation of the housing crisis: determining factors and empirical knowledge’

Globalised cities in both North and South are currently experiencing an unprecedented and violent housing crisis. Some factors, such as the financialisation of housing, gentrification, inflation and the covid crisis, are specific to contemporary society, while other factors are historical: the precariousness, discrimination, unequal distribution of ownership, domestic violence, etc.
The impact of gender and race/ethnicity on homelessness has attracted considerable attention in the recent years, with literature that examines the kind of specific challenges and discriminatory practices that women, non-binary, transgender and racialised people might face in accessing housing (Blunt & Dowling, 2006; Bretherton, 2017; Lewinson et al., 2014; Pleace, 2015, 2018; Bernard, 2007; Salembier, 2018; Roy, 2017; Saaristo 2023). Even broader focus has been attempted, recognising that experiences of housing insecurity and discrimination are shaped by multiple intersecting factors, with the aim of fostering wide-ranging housing justice (Roy et al., 2019).
This session on gender and housing will seek to contribute to the debate on feminisation of the housing precarity from an intersectional perspective, focusing on two themes.
Firstly, it will examine the extent to which and how housing precarity and access to housing are gendered in contemporary times. In Europe and elsewhere, are women particularly affected by the housing crisis and if so, which groups of women in particular? What factors discriminate against women, non-binary, transgender and racialised people in their access to decent, quality and affordable housing? Do certain public housing policies make it possible to overcome gender inequalities in access to housing? Are these policies effective? To what extent is social action adapting to the feminisation of the housing crisis? From another angle, what resources do women and other marginalised groups mobilise to cope with the difficulties of access?
Secondly, we will be looking at the conditions under which empirical knowledge is produced when housing studies and gender studies come together to analyse the contemporary housing crisis. Does the mobilisation of feminist research transform the conditions for producing knowledge on housing in Europe? What are the methodological and epistemological contributions of gender studies to understanding the housing crisis?
The aim of this session is therefore to update and gather recent studies on the issue of access to housing for marginalised groups, and more specifically for women, and to question the conditions under which contemporary knowledge is produced on this subject.

Welcome to this workshop on land, housing, and governance in metropolitan areas. This is the workshop for researchers who are interested in metropolitan dynamics, urban change, governance, land markets, and housing policy.
The analysis of housing policies and policies for land for housing must take the metropolitan context into account. On the one hand, the dynamics of metropolitan areas involves powerful mechanisms of price formation, spatial differentiation, wealth distribution and variations in livability and social cohesion. On the other hand, metropolitan areas are also breeding ground for new initiatives and the rethinking of established policies and habits.
Our ambition with this working group is to establish an arena for scholarly and practical discussions which depart on and take account of metropolitan dynamics. Under this umbrella we welcome papers on metropolitan housing policy initiatives across Europe (and beyond), papers on land market dynamics and institutions, policies, actors, and tools. Our aim is to conduct multi-disciplinary analysis on how housing processes can be steered with governance and spatial planning tools in urban areas – not necessarily on metropolitan area level but giving priority to the spatial dimension. In this WG we have a special interest in metropolitan land policies, which play a crucial role in efforts towards more affordability in housing.
The theme for this year’s conference – Making housing systems work: evidence and solutions – gives a nice framework for discussing the role of housing, land management and governance in metropolitan systems.
Call for abstract – for the conference and a special issue. At the Delft conference the coordinators want to share thoughts about the potentials of a special issue – we are considering the Nordic Journal of Urban Studies (NJUS) and Urban Research and Practice (URP) to publish selected papers. Please indicate if you would like to have your abstract considered for a special issue.
We welcome papers on policy discussion and good practice and are waiting for your abstracts for this most urban-oriented workshop of the ENHR2024 conference in Delft!

In recent years, the Circular Economy has motivated academics and professionals to juxtapose housing with the concept of circularity, concerning both new construction and existing buildings.
Referencing the TU Delft Circular Built Environment Hub, A circular built environment is a designed system aiming to close resource (e.g. natural, material, social, cultural… ) loops at different spatial-temporal scales to enable the society to thrive within the planetary boundaries. Therefore, focusing on housing, we ask ourselves the following questions:
• How can circular housing design, renovation and construction contribute to a circular built environment?
• What new roles play involved stakeholders in circular housing developments (e.g. architects, private and public housing developers, housing associations and cooperatives, building industry, etc.)?
• Concerning Climate Justice, how can local circular design and construction processes (e.g. in the global north) optimize resource flows without affecting the resources of other parts of the world (e.g. the global south)?
We invite researchers from different academic backgrounds to bring their perspectives on circularity related to housing at different scales. Contributions with a trans-scalar focus are encouraged.

