What Makes a City Liveable? Rethinking Housing around the world

Posted by Robert Amato Lastman and Jonas E Andersson on 2025-07-18

Housing is fundamental for being and living, but is restrained by availability and usefulness, and ultimately a product of demand and supply. So, what does living well in today’s cities entail? That’s the fundamental question at the centre of this special edition for liveable cities, where the phenomenon of housing is explored not just as a structure, but as a habitat resulting from social, [...]

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How building and planning codes may be corroborating with the affordable housing crisis

Posted by Debora Verniz, José P. Duarte, Mário Márcio Queiroz on 2025-07-16

Affordable housing is one of the most pressing challenges in cities worldwide, and Brazil is no exception. In our paper, we explore how planning and building codes impact the improvement of informal housing settlements, focusing on a Brazilian example, the Santa Marta favela in Rio de Janeiro. Favelas are self-constructed neighbourhoods that developed in response to Brazil’s housing shortage. [...]

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