Is housing a fundamental right or a commodity? And how does the design of cities influence who can live in them? Barbora Bírová, director of the Platform for Social Housing, will present her personal “tasting menu” of books that explore issues of housing affordability, homelessness, and social justice in cities. She’ll guide us through her selection of books, ranging from the practical handbook Municipalities Without Housing Insecurity. How to Get There?—which she co-authored—to In Defense of Housing and Capital City, which explores the relationship between the real estate market, gentrification, and urban development. How can books help us better understand the housing crisis and seek solutions to it? The guided tour will also include a presentation of the exhibition All You Can Read with exhibiton curator.
David Madden a Peter Marcuse: In Defense of Housing (2016)
After the guided tour, you can stay in the exhibition, explore books from our reading room, or join Barbora Bírová for a discussion of In Defense of Housing. Why should housing be seen not merely as a commodity or an individual choice, but as a basic human need and a matter of public interest? How do ownership, power relations, and the role of the state shape access to housing? The discussion will connect broader social and political issues with practical experience in advocating for systemic change in housing.