Housing and Urban Settlements

Aim / purpose of the working party

To create a communication-platform and -network on behalf of the broad field of Housing within the IFHP structure.This Working Party is meant to be an active basis for the international exchange of information, experiences and analysesThe work of the Working Party is aimed at specific themes and serves to make national, regional or local policies comparable on an international scale.

The themes are chosen by the Working Party in its meetings and discussions.

Target group

Participation is open to all professionals and experts in the housing and planning field who are motivated to contribute to the aims of the Working Party.

Activities

The focus of the Working Party is on the housing policies in cities and their effects on the quality and composition of urban settlements and the implications for the overall urban development strategies of cities. This implies the elaboration of the following issues:

• sustainable housing on the urban scale
• social and economic indicators and trends
• neighbourhood development
• housing market and housing supply
• inner cities and living quality
• variety and differentiation
• integrated development approaches
• new urban extensions and settlement qualities
• urban renewal and reconstruction

It is intended to organise a series of five expert meetings in five cities of interest to the aims of the Working Party, where the chosen topics will be discussed and compared with the local situation. A debate with local professionals and experts will be part of the programme. There will be a report of each of the five meetings and a conclusive summary as end-product.

Brief overview of past activities / publications

Kick-off Meeting: 17-20 October 2004, in Riga (Latvia), hosted by the Ministry of Regional Development and Local Governments of Latvia.

Second Meeting: 11-14 September 2005 in Tallin, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland.

Third meeting:10-13 June in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Dublin, Ireland.
Presentations of this meeting at www.nihe.gov.uk/ifhp.

Fourth Meeting: 5-7 May 2007, Lisbon, Portugal.

Planned and future activities

To be determined.  

Language

English

Composition of group and how to contact

The Working Party consists of a chairperson and members. The work of the Working Party is supported by the IFHP Secretariat in The Hague.

• Heikki Hirvonen,
  IFHP Exco & Bureau Member
  Commissioner for Congresses and other Events

Please contact the Secretariat for more details.

Last Updated @ Tuesday, 04 March 2008