Housing unaffordability in Prague is among the worst in Europe. After 1989, the housing stock was privatised and this trend continues to this day. Homelessness should be seen as a political problem embodying the (dys)functionality of the housing system.The prevailing rhetoric around individual responsibility is intended to divert attention away from the politicians and governments responsible for the situation. For the most part, they delegate the duty of cities to provide public or minimally affordable housing for all, including low-income residents, to the private sector. However, cities are unable to force developers to meet this need. And yet low-income workers provide a range of indispensible services without which cities would collapse. The Czech exposition raises questions and offers possible solutions.
Credits
International participation part of the 24th International Exhibition Inequalities.
Promoted by: Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
Curated by: Janek Rous, Karolina Kripnerova
Exhibition design: Janek Rous, Karolina Kripnerova, Magdalena Rutova
Related events
1
January
(Thursday)
Presentazione volume
The Momentum of a Decision
A reading from selected texts and a presentation of book The Momentum of a Decision by architect Karolína Kripnerová and artist Janek Rous aims to guide the audience with possible solutions to the problems of unaffordable housing and homelessness, particularly within the European cultural and social context. The book brings an expert, artistic, and literary insight into the issue of social inequality, presents a number of inspiring examples of good practice from many countries around the world, and draws readers into deeply authentic and enlightening texts about experiences with social inequality, written specifically for this book.