This research project encompasses an integrated program on housing data ecologies and sustainable development that evolved from foundational investigations into urban data cultures in post-socialist countries to a sophisticated diagnostic framework for improving national housing data systems. The initiative, coordinated by the University of Geneva in partnership with UNECE and multiple international institutions, addresses critical challenges in evidence-based housing policy through comprehensive data culture analysis and practical tool development.
The research direction focuses on housing data ecologies – defined as socio-technical systems for data collection and circulation that inform housing policy decisions. The work recognizes that effective housing policies, fundamental to achieving SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), depend on robust data sharing between public and private stakeholders regarding income, family composition, housing stock, conditions, prices, and occupancy patterns.
The program addresses a critical gap: while specific data problems are well-known by stakeholders, countries lack both comprehensive assessment instruments for their data ecologies and localizable improvement strategies. This creates a situation where problems remain intractable and are often accepted as unavoidable institutional constraints.
Project Phases
- The foundational pilot module examined urban data cultures in four post-socialist UNECE countries: Albania, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine. This phase involved extensive fieldwork including 24 interviews with housing officials at central, regional, and local levels, participant observations, and policy document analysis. The research team comprised experts from University of Geneva, Università Cattolica di Milano, Dublin City University, Birkbeck College London, and University College London.
- The second phase, supported by a grant from the Geneva Science Policy Interface, expanded the research to develop diagnostic tools based on analysis of 8 UNECE countries at different stages of economic development. This phase included Italy, Norway, Greece and Ireland case studies supplementing analysis of Phase 1 countries. The methodology combined policy review matrices, stakeholder interviews and development of theoretical models mapping structural factors to data ecologies.
- The current phase focuses on creating practical diagnostic instruments in the form of assessment guides, potentially evolving into interactive platforms with additional funding. The tools aim to help countries identify organizational and technical issues in their housing data ecologies while providing roadmaps for improvement strategies.