The Good Shift’s Post

ATTN: Town Planners & City Elected Office Holders - Parisian lessons in social and commercial planning to keep neighbourhoods truly "local." Even with a 6 year waiting list, 25% of Paris residents live in City Hall municipal social housing, including that repurposed from former government ministry buildings, to achieve "mixité sociale" (residents from a broad cross-section of society) policy which has built or renovated 82,000 apartments over the last 30 years. Some principal elected political office holders want a goal of 60% public housing. Paris City Hall's real estate subsidiaries also ensures the 19% of city shops it owns are part of its "petits commerces" policy to keep the neighbourhoods' fine grain of truly local, small businesses. 

A solution would be to allow all employees to work entirely remotely, should their employers allow it. As a result, the housing market prices would decline, companies could hire cheaper and sometimes better labour force from abroad, significantly reducing their expenses, making Luxembourg a more targeted investment. The state would still be receiving taxes from the companies and the country would remain as-is. Traffic would be less as well. Of course, it will not grow but it really depends if growing is in the plans for Luxembourg.

🏠 Over the past weeks, the Luxembourg Times dove deep into one of the country’s most pressing issues, comparing Luxembourg's housing market with Brussels, Dublin, and Amsterdam. From rising rents and affordable housing challenges to tenant protections, the series offers a comprehensive view into how other European cities are tackling similar issues. 👉 Read the full series and discover exclusive insights from Housing Minister Claude Meisch. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/3TIrZ9f

Let’s tackle the housing crisis – Berlin shows how. Germany’s capital has experienced remarkable growth over the past decade. It is now home to 3.8 million people. That’s almost half a million more than 10 years ago. How can the city manage this growth – and ensure that there is affordable housing for everyone? The Urban Development Housing Plan 2040 (Stadtentwicklungsplan Wohnen 2040) sets out an overall urban framework for Berlin’s future. It identifies how many additional housing units are needed in the future and where they should be built. The plan places particular emphasis on strengthening Berlin’s diverse neighborhoods while ensuring that they are satisfactory places to live. To help Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung, Bauen und Wohnen develop this plan, EBP Deutschland GmbH and EBP Schweiz combined their expertise in urban and strategic planning and development. The interactive development process involved various stakeholders and allowed for close coordination and integration with other plans. 👇Read the plan here (German): https://lnkd.in/e6inzqyA #ShapingTheFuture #UrbanPlanning #UrbanDevelopment #StadtentwicklungsplanWohnen2040

How can the UK deliver 1.5m high quality homes and places and meet the challenges of the climate crisis? Join us on the 21st of January at 6pm! We will be exploring this question in the first of our #Refine series hosted by White Arkitekter chaired by Phineas Harper. For this event I will be joined o by an an expert panel discussing how the UK and other countries are tackling sustainable housing at scale. Looking forward to hearing from Russ Edwards about The Garden Community in Tendering and Colchester where Latimer by Clarion Housing Group are bringing forward thousands of new homes in a sustainable community. We will also discuss what can we learn from large housing programmes overseas. Gerard Maccreanor will be discussing examples from when the Netherlands, in 1996, undertook the 10 year Vinex progamme, an ambitious project to deliver over 1m new homes across the Netherlands. With new communities added to almost every town and city. I will talk about Sweden's Milion Programme (Miljonprogrammet), aimed to deliver 1m affordable, high quality homes across Sweden between 1965-1974. And how this is reflected on today's growth in Sweden, with deals made between Central government investing in infrastructure and local authorities committing to large housing expansions. Whether through new towns, estate regeneration or retrofit, what can we learn from each other and how can different approaches by applied to the UK context? With a mix of UK expertise and international inspiration, the event will attempt to uncover how collaboration, design, and sustainability can shape housing policies and practices to meet the needs of people and the planet. Russ Edwards, Latimer by Clarion Housing Group Linda Thiel, White Arkitekter Gerard Maccreanor, Maccreanor Lavington Chair: Phineas Harper, Design Council Council Homes Taskforce Eventbrite link below 👇 #Refine #whitearkitekter #sustainablehomes

As a student in the early seventies, I was greatly influenced by the sixties plan to recreate the old town of Bologna for a new society: 'Città Vecchia, Nuova Società'. A programme of renovation led to ‘re-appropriation of the city’, particularly for social housing. Quality was regulated by strict code requirements linked to a grant programme. The grant scheme encouraged landlords to accommodate existing tenants or applicants from the waiting list. If landlords wanted to sell, the city had first refusal to purchase at a reduced rate. The Labour party’s manifesto promises to get Britain building again, take back our streets, rejuvenating high streets and bringing economic growth back to towns across the country. Key promises are to tackle anti-social behaviour and shoplifting, roll out banking hubs, replace business rates, revamp empty shops, pubs and community spaces with a strong new ‘right to buy’ for beloved community assets. All of that is in addition to Labour’s plans to enhance compulsory purchase legislation, build back planning departments and invest in new and renovated homes. My work takes me to many town centres across the country devasted by online and out of town retail. We need the kind of fiscal policy innovation being promoted by the Don't Waste Buildings campaign – equalising VAT on renovation and new-build, incentives linked to an enhanced Energy Performance Certificate system and so on. We need policies that compel institutional investors to make thousands of vacant properties fit for occupation. We do not need to be revolutionary to learn from Bologna, nicknamed La Dotta, La Grassa, La Rossa (The learned, The epicurean, The red). But how wonderful it would be to take a leaf of out the city’s play book and implement a Homes England grant supported renovation programme – a contemporary British 'Città Vecchia, Nuova Società'? Leanne Tritton Ian Harvey Muyiwa Oki PRIBA Yolande Barnes Claire Bennie David Birkbeck Patricia Brown MBE, Hon FRIBA Kate Davies CBE FRICS Kate Faulkner OBE Mark Easton Elizabeth Hopkirk Professor Sadie Morgan OBE John Myers Toby Lloyd Civic Voice Homes England https://lnkd.in/exvH6wU2