We welcome topics on the conference theme “Making housing systems work: Evidence and solutions” and other issues in relation to the housing situation of older adults. In addition there is a plan for a special issue on the topic ‘De-institutionalization of nursing homes and the importance of other housing models: from community to service-needs and person-centered care’.

Emerging technologies like data analysis, blockchain, crowdfunding, IoT, domotics, robotics, proptech, and digital printing are considered to transform the housing sector and the methodologies used by researchers. These advancements alter the way homes are built, sold, rented, and interacted with. While these technologies enhance our lives, reduce property transaction costs, and enable real estate investment, questions arise about their potential to reshape our conception of housing, legal and ethical risks (e.g., data privacy, consumer protection), or the benefits and challenges associated with digital printing in construction. This working group aims to foster interdisciplinary discussions on the impact of new technologies on housing research, considering the growing interest from scholars and professionals in the field.
Some themes of this working group are the following: Big data analysis and housing (research); Distributed ledger technologies (blockchain) in housing; Real estate crowdfunding; Proptech; Housing digital printing; Internet of Things, robots and connected devices in homes; 5G Networks in housing; Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the housing sector and housing research; Automatic creditworthiness assessments in mortgage lending; Interconnected (smart) cities.

In the past housing studies used to be a policy-oriented and an empiricist field of research, but during the last 30 years great advance has been made in theorising different aspects of housing and housing policy. Housing and Social Theory workshops in past ENHR conferences have been one forum for advancing theoretical discussions in housing studies. Also this year we invite housing researchers to participate in our Housing and Theory workshop. We welcome to our workshop theoretical and empirical papers contributing to behavioural, social and cultural theory in housing studies.

For the third consecutive year, the working group Housing and Young People will organise a workshop at the annual ENHR conference. The workshop aims to provide scholars from different geographical and disciplinarity backgrounds an opportunity to present and discuss research related to different topics related to the main themes of the working group, such as the living conditions of young adults, provision of housing for young people by institutions, private and public organisations, and families as well as the residential experiences of young people in the residential urban context. A full description of workshop themes can be found at https://enhr.net/housing-and-young-people-working-group-in-preparation/.

This workshop is a merger between the well-established Workshops housing market dynamics and housing economics. It relates to the functioning of housing markets within societies which housing markets are in many cases outbalanced and are affected by the great influx of migrants, refugees and a decreasing housing output. We would particularly welcome papers, beside economics also from other relevant disciplines, which address these issues. Papers dealing with modelling, theoretical and methodological approaches and with policy analysis and consumer perspectives are invited, and we would also welcome returning papers which enable a review of progress from previous workshops.
This is a highly participative workshop, and all colleagues – at whatever stage of their work – are warmly welcomed to join the workshop.

Researchers are invited to submit abstracts that deal with the wide ranging topics of housing finance, like mortgage systems, mortgage loan types, debt, developer finance, risk management; regulation and government involvement.

The general aims of the housing law working group are to promote dialogue and European research on the importance of law, rights and regulation to all aspects of housing, land and planning. These objectives continue to be very broad to accommodate national differences. Besides their political, social, and economic implications, housing, land and planning are profoundly influenced by varying national legal environments. Quite different national approaches have always handicapped international exchange in this area and traditional groupings of legal and socio-legal expertise, despite drives towards European harmonization have not explicitly dealt with land law but affect this strongly. This group aims to promote exchange and debate between people in the same area as well as promote understanding of the multiple types of relevant law. Legal, economic, sociological and philosophical theories are welcome, as well as sociological empirical work on the implementation of the law, to improve understanding and expertise across borders.

The Housing, Migration and Family Dynamics workshop will explore how families interact with housing systems, as well as the intersections between family, migration and housing dynamics. We welcome all papers related to these themes and in particular those which engage with this year’s conference theme of Making Housing Systems Work. Depending on the volume and content of submissions, we plan to run a series of themed paper presentation workshops at the ENHR conference in Delft, including at least one joint session related to families and educational migration with the Housing and Young People Working Group.

Central themes of this workshop are:
• Housing conditions, housing preferences and residential mobility of minority ethnic groups
• Concentration and segregation of minority ethnic groups
• Living in multicultural neighbourhoods.

