Short essay written in the book The Social Dimension of Social Housing, edited by Simon Güntner, Juma Hauser, Judith M. Lehner and Christoph Reinprecht in 2023, Spektor Books. All essays and case studies are based on the work developed in the summer schools co-organised by IBA Reseach Lab, the Research Center for New Social Housing at TU Wien and future.lab between 2018 and 2022. I participated in the summer school in 2019 and developed the essay based on my research on housing in informal areas in Lima, Peru.
There is an increased quantitative approach in housing policies, including social housing, around the world. Their goal is often to build as much housing as possible and then use public sector resources to counterbalance market inequalities through loan programs, public-led developments, or subsidies. This scheme rarely achieves its objectives and, if so, it often has negative externalities such as socio-spatial segregation of vulnerable groups or the reproduction of vicious cycles of poverty and lack of access to resources. By looking at the dynamics and development of three neighbourhoods of Lima and the history of social housing policies in Peru, the essay leverages on three case-studies that showcase how a wider and multiangle approach on housing could positively increase the impact of social housing policies, especially (but not only) in informally developed areas.
