NIMBY? YIMBY? Affordablehousingaction.org is based in Canada. We have taken the attitude that, where it comes to affordable housing, it is possible to learn from what’s going on in other ‘back yards’ around the world. There are a few (maybe very few) that can readily apply, no matter how brilliant they may be. The following article brings up a famous affordable housing success that is regularly referenced in Canada as well as other countries around the world. But how realistic is it to expect translatable success stories from, say Vienna, Austria?
As the following article in The Conversation points out, Canada can never duplicate the success of Vienna’s complex history behind its internationally acknowledged and envied housing success, no matter how much it might want to. That’s for the simple reason that Vienna’s success has evolved over pretty much an entire century. Current affordable housing crises in Canada (and many, many other places) don’t have the luxury of one-century startups.
Still, it can be beneficial to take note of other successful working practices, even if they haven’t evolved for a century. The same holds true for strategies that work in Canada, which may be worth exploring in other countries.
So here are some useful home-grown solutions that help Canadians with their local, regional and national affordable housing problems. Some may be useful in other countries intent on finding a durable fix or two for their own housing crises. Read more in THE CONVERSATION: 4 affordable housing strategies that are working in Canada
