Housing under the Dictates of Finance. A Human Rights Crisis

Housing has become one of the key assets for the international financial sector, which is posing a massive global threat to the right to housing.

In her book Urban Warfare: Housing under the Empire of Finance, Raquel Rolnik analyses this global turnaround in hegemonic housing and urban policy. It has become more difficult for states to engage with the housing sector since housing began to be regarded as an investment product, says Rolnik. From 2008 to 2014, the urban planner and architect was UN Special Rapporteur for the UN Human Rights Council, investigating how inadequate housing fosters discrimination and human rights violations in many parts of the world, including in Europe. In addition to critical analysis, Rolnik’s lecture will also open up perspectives on ways to protect the right to housing.

Lecture:
Raquel Rolnik, Universidade de São Paulo

Response:
Gabu Heindl, Universität Kassel, Fachgebiet Bauwirtschaft/Projektentwicklung

Moderation:
Elke Krasny, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

Wohnimpulse #1 — a series in cooperation with MA 50/SPI