The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how important resilient and sustainable communities are to us all.

Decisions we now make in relation to housing, planning and regeneration will play a fundamental role in the future of our communities. Measures that are put in place will need to be ambitious and will require adaptation to a new way of doing things.

This June The Housing Agency will host a series of free expert-led webinars that will consider some of the key elements of future resilient and sustainable communities.

Participation in each webinar is free, but advance registration is required. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

To register for each webinar please click one of the links below:

Please note that these sessions may be recorded for future use.
View the poster for this webinar series here.

L-R Krystyna Rawicz (KRA Visionary Project Partners), Minister Eoghan Murphy, Sorcha Edwards (Housing Europe), Michael Carey (Housing Agency), Amanda Ziegler Dybbroe (CCPD) and Laura Burke (EPA)

Minister Eoghan Murphy opened the Housing Agency's Annual Conference which took place in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on the 6th November 2019. The theme of the conference was Housing and Sustainability. Read the Programme and Press Release

Speakers Presentations:

Laura Burke, Director General, Environmental Protection Agency

Dr. Nessa Winston, Associate Professor, UCD

Krystyna Rawicz, KRA Visionary Project

Orla Coyle, Programme Manager, Sustainability Energy Authority of Ireland

Mark Scott, Professor of Planning, UCD

Sorcha Edwards, Secretary General, Housing Europe

Amanda Ziegler Dybbroe, Copenhagen City & Port Development Corpororation (CCPD)

Pioneering Vienna Model of public housing exhibits across Dublin

The public exhibition will host seminars and events across three Dublin locations

Dublin, 1st April 2019  The pioneering Vienna Model of Housing will be the subject of a month long exhibition, taking place from Monday 1st to Thursday 25th April across three Dublin venues. The public exhibition is a joint partnership between the Housing Agency,  Dublin City Council and  the City of Vienna. It will feature a number of seminars and events to introduce a wider debate on housing futures in Dublin and nationally.

Exhibiting in CHQ in Dublin’s Docklands, The Rediscovery Centre, Ballymun, and Richmond Barracks in Inchicore, the Vienna Model of Housing is internationally regarded for its continued achievement of sustainable, high quality residential development using a cost-rental approach that in effect delivers housing for all. The model adopts a general needs approach to housing provision and delivers secure, long-term, high-quality and innovative public rental housing in well designed, adaptable and inclusive neighbourhoods.

Accompanying seminars will support discussion of integral elements of the Vienna Model such as managing population density, public housing as a sustainable solution and cost-rental.

Identified as a significant component within the Viennese Model, cost-rental works to achieve sustainable prices, disrupting the link between price and market values and moderating the boom-bust cycle. This is credited with helping to create housing at a cost that people can afford.

John O’Connor, CEO of the Housing Agency, commented, “The Housing Agency is delighted to co-sponsor the Vienna Model exhibition and the associated seminars. Our intention, when we originally thought of bringing the exhibition to Ireland, was to show what has been achieved in Vienna and to share it widely.”

John O’Connor added, “We believe the exhibition and associated events provide a timely opportunity to consider in detail a successful housing model that has contributed to making Vienna such an attractive and well-loved city for both its citizens and for visitors. As we face the considerable challenge of providing affordable housing, for many of our own citizens, there is much to learn from our European counterparts and from Vienna, in particular. ”  

Discussing the success of the Vienna Model of Housing, Executive City Councillor for Women’s Issues & Housing, City of Vienna, Kathrin Gaál, said, “Providing affordable housing in Vienna has been a political priority since 1919. Compared to other cities, rents and land prices in Vienna have not solely been determined by the market. Vienna's allocation guidelines ensure that higher income earners and the middle class can access the public housing sector.”

The Vienna Model of Housing Exhibition is open to the public and will be hosted in CHQ in Dublin’s Docklands from 1st to 7th April, The Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun from 10th to 13th April and Richmond Barracks from 15th to 25th April. Free seminars and free children’s workshops will take place across all venues. Register for seminars and workshops online at www.costrentalhomes.ie

For more information: www.costrentalhomes.ie

Damien English TD, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development launched two reports authored by Dr. Philip Crowe on 27th March in the newly restored Dublin Civic Trust project in 18 Ormond Quay, Dublin 7

The reports were divided into two areas.

Report 1:

How data on vacancy is created and used:

Case studies from Scotland, Denmark and Philadelphia.

and

Report 2:

Incentives for the reuse of vacant buildings in town centres for housing and sustainable communities in Scotland, Denmark and France.

The reports demonstrate the pivotal role that Government at central and local level must play in ensuring that we have a comprehensive and easily accessible knowledge of our existing building stock and the vital role Government must play in co-ordinating and managing the creation of sustainable communities.

These reports further add to and complement the existing data available around vacancy levels, how such data is collated and measured, with a view to developing innovative solutions and initiatives to make the greatest use of our housing stock. The first report focuses on the creation and use of a reliable database on vacancy, and the second report concentrates on the incentivisation of the reuse of vacant buildings in town centres for housing and sustainable communities.

Multiple-case studies are presented that illustrate how other countries address these gaps.

Report 1:

Case studies in Scotland, Denmark and the US are presented, providing a range of different approaches. The resulting datasets on vacancy are considered critical for effective planning, policy-making and working towards a more efficient use of the limited resource of space.

Report 2:

Case studies of national programmes in Scotland, Denmark and France are presented for a range of scales and contexts. All the programmes are collaborative and recognise social, environmental and economic benefits from social cohesion at the scale of the nation (France) to the well-being of the citizen (Scotland).

Minister of State English noted that; “Pillar 5 of Rebuilding Ireland sets out a range of measures to assist in meeting Ireland’s housing needs by ensuring that Ireland’s existing housing stock is used to the greatest extent possible. My Department and local authorities have already been proactive in dealing with vacant properties and there are a number of schemes available to incentivise reactivating suitable dwellings into the liveable housing stock. We are starting to see more activity under both the Repair & Lease and Buy & Renew schemes and Local Authorities continue to exercise their powers, where appropriate, under CPO legislation.”

Continuing, the Minister welcomed both reports; “To enable the optimum number of potentially vacant dwellings be identified, it is of course, imperative that we establish a robust and accurate set of source data. The launch of these two informative documents build on the repository of data that is available to assist all stakeholders identify the greatest number of vacant properties that can be re-introduced. It sets out workable models for ensuring that sustainable vibrant communities are achievable throughout the Country.”

The research was commissioned by the Collaborative Working Group for Housing and Sustainable Living, which includes representatives from The Heritage Council of Ireland, the Housing Agency, Mayo County Council and Space Engagers.

This ongoing collaboration recognises the urgent need to address the nationwide housing crisis, to use existing buildings efficiently, and to revitalise rural towns and villages and realise their potential for creating sustainable communities.