This is a special session of ENHR’s sister network Asia-Pacific Network for Housing Research (APNHR)

COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have aggravated housing inequalities in the Asia-Pacific region and rendered adverse impacts on the well-being of individuals and sustainable development goals of cities and communities. Addressing these deep-rooted problems necessitates a thorough understanding of multi-dimensional housing inequalities, measured by tenure types, building forms, governance mode, living experiences etc.. This special session, sponsored by the Asia-Pacific Network for Housing Research (APNHR), aims to bring together housing researchers in the region to unpack the diverse manifestations and root causes of multidimensional housing inequalities, their impacts on wellbeing and sustainability, as well as their intersections with other forms of inequalities and possible mitigation strategies. Through meaningful discussions and knowledge sharing, this session seeks to advance our theoretical understanding of multidimensional housing inequalities and wellbeing in different contexts and offer actionable recommendations and policy implications to promote citizens’ wellbeing and sustainable development in the region.

The New Housing Researchers Colloquium (NHRC) is, primarily, intended for researchers engaged in PhD studies on any housing related topic. It is, however, also open to other researchers that may choose to present their paper in a setting that offers a mentorial critique of their work. The papers presented at NHRC are reviewed by highly experienced senior researchers who provide critical feedback and suggest improvements for achieving better scientific quality. In addition to its scientific merits, the NHRC also offers participants the opportunity to establish new academic contacts worldwide.
Young academics are also invited to present their work at the proper workshops, next to their participation in the New Housing Researchers Conference.
A social activity will take part at the end of the colloquium.

The ENHR Working Group ‘Policy and Research’ brings together up-to-date research and policy insights on the topic of housing policy, affordable and sustainable housing provision. We are interested, for example, in the variety of international, national and subnational housing policy instruments, the key actors and stakeholders and their strategies, the underlying political agendas, main institutional settings, particular financial models and the impact on processes and outcomes for people and places. For the upcoming ENHR Annual Conference 2024 “Making Housing Systems work: Evidence and Solutions” from 26-30 August 2024 in Delft/The Netherland the Working Group coordinators, Dr Jaana Nevalainen and Dr Steffen Wetzstein invite fresh and relevant contributions that broadly speak to this theme, also policy recommendations based on research are welcome. Past papers and presentations for this Working Group have produced new knowledge on the relationship of housing and policy with respect to inclusive urban development and regeneration, affordability and cost-of-living crisis, health and Covid-19 impact, housing and social reproduction, innovative housing finance, gender relations in the home, mobility and transport – and much more. Jaana and Steffen would be delighted to receive innovative contributions for insightful Working Group sessions in Delft.

The private rental markets working group was formed in 2008 in light of the growing role of private rented housing in many jurisdictions. In the intervening years the private rental sector has grown in almost all mature housing markets. However, the sector is changing. Many countries currently face severe housing shortages with insufficient supplies of social housing, expensive and often poor quality private rental housing and inaccessible homeownership. Private renting has increasingly become a tenure of last resort for many. ‘Generation rent’ has come to epitomise the plight of young people trapped in private rental housing. But many older people too find themselves renting into older age because of a lack of other options. This year’s working group welcomes papers on any aspect of private rental housing but particularly papers in line with the theme of the conference, housing systems and the role of the PRS and how we can make the PRS work, evidence and solutions.

‘Residential Design: From social and technical evolutions to housing solutions that work’

We invite researchers to submit abstracts/papers addressing the dynamic interplay in housing between spatial organisation, residential uses, time, culture, materiality and residential typologies. This workshop aims to delve into past and present housing arrangements and their intricate relationships with domestic uses, social conventions and construction techniques.
Possible themes of interest:
• Organization: Examining the impact of spatial arrangements on the liveability of housing
• Time: Examining the maturation and disruptions of spatial design in residential buildings
• Anchorage: Examining the impact of local or international conventions and innovations on typologies and systems
• Concretisation: Examining the influence of materiality on residential design

Suitable papers would fit with a variety of broad themes, such as the effect of physical housing variables on mental and physical health; the role of behavioral, social, and cultural factors in shaping relations between housing and health; the ways in which housing policy can be coordinated with other social welfare policies to more effectively pursue public health objectives; universal design and other strategies for mitigating effects of individuals’ functional limitations in the residential context; the delivery of health care services in the home; gardens, nearby parks and urban green spaces as health resources; housing stress in relation to loan delinquency or falling housing prices; health consequences of forced moves from homes (due to war, climate change); and individual and social consequences of insecure tenure and concomitant residential instability. Most of the papers we have previously discussed in our workshops over the years have been empirical reports, but purely theoretical and methodological papers are also welcome.

