MODERN SOLUTIONS IN HOUSING POLICY IN EUROPE AND THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN (COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)
MODERN SOLUTIONS IN HOUSING POLICY IN EUROPE AND THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN (COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)
Darina Aituova
Master's degree student, Karaganda Technical University,
Kazakhstan, Karaganda
Sholpan Zhakupova
Associate Professor, Candidate of philological sciences,
Kazakhstan, Karaganda
ABSTRACT
The article is devoted to the problems of housing delivery systems in in some countries of Europe and the Republic of Kazakhstan. The article presents examples of the modern housing delivery programs in Europe and Kazakhstan and analyzed the demand and supply issues. The article deals with the problems housing shortage in Kazakhstan in particular and improperly constructed housing policy, thereby offering and exploring ways to solve these problems for many countries of the world with unstable economies. The article is of interest to students and economists in the field of housing policy.
The impending housing crisis requires countries and cities to respond in the form of laws, government programs and, of course, architectural innovations. In 2016, at a meeting of the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development Habitat III, the world's most important housing program, a principle was voiced that influenced all further decisions: "Housing is not a convenience, but a natural right of everyone." To implement it, it is not enough to simply increase construction. The rather harsh European budget framework gives rise to innovative, political and technological approaches. At the same time, the success of this or that innovation depends entirely on the factors: the city, the country, the population. Few of the following projects and legislative measures could have taken root in their original form in modern Kazakhstan realities. But we believe that with proper analysis, the meaning of these decisions can form the basis of a successful affordable housing project in the capital and regions.
Germany: «To build and reconstruct old panel houses, not to build new ones»
"I am not rich enough to build new cheap houses when there are already enough old ones..." - this is how the decision taken by the Berlin City Hall in September 2018 can be described as a reaction to the housing crisis gaining momentum. «Superstructure» and «Reconstruction» of existing panel houses allows you to increase both the living area and its energy efficiency. In other words, it can be called retrofitting. Panel high-rise buildings in East Berlin have repeatedly become the objects of housing improvement programs. They were demolished, ennobled, reduced the number of floors, recognized as the communist past, which has no place in modern Germany, and innovations from the past, necessary in the present. When the passions subsided, many experts came to realize that their quality, especially with proper and timely repairs, is not much inferior to the quality of more modern buildings.
The ever-growing need for affordable housing has finally convinced the city authorities that what the last 30 years have been leaving has become the limit of dreams for many in 2018 – inexpensive comfortable housing within the city. Therefore, in 2018, the Berlin City Hall decided to build some panel houses in East Berlin. When choosing objects, both the socio-economic analysis of the area and the technical characteristics of the building itself are taken into account, as well as the distance at which the building is located from the neighboring one, so that the shadow does not interfere with the residents of the lower floors[4].
Netherlands: «Temporary housing for people with higher education who earn but cannot afford to rent an apartment»
Temporary housing made of easily assembled and disassembled structures has been considered for many years as one of the solutions to natural and humanitarian crises. On average, people live in it for 2-3 years while the construction or reconstruction of social housing is underway.
The small houses designed by the Dutch company «Heijmans» represent a small technical miracle. Such a structure can be assembled in a day, and it will serve for about ten years. Created for one or a couple of inhabitants, the houses are designed to provide maximum comfort even on a small area of 40 square meters. This is achieved through the competent organization of space, a large amount of light and the use of smart home technologies, which literally thinks about its owner (and sometimes for him).
More than 180 such houses have already been installed in the Netherlands. They appear in urban wastelands and are designed for the most vulnerable group of the population – young highly educated specialists. Young people aged 25-30 who earn too much to qualify for social benefits, but still not enough to rent a house on their own. A rent of 860 euros for forty square meters of comfort, in an urban environment, by European standards, is a very good prospect[4].
Belgium: «Eco-quarter with small gardens for each resident»
Renovated social housing in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the city became the winner of the European Responsible Housing Award - 2016. The project complies with all the requirements of green construction and was created together with future residents. Almost every resident has his own small vegetable garden in which he can grow vegetables and fruits, which can be a help in the family budget. In addition, the quarter exists entirely due to alternative energy sources[5].
Kazakhstan: "Provision of rent-free housing to the working population"
The country today provides support for young professionals through the provision of rental housing for young people working in popular specialties. In accordance with the initiative of Elbasy, this program is being implemented in the megacities of the republic, where 1,000 apartments for young people are rented annually. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of citizens aged 20-29 years in the republic amounted to 2,537,252 people. The proportion of young people living in the city is 1,510,892[1].Perhaps this program is successful among young people, but what about other strata and age groups of the population? Let's recall the recent housing policy program. One of the elements of the construction program of Kazakhstan is the program of cheap social housing. According to it, the city provided land plots, brought communications to them at its own expense, and the contractors involved then built residential buildings with a cost of no more than 350 to 470 dollars per square meter. The apartments had to be inhabited by state employees, they were given mortgage loans. In practice, it turned out that the quality of such cheap houses is poor, and it is not possible to fit into the stated cost price. Already after the construction of houses, it turned out that state employees would not even pull the purchase of housing with the help of a mortgage[2].
The percentage of people renting housing in Kazakhstan is three to four times lower compared to Europe and the USA. This is often due to the opacity of the rental market at the legislative level. And the concept of "rental culture" in our country is still poorly developed.
Conclusion
The level of accessibility and the "rental culture" itself in Europe is many times higher. You can pay the rental rate there even after retirement. In Kazakhstan, this is impossible. As a result, people count monthly rent payments and come to the conclusion that you can take out a mortgage for this money. For example, the average cost of renting a one-room apartment in Kazakhstan is 90,000 thousand tenge. The same amount can be given for a mortgage loan. In this case, the person is already paying for his own meters and making investments in the future.
As for rent, this market is still very opaque in Kazakhstan. The tenant is not immune from eviction and is not without many problems that arise during the rental process. Such as maintaining housing in proper form, repairs, paying bills and so on. In Europe, the tenant is protected by the state. The owner cannot just take and evict the tenant – this is done through the court. In the USA, landlords are companies that build housing. There are practically no private owners, as is customary with us. Consequently, the tenant is less likely to encounter any problems related to the lease. After all, there is no "human factor" in the person of the landlord.
References:
- On housing relations: Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 08.06.2013 No. 163-IV//www.zakon.kz.
- Order of the Minister of Information and Public Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated August 29, 2019 No. 318 «On approval of the Rules for the provision of rental housing without the right of redemption for working youth»
- Asaul A.N., Karasev A.V. Real estate economics // Moscow - 2018. From 349.
- Bulanova N.V. Real estate market: state and prospects of development International Academy of Valuation and Consulting// Moscow - 2020.P-147.
- Rogozhina N.N., Tumanov A.A. Foreign experience in providing subsidies for the purchase of housing to citizens with low incomes - M.: Foundation "Institute of City Economics", 2019. - p.80.