April 2012

During the Communist era most of the urban housing stock in countries in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union was publicly built, owned and managed. Since 1989 these countries have either sold or given away the publicly owned multi-family housing stock. Unfortunately, efforts to set up private condominium associations (or homeowner associations) to maintain and operate multi-family dwellings have met with limited success.

This paper discusses the historical context of such associations and the challenges they face, followed by solutions and steps forward in repairing housing stock in the region.

March 2012

The IHC, in partnership with a broad coalition, attended a day long advocacy and lobbying event in Washington D.C. on Thursday in recognition of World Water Day 2012. More than 100 people gathered to meet with members of Congress and their staff, primarily to advocate for the Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2011, companion bill to the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005. Adequate shelter is intrinsically linked to water and sanitation services, and with the density and complexity of urban slums, it is only more important that these issues are addressed together in cities. We expect to remain involved as this new bill travels through the House and Senate.

January 2012

To encourage a new generation of urban policy makers and promote early career research, the IHC is co-sponsoring a third annual graduate student essay competition. Winning papers will be published and selected authors will present their papers in a policy workshop in Washington DC. The grand prize winner will also present at the World Urban Forum in September, 2012 in Naples, Italy.

January 2012

The IHC 2011 Annual Report is now available online. The report details the work of the IHC for fiscal year 2011, running from October 2010 through September 2011. The IHC went through many organizational changes, including the hiring of a new CEO, Research and Policy Associate and bringing on our first intern. We successfully published and distributed four new research papers, on a wide variety of subjects, and actively participated in policy formation and advocacy. We look forward to a successful 2012! A full version or the 2011 Annual Report is available here.

November 2011

On November 1, the IHC, in partnership with USAID, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the Cities Alliance hosted a workshop for the winners of the Second Annual Graduate Student Essay Competition. Over 70 students submitted paper abstracts to the competition which focused on reducing urban poverty in three areas: land and tenure, health, and livelihoods. The papers of six finalists were printed in a book, Reducing Urban Poverty, published by the Woodrow Wilson Center.

September 2011

Representative Howard Berman (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, recently introduced a draft Global Partnerships Act of 2011, a proposal to reform and modernize foreign aid.

The IHC is pleased to see that Title I of the proposal includes “improving access to safe water, sanitation, and shelter” as one of the eight goals for development assistance. We are particularly pleased to see the inclusion of Sections 1602-1604, which would require the creation of a global strategy on water, sanitation, and shelter and would authorize the use of funds for assistance to water, sanitation and shelter projects.

September 2011

This new paper prepared by the International Housing Coalition and the Urban Institute and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation looks at the nexus of three issues in a specifically urban context: (1) The rights of women to participate in property use and ownership with full legal and societal protection; (2) the importance to economic development of property rights in urban areas; and (3) the role of women in economic development. Arguing that improving the property rights of women is not only a matter of human rights and equality but a fundamental principle that underlies economic development for all people, the paper offers recommendations for more effective development programming and implementation through the integration of these issues in urban areas and especially slums.