The neverending house

Access to affordable, stable, and dignified housing is a major challenge worldwide, affecting both wealthy cities and struggling areas.

According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), over 2.8 billion people—about 35% of the global population—lack adequate housing.

This crisis is driven by rising rents that outpace wage growth, declining homeownership among younger generations, and the displacement caused by real estate speculation.

The issue is not new; in 1872, philosopher Friedrich Engels highlighted housing as a structural problem of industrial capitalism, arguing that neither markets nor governments could adequately provide shelter for all workers.

Over time, governments in developed countries attempted to address housing through public construction, subsidies, and mortgage systems, but today, the crisis has worsened, with housing increasingly tied to financial speculation rather than basic human needs.