Housing, health and policies

 This Special Session is hosted within Track 11

Organizers:

• Yankel Fijalkow, CRH-LAVUE
• Yaneira Wilson, ESPI-ESPI2R et CHR-LAVUE

In the wake of the Covid 19 health crisis, the healthy housing policies of certain local authorities, cities, social landlords, and developers deserve to be assessed. They echo the slogans of international organizations that have been promoting the principle of "healthy cities" since 2000. While some are consensual, others denounce inequalities and environmental fragility. These policies target specific populations (the elderly, people with reduced mobility, the homeless) and specific types of built environment (neighborhoods, buildings, streets). They may focus on physical health, but also on mental health, leading to original ways of treating neighborhoods or housing (e.g., integration of green spaces, noise management). They can act in the name of health on issues such as thermal renovation, noise insulation, and the treatment of common spaces. They can use traditional urban planning and regulatory tools. How are these housing health policies implemented, who are the players, what are the criteria for action, what are the modes of governance? Can they develop the public problems of housing and the environment differently? Papers should deal with concrete examples of health-promoting housing policies, explaining the methodology used and paying particular attention to the interactions between actors and the narratives underlying their actions.

Keywords:  Housing; health policies narratives; governance