Creating Social Housing – Insights from the Seminar “Dwelling in Transition: Re-Imagining Affordable and Social Housing, Across Scales and Systems”
The seminar “Dwelling in Transition: Re-imagining Affordable and Social Housing, Across Scales and Systems,” part of the 2025 Research series: Urban Beyond Urban – Housing Futures, provided a diverse perspective on social and affordable housing. The event brought together speakers from Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Guatemala, Mexico, Norway, Austria, and Ireland, showcasing the spirit of collaboration among organizations such as the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), Handong Global University, Thammasat University, and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
Image: Poster for the event "Dwelling In Transition: Re-Imagining Affordable And Social Housing Across Scales And Systems."
How can we meet the urgent housing needs in the context of rapid urbanization, economic crises, and global social upheavals? This is one of the central questions currently being prioritized by experts in urban design, policy planning, and the relevant academic community.
In Ho Chi Minh City, where less than 10% of the housing supply serves middle- and low-income groups (UN-Habitat, 2020; World Bank, 2023), this question becomes even more pressing as apartment prices reach record highs (X Post, 2025) and conflicts, such as in Ukraine, increase housing demand by up to 79% in affected areas (Visit Ukraine, 2025). Global housing prices have also surged, with an average increase of 1.3% in the U.S. in 2025 (CNBC, 2025), exacerbating the affordability crisis.
In response to this challenge, the seminar “Dwelling in Transition: Re-imagining Affordable and Social Housing, Across Scales and Systems,” part of the 2025 Research series: Urban Beyond Urban – Housing Futures, marks a crucial direction led by Mr. Hoàng Lê Nam Hải, an expert with over a decade of experience in sustainable architectural and urban design in Europe and Vietnam. The event aims to establish a solid theoretical foundation, providing diverse perspectives from academia to practice to shape the future of social and affordable housing.
Image: M. Hoang Le Nam Hai delivering a speech
The Housing Futures research series is expected to continue with activities such as summer camps, site visits, and research conferences. This series of activities reflects the close collaboration between the Institute of Smart City and Management (ISCM) – University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), Handong Global University, Thammasat University, and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). The seminar gathered speakers from Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Guatemala, and Mexico, creating a vibrant international forum where groundbreaking ideas were shared and debated.
The Urgency of Housing Needs
The global housing crisis arises not only from urbanization but also from social and economic upheavals. According to a report by Visit Ukraine (2025), in eastern Ukraine regions like Kharkiv, housing demand increased by 79% amid the war, while supply significantly decreased due to instability (Visit Ukraine, 2025). The shortage of affordable housing continues, with an estimated deficit of 4.5 million homes in the U.S. (Zillow, 2025).
Forecasts indicate that by 2030, housing demand will continue to rise due to demographic changes, such as the increase in single-person households and declining birth rates, particularly in urban areas like Ho Chi Minh City (U.S. News, 2025). Rapidly rising housing prices, as noted in the U.S. with a 60% increase since 2019 (Washington Post, 2025), further exacerbate the affordable housing crisis, necessitating innovative solutions and strong supportive policies. With an ambitious goal of building 1 million social housing units, Ho Chi Minh City faces the urgent challenge of affordability and urban governance.
To address the question of how to create a sustainable social housing system that fits the local context, the seminar presented pioneering presentations that combined theory with practice and compared housing policies from different countries to clarify feasible solutions:
- M. Le Thanh Hai, Director of the Center for Economic and Business Management Information and Training (CIT), HIDS, explored the application of digital technology and socialization models to expand the supply of social housing in Ho Chi Minh City. His presentation proposed innovative, integrated management and distribution solutions to meet the city's urgent needs.
- Dr. Claudia Mondragón and Ms. Daniela Hurtarte, urban planning experts from Urban Lab MX of UN-Habitat, shared a global perspective on sustainable housing development. Through practical international projects, their presentation emphasized the role of multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing the housing crisis.
- Dr. Harvey Neo, Director of the Master of Science in Urban Policy and Planning program at SUTD, analyzed the commercialization of housing in Singapore and China. His presentation highlighted affordability challenges and proposed governance solutions to control the housing crisis.
- Ms. Nguyen Trinh Thien Kim, a master's student specializing in Equality Studies at University College Dublin, explored the link between the lack of affordable housing and declining birth rates in Ho Chi Minh City. Her presentation offered policy recommendations, referencing Ireland's experience, to support young families.
- Ms. Eva Campos, Executive Director of the Housing and Urban Development Agency of Guatemala City, introduced a public-private partnership model in Guatemala City. Her presentation illustrated how specific urban policies and private investments can create housing opportunities for low-income communities.
- LL.M. Lê Xuân Hoàng and Hồ Hồng Nhung, lecturers at Saigon International University, analyzed legal policies on social housing in Norway, Austria, and South Korea. Their presentation drew lessons to upgrade the social housing system in Vietnam.
Along with other presentations, such as research on housing insecurity for students in Ho Chi Minh City and design guidelines for urban village transformation, the research contributed to the forum with practical and theoretical perspectives, ranging from specific construction solutions to legal frameworks, referencing housing policies in South Korea and Ireland.
Image: Speakers taking turns presenting their research
The event brought together a diverse array of speakers, including urban planning experts, scholars, and business leaders. Mr. David Ching, Executive Director of David Ching & Partners/Janus Capital, shared practical experience from the investment sector. Mr. Pham Quoc Hao and Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Tam, specializing in International Law from the Vietnam Diplomatic Academy, provided sharp legal analyses. Mr. Le Phuc Toan, a PhD candidate at Thammasat University, and Ms. Huynh Pham Thanh Thao, specializing in International Business at UEH, represented the younger research generation with fresh perspectives.
The intersection of viewpoints from Asia, Europe, and Latin America, combined with the diverse expertise of the speakers, created an inspiring forum. The research not only outlined the global housing challenges but also proposed solutions tailored to the local context, paving the way for sustainable urban futures.
References:
UN-Habitat. (2020). World cities report 2020. https://unhabitat.org/world-cities-report-2020
World Bank. (2023). Urban development overview. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment
Visit Ukraine. (2025). Real estate market in times of war: How demand and prices are changing in the east of the country. https://visitukraine.today/blog/4420/real-estate-market-in-times-of-war-how-demand-and-prices-are-changing-in-the-east-of-the-country
CNBC. (2025, July 14). Nearly one-third of major U.S. housing markets now see falling home prices. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/14/nearly-one-third-of-major-us-housing-markets-now-see-falling-home-prices.html
Washington Post. (2025, April 14). Some home prices are dropping. See housing market changes in your Zip code. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/14/housing-market-home-prices-zip-code
U.S. News. (2025). 2025–2030 five-year housing market predictions. https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/housing-market-index/articles/2025-2030-five-year-housing-market-predictions
X Post. (2025). HCM City apartment prices hit record highs, raising affordability alarm.https://t.co/t8wPUQq7Ue
News, images: Institute of Smart City and Management (ISCM) and ISCM Communications Department