Housing is a building whose main function is to offer shelter and habitation to people, protecting them from inclement weather and other threats. Other names for housing are: apartment, room, house, domicile, stay, home, lar, mansion, dwelling, flat, etc.
The right to decent housing is considered one of the fundamental human rights.[1].
Historical notes
Human beings have always had the need to take refuge to counteract the adverse conditions of living outdoors. In prehistory, to protect themselves from adverse weather or wild animals, they used to take refuge in natural caves, with their family, whether nuclear or extended. Traditionally, in the rural world, the users themselves were responsible for building their home, according to their own needs and uses based on the usual models of their environment and the materials available in the area; On the contrary, in cities, it was more common for homes to be built by specialized craftsmen or architects. In developed countries, the design of homes has become the exclusive responsibility of architects and engineers, while their construction is carried out by specific companies and professionals, under the technical direction of the architect and/or other technicians.
Right to housing and decent housing
The Universal right to decent and adequate housing, as one of the human rights, is included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its article 25, section 1 and in article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR):[1].
Decent housing, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in its General Observation No. 4, is housing where citizens or families can live with security, peace and dignity. Decent housing is part of the right to housing.[1].
Decent and adequate housing must be located in sufficiently healthy and equipped spaces, in urban neighborhoods or rural towns equipped with services, accessible, with intermediate spaces for relationships that allow neighborhood and social communication and where the family and personal development that societies demand is possible. For a home to be decent and adequate, it must also be: 1) Fixed and habitable housing, 2) Quality housing, 3) Affordable and accessible housing and 4) With legal security of tenure.
Collective housing
Introduction
Housing is a building whose main function is to offer shelter and habitation to people, protecting them from inclement weather and other threats. Other names for housing are: apartment, room, house, domicile, stay, home, lar, mansion, dwelling, flat, etc.
The right to decent housing is considered one of the fundamental human rights.[1].
Historical notes
Human beings have always had the need to take refuge to counteract the adverse conditions of living outdoors. In prehistory, to protect themselves from adverse weather or wild animals, they used to take refuge in natural caves, with their family, whether nuclear or extended. Traditionally, in the rural world, the users themselves were responsible for building their home, according to their own needs and uses based on the usual models of their environment and the materials available in the area; On the contrary, in cities, it was more common for homes to be built by specialized craftsmen or architects. In developed countries, the design of homes has become the exclusive responsibility of architects and engineers, while their construction is carried out by specific companies and professionals, under the technical direction of the architect and/or other technicians.
Right to housing and decent housing
The Universal right to decent and adequate housing, as one of the human rights, is included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its article 25, section 1 and in article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR):[1].
Decent housing, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in its General Observation No. 4, is housing where citizens or families can live with security, peace and dignity. Decent housing is part of the right to housing.[1].
Decent and adequate housing must be located in sufficiently healthy and equipped spaces, in urban neighborhoods or rural towns equipped with services, accessible, with intermediate spaces for relationships that allow neighborhood and social communication and where the family and personal development that societies demand is possible. For a home to be decent and adequate, it must also be: 1) Fixed and habitable housing, 2) Quality housing, 3) Affordable and accessible housing and 4) With legal security of tenure.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are approximately 100,000,000 (one hundred million) homeless people worldwide. Efforts have been made to combat homelessness both at the national level and by local governments, through housing programs that have among their objectives to increase residential stability for homeless people.
A systematic review of 43 studies, most conducted in the United States, with the remainder in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Denmark, found that a variety of housing programs and case management interventions appear to reduce homelessness and improve housing stability, compared with services as usual. These interventions include: housing vouchers, Housing First, residential treatment, among others. All of them seem to have similar beneficial effects, so it is not clear which is the most effective. Likewise, better quality evidence is required.[4].
