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New alliance of major cities: way to solve the housing problem
Rome and Barcelona are establishing the “Club of Big Cities” to promote rent subsidies and counteract the lack of affordable housing in European cities.
New alliance of major cities: way to solve the housing problem
A new initiative to tackle the housing crisis in Europe's major cities has been launched by Rome and Barcelona. The so-called“Club of the Big Cities”has set itself the goal of finding solutions to the growing challenges in the housing market. This announcement came during an event where the mayors of the two cities,Roberto Gualtierifrom Rome andJaume Collbonifrom Barcelona, came together.
The club is also seeking support from other cities, including Vienna, which is being considered as an additional member. Gualtieri explained that the focus is on promoting access to rental subsidies and developing concrete financing strategies to address the housing problem in metropolitan areas.
Background of the initiative
The mayors took part in the “Smart City World Congress” in Barcelona, a trade fair that focuses on innovative technologies for urban spaces. This combination of urban development and technology is crucial to finding sustainable solutions. They advocate a close dialogue between the European Union and the affected cities in order to develop tailor-made programs and policies.
The housing crisis is a pressing issue that affects many major cities, including Warsaw, Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam and Athens. All of these cities struggle with a lack of affordable housing and also face the challenges of mass tourism. Gualtieri and Collboni have stressed that these problems are interrelated and that measures must be taken to ensure that tourism does not further exacerbate the housing situation for locals.
"We want to promote specific EU policies and programs for housing. Our aim is to address the housing problem in different dimensions," explained Gualtieri. This includes a variety of approaches, from the provision of rental subsidies to urban planning measures aimed at making housing greener and more sustainable.
The initiative receives support through the announcement ofUrsula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, who wants to make financing options to solve the housing problem in the EU. This gives the big city club strong support in pursuing its goals. More details on the planned measures and next steps are expected in the coming months as major cities work together on solutions.