In a matter of a few days, Barcelona will welcome hundreds of visitors from around the world on the occasion of the fourth edition of the International Social Housing Festival (ISHF), which will take place in the Catalan capital on June 7th, 8th, and 9th.
ISHF is the most important international congress on social housing in Europe, and for this fourth edition, it has nearly 2,000 registered participants, double the number from the previous edition held in Helsinki last June. The objective of the event is to foster debate on public housing policies and address the multiple challenges faced by the public, social, and cooperative housing sectors in ensuring universal access to housing.
An initiative of Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Cooperative, and Social Housing, jointly supported by the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, the Government of Catalonia, the Government of Valencia, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda, and up to 200 partner organizations worldwide that make it possible.
Therefore, ISHF serves as a link between hundreds of professionals in the sector, such as developers and managers of social and affordable housing, research centers, professionals, local authorities, residents, and activists. It is expected that approximately 40% of attendees will come from Catalonia and Spain, 50% from the rest of Europe, and the remaining 10% from other parts of the world.
Over sixty proposals for all profiles
The current social and economic landscape presents multiple challenges, obstacles, and opportunities, particularly in an area as sensitive and fundamental to citizens as the right to access decent and affordable housing. To address this issue, ISHF offers a program that includes more than 60 activities in different formats.
The program features three plenary sessions on “New challenges and housing solutions in Catalonia and Spain”, “Emerging housing systems in Southern Europe”, and “Emerging housing initiatives in the Americas”. Additionally, there are six parallel sessions covering topics such as public housing policies, urban planning, market regulations, and the transformative power of architecture, among others.
In addition, in its role as a host, Barcelona will showcase examples of innovative measures and actions it has undertaken to improve housing in the city, such as building renovation, industrialised construction, cooperative housing, and access to housing for people with disabilities, to name a few.
ISHF will feature over 60 prestigious speakers, including the Euro MP Kim Van Sparrentak; the representative of the board of the International Union of Tenants (IUT) and advocate for housing unionism, Barbara Steenbergen; the Director of Housing Projects at the UCLA Lewis Center Housing Initiative, Shane Phillips; the Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Adrianne Todman; and the Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urbanism of Chile, Tatiana Rojas, among others.
The Palau de Congressos will be the epicenter of the event for the three days, but activities will also take place in eight complementary venues such as Ca l’Alier, la Lleialtat Santsenca, the Bonnemaison Center, and the Industrial School from Barcelona.
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