The lack of the factors previously mentioned in this section means that a home suffers from a qualitative housing deficit. This defines whether a home is worthy or not, and its defects can only be recoverable, that is, its defects can be fixed through renovations. On the other hand, when a person cannot physically access a home or has irrecoverable defects, that is, defects that cannot be solved through reforms - for example, the arrival of a sewage system and/or other services -, it is called a quantitative housing deficit.
Empty home and occupied home
Unoccupied or empty homes
Unoccupied, uninhabited or empty homes that are in habitable conditions, which should not be confused with second homes that are occupied for short periods of time, constitute, from the point of view of access to housing, a social problem that questions the housing policies of different countries. The coexistence of a significant number of empty homes along with unsatisfied demand for housing is considered a waste of resources and poor management of the real estate stock. Although from the point of view of the owner it may not be considered a problem, if he can easily assume the costs derived from maintaining the unoccupied home, from the social point of view, an empty home is an urban pathology.[5][6][7][8][9].
Public policies in relation to uninhabited homes are of very different types, although in general they tend to penalize, to a very different extent, the inaction of the owner - be it a bank, a financial or investment group, a real estate company or an individual - to use said home. The measures range from total or temporary expropriation to the increase in different rates "Rate (tribute)") and taxes.[10][11][12].
Occupied or inhabited housing
The first function of the home is to provide a safe and comfortable space to shelter. The climate greatly conditions both the shape of the home and the materials with which it is built, even the functions that take place inside. The most severe climates require greater isolation from the outside environment while, on the other hand, there is a tendency to carry out as many activities as possible in the controlled and comfortable environment of the home; On the contrary, in milder climates the air conditioning requirements are much lower and, furthermore, a large part of daily activities are carried out outside the home.
It is generally accepted that each home is occupied by a family, but this idea must be qualified: there are different types of family and there are homes that are occupied by several families. In the developed world we speak of collective housing, as opposed to single-family home, to refer to buildings that house several homes, each of which is inhabited by a single family. Today, and due to the economic situation, there are so-called "shared housing"), which are used communally by several people without any kind of family relationship.
Another notable aspect, since it largely determines the various forms of housing in different cultures, is the set of functions that are carried out inside or around it. Tasks such as preparing and cooking food, washing clothes, personal hygiene or caring for children and the sick, and the way and means used to carry them out greatly determine housing. In many homes, a large part of these functions have been mechanized using so-called household appliances, so that energy consumption has replaced the need for large spaces and the exclusive dedication of one or more people to these domestic tasks. The last step in this trend is home automation, which aims to automate the greatest number of elements in the home.
Town planning
In Spain it is permanent accommodation designed to regularly satisfy the vital housing needs of one or more people. In relation to this concept, it is understood by:[14].
References
[1] ↑ a b c d e Ver art. 25 Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos, París, 1948, en Wikisource.
[2] ↑ ONU (1948) “Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos”. Art.º 25.
[4] ↑ Munthe-Kaas, H. M., Berg, R. C., & Blaasvær, N. (19 de diciembre de 2018). «Las intervenciones para reducir el número de personas sin hogar y mejorar la estabilidad de la vivienda son eficaces». Caracas: The Campbell Collaboration. Consultado el 21 de enero de 2020.: http://scioteca.caf.com/handle/123456789/1366
[13] ↑ Piso es la denominación de una vivienda en lenguaje coloquial comercial. También es cada una de las plantas de una edificación. Nunca se utiliza esta denominación en documentos técnicos, por su doble acepción, empleándose siempre el término vivienda.
[14] ↑ Decreto 22/2004, de 29 de enero, por el que se aprueba el reglamento de urbanismo de Castilla y León.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are approximately 100,000,000 (one hundred million) homeless people worldwide. Efforts have been made to combat homelessness both at the national level and by local governments, through housing programs that have among their objectives to increase residential stability for homeless people.
