Social housing and suistainable cities: a comparison of international experiences

Social Housing and Sustainable Cities: an international conference in Padua on new ways of living

On Friday, June 5, 2026, the Aula Magna Galileo Galilei at the University of Padua hosted the international conference "Social Housing and Sustainable Cities – a Comparison of International Experiences," as part of the 12th edition of the Barbara Cappochin International Architecture Biennial.

Housing has once again become one of the central political, social and cultural issues of our time. European cities are facing a growing housing crisis, marked by rising costs, a rental emergency, demographic shifts and new vulnerabilities within the middle class. The conference brought together urban planners, architects, public administrators and scholars from across Europe to discuss one of the most pressing issues in contemporary urban planning: rethinking how we will live in the cities of the future.

Programme

The day opened with institutional greetings from Carlo Pellegrino, Vice Rector of the University of Padua, Francesca Benciolini, Councilor for Housing Policy and Public Housing, Gloria Negri, President of the Order of Architects of Padua, and Daniel Fügenschuh, President of the Architects' Council of Europe, followed by remarks from Giuseppe Cappochin, President of the Barbara Cappochin Foundation, and Alessandro Panci, President of the National Council of Architects (CNAPPC).

The urban themes session opened with Carlos Moreno, of IAE Paris Sorbonne University, creator of the "15-minute city" concept developed together with former Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo — a model that has reshaped the international debate on urban sustainability.

The day was structured across five thematic sessions:

Session 1 – Spanish experiences, with Josep Borrell Bru (General Director, IMPSOL Barcelona), Marta Peris and José Toral (Peris + Toral Arquitectes), José Maria Ezquiaga (Technical University of Madrid);
Session 2 – The city of Vienna's social housing model, with Markus Pendlmayr (Einszueins Architektur) and Bettina Götz and Richard Manahl (ARTEC Architekten);
Session 3 – Italian experiences, with Miguel Mayorga and Maria Pia Fontana (Mayorga + Fontana Arquitectes), Roberto Saro (Secretary General, Cariparo Foundation) and Francesca Benciolini;
Session 4 – The experience of Paris, with Carlos Moreno and Michèle Zaoui, Councillor on architecture and public spaces, Office of the Mayor of Paris;
Session 5 – Housing crisis: the new European Housing Plan, with Ezio Micelli (IUAV University of Venice, European Affordable Housing Advisory Board), Kath Scanlon (London School of Economics), Matteo Colleoni (University of Milan-Bicocca) and Daniel Fügenschuh.

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"Today, social housing can no longer be viewed merely as an emergency response aimed solely at the most vulnerable segments of the population; a vast intermediate group is emerging that can no longer afford the costs of the contemporary real estate market. Rethinking housing, therefore, means rethinking the city itself: the quality of spaces, shared amenities, green areas, intergenerational connections, and the opportunity to live in truly inclusive and sustainable neighborhoods."

Giuseppe Cappochin