TY - JOUR
T1 - The social consequences of the denied access to housing for refugees in urban settings
T2 - the case of Turin, Italy
AU - Bolzoni, Magda
AU - Gargiulo, Enrico
AU - Manocchi, Michele
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2015/10/2
Y1 - 2015/10/2
N2 - The paper focuses on the access to housing of refugees, considering it an essential step on the integration path and a precondition for the full enjoyment of social and civil rights as well as social services. In Western countries, refugees mostly live in urban settings and local authorities' actions and decisions play a relevant role in shaping opportunities and obstacles for social inclusion. Lack of, or deficiencies in housing policies can result in challenging situations, jeopardising this path. The paper investigates the obstacles local authorities create through both informal practices and administrative provisions. The analysis highlights a gap between the national legal framework and its local implementation that creates major disruptions in the integration path. The paper takes the city of Turin (Italy) as a case study. A multi-method study was carried out to investigate these issues in the period between November 2007 and July 2013. In the case of Turin, within a scenario characterised by a huge absence of systematic policies supporting refugees' access to housing, many refugees have opted for squatting. While underlining refugees' agency, these experiences appear unable to properly tackle their housing needs and to achieve the objectives of social recognition and public solidarity.
AB - The paper focuses on the access to housing of refugees, considering it an essential step on the integration path and a precondition for the full enjoyment of social and civil rights as well as social services. In Western countries, refugees mostly live in urban settings and local authorities' actions and decisions play a relevant role in shaping opportunities and obstacles for social inclusion. Lack of, or deficiencies in housing policies can result in challenging situations, jeopardising this path. The paper investigates the obstacles local authorities create through both informal practices and administrative provisions. The analysis highlights a gap between the national legal framework and its local implementation that creates major disruptions in the integration path. The paper takes the city of Turin (Italy) as a case study. A multi-method study was carried out to investigate these issues in the period between November 2007 and July 2013. In the case of Turin, within a scenario characterised by a huge absence of systematic policies supporting refugees' access to housing, many refugees have opted for squatting. While underlining refugees' agency, these experiences appear unable to properly tackle their housing needs and to achieve the objectives of social recognition and public solidarity.
KW - Italy
KW - civic stratification
KW - housing
KW - local exclusion
KW - urban refugees
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84945483484&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14616718.2015.1053337
DO - 10.1080/14616718.2015.1053337
M3 - Article
SN - 1949-1247
VL - 15
SP - 400
EP - 417
JO - International Journal of Housing Policy
JF - International Journal of Housing Policy
IS - 4
ER -