Housing and urban development

Urban development, although it refers to a spatial visualization, is primarily an economic concept, taking place when economic growth generates added value in areas such as culture, environment, housing or social protection. Sometimes, the phenomenon can be accompanied by the expansion of the city into the territory - economic activities locate on the major thoroughfares, new jobs are created, demand for housing increases and new residential developments appear on vacant land, but often things do not happen in this sequence.

The expansion trends of Romanian cities in the last 25 years are more a phenomenon of suburbanization than a spatial expression of their development. They are more the result of a collective will to live in something other than the collective dwelling, multiplied by the low price of agricultural land (with all the costs of introducing it into the intravilan) and raised to the power of real estate speculation. Although they imply a certain degree of economic growth - translated by the new owners' ability to pay/borrow, they do not lead to, nor are they generated by, surplus value.

At the other extreme, in many European cities (e.g. in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, etc.) there is a trend towards redevelopment, with the regeneration of central areas, involving both a slight densification of housing and, above all, a renovation of the existing stock, accompanied by an increase in comfort and measures to improve the microclimate, green spaces and the services needed for quality of life.

Urban development strategies in these cities are based on the concepts of sustainable development (focused on energy-saving and environmental protection policies), integrated development (in which housing programs are supported by public services and utilities programs as part of an integrated urban regeneration policy), smart cities, based on creativity and innovation, both in the field of economic activities and in mobility, recreation, housing and, in general, the use of existing resources - whether land, buildings, water or energy.

This article aims to debate with a number of specialists - architects, urban planners, architects in administration - a theme related to the alternative supply of housing demand: suburbanization or redevelopment? A few points of view are set out below, in response to a series of questions that aim to critically address the relationship between housing development and urban development.

1. Are newly-built residential areas a more comfortable alternative to inner-city housing or what are the trends in Europe?

2. How is the supply of new housing materializing and what are the factors attracting buyers?

3. How will these areas evolve in the medium and long term and what will be the consequences for urban development?

4. What would be the role of the different urban actors in supporting redevelopment and what tools would be needed?