Format

We use two formats at this conference: discussions to open and close the conference, and six sessions that will take up most of our time. In addition, there are plenty of breaks and time for socializing scheduled, to allow ample time for less structured interaction. 

Opening and closing discussions

We’ll kick off the conference with an opening discussion on “Does Europe Face A Housing Crisis?”. We'll address this question in breakout groups, followed by a collective debrief in the plenary. Like many topics we'll explore, this particular question hinges on two aspects: Defining the criteria that signify a housing crisis in Europe; and determining if, or to what extent, European housing markets meet this criteria.

This starting discussion offers everyone a chance to highlight which elements of the housing system they prioritize and to provide an overview of their perspective on Europe's housing landscape. Please arrive prepared with your response and a relevant statistic or data point to support your viewpoint, preferably drawn from your research or policy area.

The closing discussion will provide an opportunity to reflect on learnings over the two days, and brainstorm ideas for potential next steps.    

Sessions

At the heart of the conference are six sessions on topics distilled from the initial discussions I had with each of you. The topics are homelessness, gentrification, housing supply, rent control, ownership, and taxation, monetary policy, and housing finance. 

Each session is structured as follows:

• Input (15min, plenary)

• Q&A (15 min, plenary)

• Group sessions (40min, breakout groups)

• Group session debrief (20min, plenary) 

The role of the input is to provide a broad introduction to the theme of the session, including central policy and research questions; current debates; and useful findings and facts. In addition, the inputs are an opportunity to share some of the particularities of your disciplinary approach. It is welcome to give an example of how your own research addresses an aspect of the session’s theme, outlining the general approach in a non-technical manner and reflecting on limitations. The input is followed by a Q&A. I’ve allocated inputs to participants, with the goal of striking a balance between covering a diverse range of disciplinary perspectives and selecting experts for respective themes of the sessions.  

Group sessions are proposed and convened by participants, based on questions or claims related to the session theme. For instance, you might propose to lead a session on “Should the state subsidize home-ownership?” for the session on taxation and monetary policy; propose a claim you think is correct but suspect that others disagree with, e.g. “There is nothing wrong with gentrification”, for the gentrification session, or defend a policy proposal “London should focus on upzoning to encourage more supply of housing”, for the supply session. We’ll aim at running 3-5 sessions in parallel at each panel. 

I invite you to submit session ideas. To do so, please email me with the session title and a brief description for context. Here are some guidelines:

• Proposal Limit: While I encourage everyone to suggest at least one group session, you're welcome to propose multiple.

• Selection Process: If we receive an abundance of ideas, we'll hold a quick vote to narrow down the topics.

• Attendance: On the day of the event, participants can choose which group session to attend.

• Suggested Topics: In the next section, I've provided potential topics based on our initial discussions. However, don't feel confined to these suggestions. Propose topics that you’d enjoy discussing with participants. 

• Cross-Cutting Themes: Many of you mentioned overarching themes like sustainability and inequality. These can be integrated into various session topics. If you're unsure about the relevance of a topic, please still propose it. We'll ensure it finds a suitable slot.

As the convener of your group sessions, you're encouraged to provide a brief introduction to the topic and pose a few guiding questions for discussion.

Once all group sessions wrap up, we'll reconvene in the plenary for a debrief. Here, each group will have approximately 5 minutes to summarize and share their session's insights with everyone.