Dear Members of the Urban Labour Network,
The research I am conducting during this year (2011) at my post-doctoral stage in Europe (University College London, Development Planning Unit from March till July under Professor Yves Cabannes’ supervision; International Labour Organization between August and September under Dr. Edmundo Werna’s supervision and World Health Organization between October and November under Dr. Carlos Dora’s supervision) is on “Social housing production in metropolitan central areas and its consequences for health promotion and decent work”.
The research aims to analyze and understand how and to what extend social housing and revitalization programs in central areas of Metropolitan cities are affecting health and decent work conditions. Brazilian empirical observation and exploratory research results are commonly assuming that social housing production in central areas is bringing positive outcomes to the low income population in terms of health and working conditions and access to work for the residents. And we would like to challenge this commonly accepted wisdom. The first phase is quite exploratory research and focus on identifying theoretical references linked to empiric observed process and short interviews with key professional and academics. Our intention, at a later stage is to design a method to carry out a comparative research in both central and peripheral social housing estates of Sao Paulo Metropolitan Region (Brazil) which have been built in the last decades.
In the research first periods at London I’ve been collecting and analyzing theoretical references and some data mainly related with urban and housing policies, urban regeneration projects, gentrification, in terms of the recent public policies, investments and trends in Sao Paulo, Brazil and some selected European cities.
I would be very happy to share ideas, references and discuss with who could be interested in such subject(s),
Best Regards,
Francisco
Dear Francisco,
An academic who has worked and built empirical evidence to challenge social housing is Chilean Alfredo Rodriguez. In 2005, he published his book (along with Ana Sugranyes) ´Los con techo´ in which he draws comparisons between downtown neighborhoods (without social housing policies) and peripheral social housing projects, looking at their social and financial aspects. He argues that the Chilean social housing policy (and financial mechanisms)has supplied people with large quantities of living spaces, but has created new urban problems related to poor health, higher violence rates, inaccessibility to jobs and lack of sense of appropriation (as residents expect to leave those neighborhoods). You might find his data interesting for your research.
Best,
Andrea