In many European countries, housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable, particularly in urban areas. Currently, housing affordability is considered one of the most pressing issues in Europe, and it is proving very difficult to resolve. As the European Green Deal seeks to decarbonize the building stock to meet newly established global targets, the housing sector faces two seemingly contradictory challenges: on the one hand, preventing an increasing number of urban dwellers from struggling to access decent housing; and, on the other hand, boosting private investment to make existing and future housing more sustainable across multiple dimensions—environmental, social, economic, and cultural.
Providing affordable and sustainable housing is a complex task that involves multiple disciplines, sectors, and stakeholders. However, housing affordability and sustainability have often been addressed separately, from various disciplinary perspectives (e.g. architecture and planning, economics, sociology) and realms (e.g. policymaking, sustainable development, urban planning, green building). Recent research suggests that it is necessary to view housing affordability and sustainability as complementary and interrelated aspects requiring a transdisciplinary approach. This involves combining academic disciplines and engaging non-academic sectors in the co-production of knowledge.
To address this, ten academic beneficiaries and twelve non-academic partner organizations created a learning and research environment to train future professionals to approach housing challenges transdisciplinarily. Fifteen early-stage researchers (ESRs) from diverse backgrounds conducted PhD investigations, co-producing knowledge to tackle three interrelated research areas: design, planning, and building; community participation; and policy and financing.
Over three years, a structured training environment supported ESRs in developing and applying transdisciplinary skills through:
1. Courses in research methods, tools, and transferable skills for inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration.
2. Networking activities, including workshops, summer schools, and conferences, to foster cross-disciplinary dialogues with academics and non-academic stakeholders.
3. Secondments with academic and non-academic partners, providing practical experience in addressing affordable and sustainable housing challenges.
The programme's success in achieving its objectives—training a new generation of professionals capable of tackling housing challenges transdisciplinarily—will be evaluated in the medium to long term. The quality and impact of the ESRs’ PhD dissertations will also provide insight into their potential to drive meaningful change across academic and practical domains.
