Housing: over 100,000 unused homes in the public housing stock. A further 650,000 properties are needed across the EU
The map of properties with potential for value enhancement in Italy is presented in a study carried out by Nomisma for Cna Costruzioni, whilst at European level, ISPI has monitored the situation across the 27 Member States
There are currently over 100,000 unused homes in Italia’s public housing stock. This is out of a total of over 227,000 public housing units that are either unused or unusable, covering a total area of 40.2 million square metres. This is the picture that emerges from research carried out by Nomisma for Cna Costruzioni. The crisis has many facets and is spreading like wildfire across Europe. Another report also focuses on this issue: the ISPI report, which has just been published, with the evocative title ‘Addressing Europe’s Urban Housing Crisis’, and produced by researchers Tobia Zevi – who is also a councillor for the City of Rome – together with Andrè Sobczak. The figures here are staggering: Europe needs 650,000 additional homes every year, on top of the 1.6 million already built, requiring additional investment of around 150 billion euros a year. But let us proceed in order, starting with Italia’s public housing stock.
Over 200,000 units to be recovered
The analysis, based on data from the Ministry of the Economy’s 2022 census, identifies 227,262 property units. Over 141,000 units, accounting for 62.1 per cent of the total, form part of the available housing stock. This represents a significant basis on which to undertake regeneration assessments. Local authorities are the key stakeholders: they own 122,241 properties, 53.8 per cent of the total, and account for 56.7 per cent of the surveyed area. Taking all local authorities into account, this figure rises to 81.2 per cent of the total area.
High incidence rate for small properties
The research highlights a size distribution that also leaves room for micro and small businesses. Over 76 per cent of properties fall into the categories of up to 100 square metres, whilst properties larger than 2,000 square metres – accounting for just 1.3 per cent of the total – account for 47.6 per cent of the total floor area. There is therefore a need for tailored projects and tools capable of supporting both smaller-scale interventions and the regeneration of large complexes.
The residential quota
As mentioned, there are 117,553 dwellings, accounting for over half of the properties surveyed. Alongside the residential stock are commercial premises, warehouses, offices, school buildings and sports facilities: assets to be assessed in relation to the actual needs of the communities and the potential for sustainable management. For Cna Costruzioni, the priority is to turn this survey into a concrete regeneration programme. The proposed guidelines are to make information on these properties accessible and up-to-date, to identify priority interventions in collaboration with local authorities, to establish procedures and requirements proportionate to the characteristics of the projects, and to encourage the participation of small businesses, including through consortia and networks.
The ISPI Report “Global Cities 2026”
Looking across the 27 Member States, the housing crisis is taking its toll everywhere. According to the report by Zevi and Sobczak, 650,000 more homes are needed each year, in addition to the 1.6 million already built, and around 150 billion euros of additional investment annually. In terms of demand, over 80 million people are in need of affordable housing or social housing. Meanwhile, between 2010 and 2025, house prices in the European Union rose by 60.5 per cent and rents by 28.8 per cent. In cities, around four in ten residents would have to spend more than 30 per cent of their income to rent or buy a flat measuring just 25 square metres. And in 2025, 12.4 per cent of non-homeowners reported that they were at risk of having to leave their home within three months because they could no longer afford it.
