engleski

What is the Added Value of Public Rental Housing Programme as Social Innovation?

Housing tenure structure in transitional countries is the result of privatisation of state owned housing stock in the beginning of the 1990s and recent housing policies which were supporting the homeowner concept. Also, a recent housing study gives the evidence how it is clear that an emphasis on housing as capital has led to a great rise in ownership levels and rising prices and, following the crisis, to a slump in investment in European cities. There is evidence how housing consumption of certain social groups has suffered, leading to deterioration in quality and sometimes even the loss of homes. The problems are especially evident in the Mediterranean and transitional regime cities and therefore appear hard to solve with existing, traditional policy instruments. This is why there is a need to focus on social innovation and policy learning, utilizing the links of housing to other fields of welfare more systematically. Public rental housing programme comes like innovation to meet pressing housing needs. In the city of Zagreb, Croatia, it has been created to meet the needs of young families with children who are not eligible for residual social renting housing and can’t afford housing loans to buy appropriate flat. Private renting housing market in cities is a fate for majority of young families renting small and expensive housing units, mostly without contract and, being sub-tenants and almost socially excluded people. This paper deals with the analysis of this housing (social) innovation. A part of the analysis relates to the housing situation - the framework of housing innovation – in the city of Zagreb. The concept of innovation addresses the position of users, internal organisations and mode of working and interactions with the local welfare system. The core part of the paper presents results of the survey carried out among users of public rental housing programme. Empirical documentation of added value the rental housing programme observes how new housing innovation improves the quality of life of sitting tenants. The survey provides evidence that this programme is a viable social investment with a potential to be re- implemented. Also, empirical evidence provides certain limitations of this social innovation and this basically relates to the offer of the size of housing units to tenants.

transition, public rental housing, social innovations, social investment, Zagreb, Croatia

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