Thessaloniki gets ready for its metro launch in November
The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays
At 11:11 AM students filled Trinity Collegue's Campus in Dublin to demand housing change , Source: Depositphotos
In August, Ireland had just around 700 apartments available to rent in the entire country, putting the housing crisis into overdrive at the start of the university year
The unprecedented housing crisis in Ireland has led to a student walkout led by the Irish Student Union, to protest government inaction. The walkout happened today, at 11:11 AM, when thousands of students across the country left lecture halls and gathered at college campuses to demand change.
The union has a list of demands like introducing rent caps, raising minimum wages, eviction moratoriums and pushing the government for more student accommodation.
Back in August, one of Ireland’s biggest online rental platforms, Daft.ie, published a report on the housing situation in the country. The report found that on 1 August 2022, there were only 716 homes available to rent in the entire country.
Dublin, a city of nearly 2 million inhabitants, had fewer than 300 available offers. This led Ronan Lyons, Associate Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin and author of the report, to declare that supply in the rental market was becoming virtually nonexistent.
Importantly, this was way before the official start of the university season, when tens of thousands of young people prepared to move to big cities around the country to start their tertiary education.
During the second half of August, student unions across the country sounded the alarm that people had a very hard time competing for flats. Apartment viewings brought in regular queues and sky-high rents, while some people had to rent space across the country in Galway and commute every day to Dublin for university.
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris then urged citizens to open up their homes for students and rent out rooms. He explained that homeowners could earn up to 14,000 euros, before having to pay taxes on that income, as an incentive for the scheme.
This offer, also known as ‘student digs‘, however, comes with very few renter protection regulations and standards. As the RTÉ reports, union representatives demand the government introduces decent protections.
During the protest, the Irish Student Union’s president Gabi Fullam told the crowd that the cost of living crisis permeated every corner of student life, highlighting that many students have to resort to couch surfing to get by the academic year.
Moreover, many have opted to defer the year and stay out of higher education altogether, as the high price of rents and scarce accommodation make university cities unattractive for 18-year-olds fresh out of home.
Furthermore, the Student Union claimed that the shortage of beds for students is expected to rise to 20,000 by 2024. This, they claim can be remedied by introducing rent caps to calm the market. Students also criticised the government’s 2023 budget as offering little in the sense of long-term relief on the issue.
The budget, in its own right, earmarks a 1,000-euro tuition fee cut for most students which would help but would do little to ultimately create more beds, as soaring prices are driven by scarcity.
Minister Simon Harris explained that a government priority to solve the issue would be to look into mobilising municipal and university-owned buildable land. He explained that considering the proportions of the housing crisis, undeveloped land was just not an option.
The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays
Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin
That’s because the state has to spend money on updating the railway infrastructure rather than subsidizing the cost of the popular pass
Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape
The examples, compiled by Beyond Fossil Fuels, can inform and inspire communities and entrepreneurs that still feel trepidation at the prospect of energy transition
Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin
The 10th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns (ESCT) sets the stage for stronger cooperation between the EU, national and local level to fast track Europe's transition to climate neutrality.
At least, that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo
The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays
At least, that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo
Hostal de Pinós is located in the geographical centre of the autonomous region
Despite its church-y name, the district has long been known as the hangout spot for the artsy crowds
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
An interview with the Mayor of a Polish city that seeks to reinvent itself
An interview with the newly elected ICLEI President and Mayor of Malmö
A conversation with the Mayor of Lisbon about the spirit and dimensions of innovation present in the Portuguese capital