Housing is a constitutional right. So why is it that in Flanders, 180,000 families are on the waiting list for social housing? That 47 per cent of private rental properties are of inadequate quality? And that 52 per cent of private tenants spend more than a third of their income on rent? Or that three in ten private tenants do not have enough left over after paying their rent to live in dignity? And to what extent can designers and clients influence this?

It is worthwhile to ask a group of architects and developers about the meaning of affordable housing. Chances are that stories will follow about the stricter requirements and complex development processes for new-build production, which accounts for a meagre 1 per cent of the housing market. Bring together a number of actors who work with tenants or people living in poverty and you will get a completely different perspective on the dire housing situation caused by the lack of social housing and the scarcity on the private rental market.