Residential environments are designed and restructured by people for people. The relationship between residential environments and people is mutual. Residential environments afford functions for and communicate meanings to people through the ways in which they are shaped, and human beings design functions and attach meanings to residential environments through their everyday life and activities. The Working Group Residential Environments and People focuses on the relationship between people and residential environments from the perspective of the individual. People’s attitudes, perceptions, preferences, values, choices and evaluations of the features and qualities of residential environments provide us with important information on the ways in which residential environments are used and (re)shaped. Such information may well provide a better understanding of the mechanisms behind residential preference and choice, values associated with residential environments, residential satisfaction, the quality of residential environments, the meaning of place, and the design of residential environments.
This year ENHR conference theme is on the housing systems. Considering this general theme, the working group Residential Environments and People proposes to focus on key residential environments transformations from a people’s perspective. We welcome theoretical and empirical papers addressing a more people-focused approach to their adaptation to or adaptation of their residential environment. We are interested in users’ experiences with their residential environments; their development and transformation over time; the impact of residential environments built in different historical periods on how people use and appropriate the space. We are interested in people’s perception of the environment in different periods of their life.

The overall objective of the Working Group is to explore and develop concepts for analysing institutional and organisational change and dynamics in affordable housing provision. Government policies, management reforms and rapidly changing social and economic contexts have placed new expectations on social and public landlords. In addition, policies encouraging partnering with the private sector and/or direct private market provision of social and public housing have blurred the lines between public and private housing activities. The processes and outcomes relating to these changes are the main focus for participants in this Working Group. Several main themes have emerged out of our workshops and international collaborations to date:
• Housing as a system / network
• The dynamics of institutional and organisational transformations
• Governance and regulation of housing
• Partnerships for affordable housing
• Social housing finance (NEW)
• Social housing management (NEW)

The Southern European Housing Working Group provides a platform for critical analysis of evolving housing systems in Southern European countries. We explore contextual specificities and transformations in relation to broader socio-economic and political developments in these countries. Since the publication of the landmark book ‘Housing & Welfare in Southern Europe’ in 2004 (Wiley 2004), much has changed in the housing sector in Southern and South-Eastern Europe. However, this has not been sufficiently reflected in international academic debates outside these regions, especially from a comparative perspective. This working group aims to fill this gap in comparative housing policy studies and invites all researchers interested in housing systems and policies in Southern Europe to submit their work for discussion, particularly with regard to changes and policy developments since the global financial crisis and up to the current polycrisis. The working group also provides regular opportunities for the publication of research presented in the working group sessions in international publications.

Housing and urban sustainability encompass a broad set of principles and objectives aimed at creating cities that are environmentally sound, socially equitable, economically viable, and resilient to shocks and stresses. At its core, sustainable housing seeks to provide safe, decent, and affordable shelter for all residents while minimizing resource consumption, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and preserving natural ecosystems. Urban sustainability, on the other hand, involves promoting compact, well-connected, and inclusive cities that offer a high quality of life for diverse populations. Achieving these goals requires addressing multiple challenges, including inadequate housing supply, urban sprawl, social segregation, pollution, and climate change impacts. Housing and urban sustainability are critical imperatives for the future of cities. By addressing housing affordability, environmental degradation, social inequality, and resilience challenges, cities can create more equitable, prosperous, and resilient urban environments for current and future generations.
Our workshop aims to explore innovative solutions for housing and urban sustainability challenges. In this workshop, participants will engage in insightful discussions to address pressing urban development and housing sustainability issues.

Participants will be invited to present on key topics such as affordable housing, green building practices, urban planning strategies, and community engagement. Different approaches and methods and successful case studies from around the world, particularly in Europe, will contribute to gaining inspiration for new avenues of knowledge in academia.

Key Workshop Topics:
• Affordable Housing Solutions: Exploring innovative approaches to address the housing affordability crisis.
• Green Building and Sustainable Design: Integrating eco-friendly practices and technologies into urban development projects.
• Smart Urban Planning: Harnessing data and technology to create more efficient, resilient, and livable cities.
• Community Engagement and Equity: Empowering communities to participate in the decision-making process and ensuring equitable access to housing and resources.
• Financing Urban Sustainability: Examining financial mechanisms and incentives to support sustainable development initiatives.
• Energy poverty and climate change: Discussing the impact of climate change on households’ ability to keep their home at the right temperature.

The WELPHASE Working Group was founded in 2003 and has given a workshop at every annual ENHR conference since 2004. In the initial phase, homelessness was the core focus of the Working Group.
Increasing awareness of the relationships between homelessness and housing, social exclusion and welfare policy, is reflected in the papers presented at more recent WELPHASE workshops. The papers usually reflect a considerable thematic diversity, albeit framed by the overarching focus of the Working Group on homelessness, housing and social exclusion, and welfare policy.