The sixth instalment of the ReHousIn Lecture series furthers conversations on housing inequalities with a deep dive into housing affordability in urban Poland in the 21st century, uncovering patterns and processes.
The presenter for this lecture, Dr. Szymon Marcińczak of University of Łódz in Poland, brings over 20 years of experience in urban inequality research to this discussion. Within the ReHousIn project he specialises in quantitative analysis which he uses to uncover structural links to inequalities. His focus for this lecture is to explain how such methods can explain inequalities in housing affordability in urban Poland over time.
Housing-related inequalities are one of the central topics in social sciences and is growing in importance as a topic of public and political debate, but it should be recognised as a human right. Starting already in the 1990’s housing prices have increased faster than income of residents. Differences in housing affordability can be observed across cities across short term and long term determinants. Examples of recent events that have impacted household affordability are rising immigration flows, the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and the COVID 19 pandemic, which in various way intensified pressures in the housing market.
Through cases in three major cities in Poland: Łódz, Cracow and Warsaw over three time points, the lecture discusses patterns in Polish housing inequality, relying on income methods to operationalise concept of housing affordability. One key conclusion was that even if the overall level of housing affordability increased in Poland, the inequalities in housing affordability became more acute over time.
To learn more about the key findings, you can access the full recording on Youtube. Our Youtube channel offers in depth discussion in relation to the project’s broader comparative research across nine European countries.
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