Architecture essays

Housing, for whom?

Principal author

Robert Blaga

Profession

Asistent de Cercetare, Facultatea de Fizică, Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara

Co-authors (team members)

Andreea Andrei, Caius Muresan, Arnold Schlachter, Lorand Szakacs

Project description

In neoliberal capitalism, under the superficial guise of economic prosperity, there are always social groups who are being systematically marginalized, excluded and silenced, and whose quality of life is being degraded through the normal functioning of the system. The privatization and externalization of the mechanisms of social reproduction are some of the main ways through which this happens. Housing, with its central role in the reproduction of society, has felt the full force of this onslaught. Today, instead of being a home, a source of safety, nourishment and care, for many people the house now represents a mere physical shelter, and a source of constant fear and anguish. In this short essay, we argue that any discussion or decision about housing is necessarily political, even when explicitly assumed otherwise, as there are always – explicit or implicit – judgements made about whose rights matter, who represents a worthy citizen and who is recognized as a legitimate subject of need.

Text description of the author

We are a democratically and non-hierarchically organized critical analysis and direct action group from Timisoara. We want the city to belong to all residents, present and future, temporary and permanent, privileged and marginalized. We want a just city in which all, of no matter what class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion etc., have fair acces to resources and social services. A city in which we all participate in decision and policy making, because only through this emancipatory process do we become full citizens. A city that values people and nature before economic profit.

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