Bouwkunde host to the European Network of Housing Research (ENHR)

Housing is back on the political agenda in many European countries. Many urgent housing problems need to be solved today. The Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment is hosting and organising the ENHR congress in Delft on 26-30 August 2024. This congress focuses mainly on how these problems can be solved. The overall theme of this year's congress is therefore 'Making Housing Systems work: Evidence and Solutions.'  

From policy to solution

Many countries are facing greater demand for housing than predicted a few years ago and living in the existing stock is becoming increasingly expensive, partly due to poor insulation and high energy prices. Housing is hardly affordable anymore for young, low- and middle-income groups, especially in larger cities. Marginalization, segregation and affordability are therefore back on the political agenda.

Over the past two years, the Minister of Housing in the Netherlands has launched an impressive number of policy proposals on various aspects of the housing market. But less established and promising new forms of new housing initiatives will also be discussed, such as the development of a third sector of housing cooperatives. These can be part of the solution to social, affordability and environmental challenges in our housing markets. Affordability problems can also be solved by the energy transition and by producing homes in an industrialized manner. Both topics will be discussed in detail during the plenary meetings. 

A programme for many

Besides plenaries and workshops, we are organizing a series of other activities, such as excursions to housing and urban development projects in Delft and surrounding areas, two housing-related exhibitions in the Oostserre (‘Vision Team Wonen’ and ‘Collaborative Housing in Delft’), book presentations and a movie screening. Students who volunteer to help with the conference get free access to all these activities. PhD students have a specially dedicated day to present and discuss their work, at the “New Housing Researchers Colloquium” on Monday 26 August.
Dean Dick van Gameren, together with a representative of the new Ministry of Housing and Spatial Development, will open the congress at the Aula Congress Centre.

More information

• The conference will take place from 26 to 30 August in the auditorium of the TU Delft Aula and at TU Delft's Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment.
• More information about the programme and speakers can be found at ENHR 2024 Delft.
• You can register for the congress here.
• From our faculty, many scientists are closely involved in the organisation. The scientific committee consists of: Peter Boelhouwer (chair), Marja Elsinga, Vincent Gruis, Willem Korthals Altes, Henk Visscher, Darinka Czischke and Marietta Haffner - all from the MBE department.