The urban realm, past, present, and future, has always been situated at the intersection of complex political, economic, and structural challenges, making housing and planning central to navigating broader crises. Currently, the housing crisis is a hot topic in many parts of the world. While governments strive to reclaim significant control over housing policies, the sector often suffers from a lack of long-term visionary thinking, strategies, and implementation plans. This has created a dynamic environment that demands quick and adaptive responses from housing providers and urban planners alike.
The economic impact of the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, along with other global events, has intensified these challenges. Housing providers now face the dual task of meeting the growing demand for affordable, sustainable housing while supporting communities grappling with increasing economic hardship. Additionally, the ageing housing stock requires substantial investment to meet current safety standards, improve living conditions, and achieve net-zero carbon goals. The push for modernization adds layers of complexity, highlighting the need for housing solutions that are both forward-looking and sustainable.
Historical Context
Addressing these challenges requires innovative solutions that cater to shifting demographics and the evolving demands of urban life. Looking back over the last 150 years, it becomes clear that the spatial crises we face today are not unprecedented. ‘Modernity’ has always been synonymous with urban crises.
In the 1850s and 1860s, Georges-Eugène Haussmann's redesign of Paris sought to address overcrowding and improve public health through wide boulevards and open green spaces. At the turn of the 20th century, Camillo Sitte in Vienna emphasized the artistic and aesthetic dimensions of urban planning, advocating for more organic and human-centered designs. Early in the 20th century, Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City concept proposed a fusion of urban and rural life to counter the problems of industrialization. Le Corbusier’s radiant modernism of the 1930s and 1950s envisioned a more orderly, functional city through high-density, high-rise living. Each of these ideas attempted to “fix” the structural problems of urban areas, with principles that continue to influence planning today.
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The Housing Sector Today and the Role of IFHP
The housing sector now stands at a critical juncture. Solutions must balance accessibility, sustainability, and inclusivity. A truly sustainable approach goes beyond affordability, incorporating eco-friendly designs, energy-efficient technologies, and green spaces. Innovative housing models like mixed-income developments, co-housing, community land trusts, and cooperatives exemplify this approach, fostering stronger social bonds and a sense of belonging while addressing economic and environmental concerns.
A central organisation contributing to these discussions is the International Federation of Housing and Planning (IFHP). Established in 1913, IFHP originally emerged as a forum for the Garden City Movement inspired by Ebenezer Howard’s ideas. His vision, outlined in Garden Cities of Tomorrow (1902), called for merging urban and rural environments to create a new type of living space—the ‘town-country,’ which aimed to combine the benefits of both without their disadvantages. Howard’s vision included circular city layouts with separate zones for industry, agriculture, and housing and emphasized the role of local control in managing land for the public good.
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However, as cities and their challenges evolved, so too did the notion of the Garden City and IFHP’s mission. While the Garden City concept was a cornerstone of early 20th-century planning, its influence has shifted as urbanization has taken on new forms. Suburbanization, for instance, drew from Howard's ideals but diverged significantly from his original vision of tightly integrated urban and rural spaces. Accordingly, IFHP has expanded its focus, evolving from a movement centered on Howard’s ideas to a broader platform that addresses the diverse and complex challenges of modern urbanisation.
Collaborative Efforts
Today, IFHP acts as a forum and platform for professionals, policymakers, and urban enthusiasts from around the world to exchange knowledge, ideas, and solutions to pressing urban issues. Its role is not to champion any singular vision of urban development but to integrate a wide range of perspectives, from sustainable housing and climate resilience to social inclusion and urban health. Through its global network, IFHP promotes innovative solutions to critical urban issues, facilitating discussions and collaborations that lead to concrete, real-world improvements in housing and planning.
Another important collaborator in this context is Vereniging Deltametropool (VDM), which focuses on the challenges of the Dutch delta metropolitan region. VDM works to bring together various stakeholders—such as governments, businesses, and knowledge institutions—to develop practical solutions for urban and regional issues. The partnership between IFHP and VDM fosters knowledge exchange and collaboration, contributing to more sustainable urban development and enhancing discussions on spatial planning strategies.
The Need for Adaptable Solutions
3For over a century, IFHP has adapted to meet the evolving challenges of urbanization. In this regard, the lessons of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden Cities remain relevant. Thevision of integrating green spacesinto urban life and balancing industrial and agricultural needs still resonates in today’s efforts to create sustainable, liveable cities. At the same time, new models that draw on this approach—like the 5-minute green loop for Copenhagen’s Nordhavn; the 10-minute Super Block for Barcelona; Paris’ manifesto of the 15-minute city; or the 20-minute strategy being advanced by TCPA—represent the kind of forward-thinking, adaptable approaches that IFHP encourages through its work.
As cities worldwide face the interconnected challenges of climate change, economic pressures, and shifting demographics, the need for bold and adaptable solutions is greater than ever. Top-down decisions and solutions must be questioned as well. Participatory practices and placemaking continue to be hot topics—when engaging with various UN fora; COFHUAT; Council of Europe and expressed by EAROPH; very much a core practice of the IFHP Finnish Summer School. Many citizens in the Global North feel disenfranchised and are not genuinely involved in the decision-making regarding the spatial transformations to come. Their electoral behaviour reflects distrust and a lack of optimism, and in many ways, this is justified. The private developer model for housing and planning, based on the free market, is failing, and we shouldn’t rely solely on public actors to save the day. A more participative approach to the challenges we face is necessary to create a new dynamic where a sense of belonging plays an important role.
Community Empowerment and Contextualizing the Garden City
Here again, the Garden City concept offers tools to address this issue, partly giving the responsibility of land management to inhabitants. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and cooperatives are concrete examples of collective housing. Specialists on the topic insist that we shouldn’t focus on a single solution; the key lies in a well-thought-out diversification of the housing sector, with joint private and public investments and the structural involvement of communities. The toolbox already exists; now it’s time to reflect on how to scale this up, involving all stakeholders. This might be the only way to (co-)create resilient urban environments for the decades to come.
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Contextualizing influential ideas like the Garden City is essential. Museum Het Schip has created an excellent tool to illustrate how this concept has taken concrete form globally. The World Garden Cities website promotes garden cities as a sustainable urban development model, offering information on initiatives, projects, and case studies that showcase the benefits of integrating nature into urban living. It highlights principles such as environmental sustainability, community well-being, and innovative design to inspire cities worldwide to adopt garden city approaches. Additionally, the site serves as a collaborative hub for cities, planners, and communities interested in this vision.
Conclusion
From the early vision of Garden Cities to today’s emphasis on sustainable urban living, the history of spatial crises and their solutions is a story of continuous adaptation. While the problems are complex and evolving, so too are the tools at our disposal. By promoting collaboration and fostering innovative thinking, IFHP continues to contribute to shaping the sustainable, inclusive cities of tomorrow.
To develop a long-term vision for the future of urban environments, it is essential to understand the past, interconnecting 150 years of history of modernity.
Images:
1. Port Sunlight in Liverpool. Bron: Graham Allan, A Hundred Years at the Global Spearhead: A Century of IFHP 1913-2013 (2013).
2. 10th World Congress Session in Amsterdam; IFHP Executive committee 1950. Bron: Graham Allan, A Hundred Years at the Global Spearhead: A Century of IFHP 1913-2013 (2013).
3. 46th World Congress in Rotterdam in 2000. Bron: Graham Allan, A Hundred Years at the Global Spearhead: A Century of IFHP 1913-2013 (2013).
4. IFHP x VDM Rotterdam Convening 2024. Bron: IFHP’s eigen collectie.
