HouseInc is using innovative methodologies and approaches to analyse the interlinked dimensions of housing inequalities, with a particular focus on marginalised communities.
Funded by Horizon Europe and running from February 2024 to February 2027, the project is identifying the environmental, social, and economic conditions that can impact housing inequality across a range of scales – from micro, to meso, and macro.
HouseInc is focusing on the interconnected dimensions of poverty, including energy, mobility, and health, in the context of marginalised communities across four European countries: Roma communities in Czech Republic and Romania, Ukrainian refugees in Italy, and migrants from Eastern Europe in Germany.
It is addressing the challenges of rising energy prices, global warming, post-COVID-19 realities, and shifting migration patterns in these populations. By taking a holistic and inclusive approach, the project seeks to develop evidence-based solutions to foster socially just and equitable green transitions, contributing to sustainable and inclusive European societies.
HouseInc comprises several work packages. The European Centre for Environment and Human Health is contributing to Work Package 4: Social and Environmental Drivers and Impacts of Housing Inequality – with an Outlook to the Future, led by Professor Gesche Huebner.
Key activities include advanced statistical analysis of datasets such as the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions Survey (EU-SILC) to explore the health impacts of housing inequalities, as well as creating overheating scenarios for case study dwellings under various climate scenarios.
The main objectives and activities of this work are:
Analysing economic, social, and environmental drivers of housing inequalities and their impacts.
Assessing tenure types and policy effects on housing disparities.
Developing innovative, co-designed solutions to address interlinked inequalities.
Mapping and scaling social, economic, and ecological solutions tailored to marginalised communities.
HouseInc is a collaboration between leading institutions including Fraunhofer Institute, IECP, the University of Exeter, UCL, Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, DIW Berlin, and others, across multiple European countries.
The project outputs will include detailed policy recommendations, databases, infographics, country snapshots, and scalable solutions for local, regional, and national adaptation.