Housing as a Social Issue in Greece before and during the 2010s

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Published: Dec 28, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/sp.29080
Keywords:
alternative housing solutions affordable housing crisis pandemic short term rentals tourism
Thomas Maloutas
Harokopio University
Abstract

Housing in Southern Europe developed in different ways from the advanced industrial countries. In Greece, lower income groups in the early post-war period accessed affordable housing either through self-promotion or the ‘land-for-flats’ system. These alternative ways of accessing housing declined in the late 1980s and the 1990s and were followed by the rapid growth of housing credit and the increase in prices. The sovereign debt crisis in the early 2010s led to a standstill in the real estate market due to the lack of demand. Problems of access to affordable housing re-emerged when the crisis retreated, and tourism boosted new demand for housing. The pandemic again stopped this process by radically reducing tourist flows. The question now is whether there will be an opportunity after the pandemic to make the protection of housing for vulnerable groups a priority on the political agenda.

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