Form Follows Process - I was invited to deliver a keynote speech at Placemaking Switzerland's first event. It was a real pleasure to meet urbanists from various parts of Switzerland. My presentation focused on the impact of participation on urban form. Urban development creates social tensions in Switzerland as well as many other parts of the world. People are fed up with large concrete structures that impose themselves on the city and turn every citizen into a passive consumer of housing. In Switzerland, there are several venues to oppose urban projects. Referendum is one of them. But when a project is rejected by vote, it means that years of planification are wasted. The issue with voting on urban projects is that it narrows down the choice to either full acceptance or full rejection. As Hannah Arendt put it, "The voting booth in which we cast our ballots is unquestionably too small, for this booth can accommodate only one vote." What we need is more nuance and creative participation. Democratic systems needs to be widened and deepened with participatory processes. Participation in the production of habitat is nothing new. It was the norm in pre-modern times, until large institutions and corporations monopolised urban development. People have a instinctive desire to shape their milieu. When this impulse is denied, it creates a deep sense of frustration and powerlessness. Every locality has human capital (skills), existing buildings (assets) and a rich natural ecosystem (even the most urbanized places). We must trust each other and reclaim our collective capacity to shape our habitats. Visit urbz to view the full article

Just as floods have once again hit large parts of the continent and just as Europeans are called to elect their future representatives, the topic of Housing Europe's annual conference could not have been more appropriate: "The Nature of Housing: Biodiversity and Climate Adaptation in Public, Cooperative and Social Housing". We are facing both a housing crisis and a climate crisis and we need both: more affordable housing and more nature. How can this be achieved? Starting from the garden city movement that celebrated its 100ys anniversary, the conference showed many inspiring approaches that share one common principle: Let's build with nature and not against it. In my 3-minutes-pitch (thanks for the idea and the great moderation, Jean-Paul Judson) I tried my best to convince the present "policy investors" that respecting biodiversity in urban development means to move on from „nearly-zero-damage“ to „Plus-value“ neighbourhoods“. ✔ Developing liveable and healthy neighbourhoods via active and passive recreation zones for people, bees, dragonflies & Co 🌼 🐞 🦔 ✔ Creating inclusive communities e.g. through ecological urban gardening initiatives 🤝🍅 🥕 ✔ Using leafy green as the most efficient and cost-effective means of mitigating heat stress by renaturalizing the city and enlarging the green surface to the third dimension of buildings (cf. the concept of Biotope City Vienna) 🌳 🌿 🏢 Thanks Clara Mafé and Housing Europe for the invitation. Housing Europe Gemeente Hilversum Amsterdamse School Museum het Schip Aedes vereniging van woningcorporaties #nonprofithousing #socialhousing #inclusivecommunities #biodiversity Biotope City Journal

🚨 Why Now is a Great Time for Non-Doms to Invest in UK Property 🚨 Amid global uncertainties and economic fluctuations, the UK property market remains a beacon of opportunity—especially for non-domiciled individuals. Here's why it's the perfect moment to make your move: 🏠 Strong Demand for Rentals: With increased migration, rising interest rates, and a housing supply crunch, rental demand has surged, particularly in urban centers like London, Manchester, and Birmingham. This ensures consistent rental yields and long-term capital growth. 💷 Favorable Exchange Rates: For many international investors, the current exchange rates are extremely attractive. Buying UK property with a stronger foreign currency means getting more value for your investment. 📈 Long-Term Stability: Despite short-term market fluctuations, UK real estate has a proven history of long-term resilience and value appreciation. London alone has seen a significant increase in property values over the last decade, even amid Brexit and global crises. 📊 Tax Benefits: The UK offers non-doms several tax advantages, including exemptions on overseas income and gains, making property investment even more lucrative. With the right tax planning, you can maximize returns while minimizing your tax liability. 🌍 Global Hub: The UK remains a financial, cultural, and educational hub, attracting students, professionals, and businesses. This ensures continuous demand for housing, both for purchase and rent. In an ever-evolving world, investing in UK property offers non-doms a unique blend of security, growth, and opportunity. Now is the time to capitalize on these market conditions! Find out how we can help at https://lnkd.in/eiEEAUMH #PropertyInvestment #NonDomInvestors #UKRealEstate #InvestmentOpportunity #GlobalMarkets #TaxBenefits #LondonProperty #Simplicityproperty

We released a RFP to transform Manhattan's Gansevoort Square into a mixed-income housing a development and a new cultural hub as part of the city's efforts to expanding affordable housing option in NYC. Read more in amNewYork latest: https://lnkd.in/eHnifU_9