Housing Accessibility Versus Housing Affordability: Searching for an Alternative Approach to Housing Provision

In this paper, it is argued that after decades of a strong dominance of the notion of housing affordability in the housing provision discourse, there is a need to shift the emphasis from housing affordability to housing accessibility. Based on a literature analysis of how the concept of housing affordability has been debated and promoted as an appropriate policy instrument our main argument is that affordability does not necessarily guarantee accessibility for all. Starting with a review of the recent housing policy changes across Europe, the central part of the paper focuses on the discussion about the characteristics and inappropriateness of the concept of affordability and the introduction of the concept of housing accessibility. In the last part of the paper, we build on the notions of ‘merit good’ and ‘right to housing’ as the theoretical bases for proposing the introduction of a universal housing care system, along the principles of the universal health care system practiced in many developed countries.