Housing and Health: A Global Perspective

Abstract

Housing is one key part of ‘total human exposure’ to health threats. Housing is a key determinant of health. Housing presents particular challenges for public health because of the diversity of its health effects. Research on the housing/health relationship needs to establish the relative importance of the different housing factors. The home environment should afford protection against the hazards to health arising from the physical and social environment.” However, housing policy trends: new construction is focused mainly on the expensive end of the housing market; fewer subsidies for new construction and for rehabilitation; housing privatization in a ‘socially inefficient’ manner; decreased maintenance expenditures; existing ‘affordable’ housing is aging and not being replaced; a smaller percentage of households in need of housing assistance are receiving it; real incomes declining at the bottom end of society affecting housing affordability; more poverty, severe destitution and houselessness; housing discrimination – affecting fair access to appropriate/healthy housing; Inadequate support for people with special needs. Key questions about public health in the global age: Can an “efficient,” unregulated, global financial capitalism create a good society – and a healthy society in a healthy living environment – for all? What happens to housing policy and public health policy in the context of growing ‘societal inefficiencies’ due to privatization, deregulation, and economic globalization? A much stronger partnership between the health sector, the housing sector and the other related sectors is required for successful identification and reduction of health threats arising from poor housing conditions. Outline: (1) What is ‘housing’? (2) Public Health in the ‘Global Age’; (3) The research literature; (4) The complex relationships; (5) Research Questions.