Housing renovation in moderately deteriorated neighbourhoods: Public‐individual partnership in Israel and its lessons

Decent housing for every citizen is a dearly held goal in every society, but one which below‐average‐income households have frequently been unable to reach. Often, the problem is not the availability of housing, but the poor condition of the existing housing stock that serves low‐ and moderate‐income families. An Israeli experience with public‐individual partnership for renovating houses of moderate‐income households is described in this paper, evaluated and found to be fairly effective. Following this analysis, a strategy of housing renovation was developed, which is based on the concept of housing as a service rather than a product, and emphasises the idea and practice of responsive housing. It recommends intervention in moderately deteriorated neighbourhoods (before it is too late), eligibility criteria by place of living (and not by personal means test), subsidising home ownership, including the purchase of public housing units by their tenants, and assisting adaptation of the dwelling units by present needs and preferences of the residents. Based on evidence from several countries, the strategy seems to be transferable to parts of their residential areas. If adopted, it may aid households to fight the process of housing obsolescence, without having to leave their neighbourhood when it is upgraded.