A systematic review of 43 studies, most conducted in the United States, with the remainder in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Denmark, found that a variety of housing programs and case management interventions appear to reduce homelessness and improve housing stability, compared with services as usual. These interventions include: housing vouchers, Housing First, residential treatment, among others. All of them seem to have similar beneficial effects, so it is not clear which is the most effective. Likewise, better quality evidence is required.[4].
The lack of the factors previously mentioned in this section means that a home suffers from a qualitative housing deficit. This defines whether a home is worthy or not, and its defects can only be recoverable, that is, its defects can be fixed through renovations. On the other hand, when a person cannot physically access a home or has irrecoverable defects, that is, defects that cannot be solved through reforms - for example, the arrival of a sewage system and/or other services -, it is called a quantitative housing deficit.
Empty home and occupied home
Unoccupied or empty homes
Unoccupied, uninhabited or empty homes that are in habitable conditions, which should not be confused with second homes that are occupied for short periods of time, constitute, from the point of view of access to housing, a social problem that questions the housing policies of different countries. The coexistence of a significant number of empty homes along with unsatisfied demand for housing is considered a waste of resources and poor management of the real estate stock. Although from the point of view of the owner it may not be considered a problem, if he can easily assume the costs derived from maintaining the unoccupied home, from the social point of view, an empty home is an urban pathology.[5][6][7][8][9].
Public policies in relation to uninhabited homes are of very different types, although in general they tend to penalize, to a very different extent, the inaction of the owner - be it a bank, a financial or investment group, a real estate company or an individual - to use said home. The measures range from total or temporary expropriation to the increase in different rates "Rate (tribute)") and taxes.[10][11][12].
Occupied or inhabited housing
The first function of the home is to provide a safe and comfortable space to shelter. The climate greatly conditions both the shape of the home and the materials with which it is built, even the functions that take place inside. The most severe climates require greater isolation from the outside environment while, on the other hand, there is a tendency to carry out as many activities as possible in the controlled and comfortable environment of the home; On the contrary, in milder climates the air conditioning requirements are much lower and, furthermore, a large part of daily activities are carried out outside the home.
It is generally accepted that each home is occupied by a family, but this idea must be qualified: there are different types of family and there are homes that are occupied by several families. In the developed world we speak of collective housing, as opposed to single-family home, to refer to buildings that house several homes, each of which is inhabited by a single family. Today, and due to the economic situation, there are so-called "shared housing"), which are used communally by several people without any kind of family relationship.
Another notable aspect, since it largely determines the various forms of housing in different cultures, is the set of functions that are carried out inside or around it. Tasks such as preparing and cooking food, washing clothes, personal hygiene or caring for children and the sick, and the way and means used to carry them out greatly determine housing. In many homes, a large part of these functions have been mechanized using so-called household appliances, so that energy consumption has replaced the need for large spaces and the exclusive dedication of one or more people to these domestic tasks. The last step in this trend is home automation, which aims to automate the greatest number of elements in the home.
Town planning
In Spain it is permanent accommodation designed to regularly satisfy the vital housing needs of one or more people. In relation to this concept, it is understood by:[14].
References
[1] ↑ a b c d e Ver art. 25 Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos, París, 1948, en Wikisource.
[2] ↑ ONU (1948) “Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos”. Art.º 25.
[4] ↑ Munthe-Kaas, H. M., Berg, R. C., & Blaasvær, N. (19 de diciembre de 2018). «Las intervenciones para reducir el número de personas sin hogar y mejorar la estabilidad de la vivienda son eficaces». Caracas: The Campbell Collaboration. Consultado el 21 de enero de 2020.: http://scioteca.caf.com/handle/123456789/1366
[13] ↑ Piso es la denominación de una vivienda en lenguaje coloquial comercial. También es cada una de las plantas de una edificación. Nunca se utiliza esta denominación en documentos técnicos, por su doble acepción, empleándose siempre el término vivienda.
[14] ↑ Decreto 22/2004, de 29 de enero, por el que se aprueba el reglamento de urbanismo de Castilla y León.