Housing and Spatial Justice in the Xxi Century Social Habitat and Informal Settlements

Two Working Programmes from UIA join forces with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to discuss the forms of production of social habitation in the XXI century, in the context of spatial justice and the right to housing. The dialogue presents innovative solutions that are being addressed in the world, especially in the most urbanized cities globally and that are faced with the difficulties of accelerated urbanization. The program will invite diverse, citizen-engaged perspectives, and will provide opportunities for international partnerships in the fight against housing inadequacy.
By working with insufficiently housed communities and designing beautiful, sustainable, affordable homes, architects contribute to the internationally recognized right to housing. At the same time, housing advocates can better meet their human-centered goals by fully engaging the spatial dimensions of adequate housing provision.
The UIA Social Habitat Working Programme has developed a Manifesto: ‘In order for the habitat to be socially inclusive, it must provide not only shelters, but also decent, long-lasting and healthy solutions, ensuring at the same time the privacy and the individuality for the inhabitants.’ To broaden the knowledge of SHWP, this year the UIA created the Working Programme Informal Settlements, seeking to contribute with solutions for the urbanization of precarious settlements that are currently occupied by around one billion people. These numbers highlight the importance of the presence of architects to participate in the solution of these problems, focusing on the social dimensions of architecture and urbanism through informal settlement upgrades.
Since 2022, the AIA Housing and Community Development Knowledge Community has convened a Right-to-Housing Working Group to work toward longstanding global humanitarian standards. The group explores the questions, “What does the right to housing mean in practice?” and “How can architects contribute?”
Bringing together aligned UIA and AIA programmes, this SDGs in Action session presents a case for the right to housing across the globe, from a localized, spatial justice perspective. Spatial justice examines how social, economic, and environmental justice manifests in the built environment. We will explore formal and informal global housing case studies that address the specific needs of residents, countering the one-size-fits-all approach. Our collective professional experience, ranging from leading global projects to developing specific projects for a given area, offers lessons for physical transformations that lead to a significant improvement in residents’ quality of life. Our program will discuss ways to leverage recent housing policy developments in global project sites.In the face of housing systems designed for private profit over public good, we will discuss opportunities for multi-sector collaboration toward housing as a human right, rooted in citizen engagement.