The housing crisis in Europe is one of the most pressing social and economic challenges of our time, with a direct impact on social cohesion, quality of life and the sustainability of our cities. While millions of families across European Union countries continue to spend an increasing share of their income on housing, and the shortage of affordable homes puts growing pressure on public policies, the need for innovative models to rethink social housing and make it sustainable in the long term is becoming ever more evident.
In a recent article published on Agenda Digitale, IFAB Director Marco Becca, together with Filippo Addarii (Co-founder and Managing Partner of PlusValue, a company that is part of the Foundation’s network of members), explores how Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and predictive tools can represent a new paradigm for social housing, transforming the sector from a traditional real estate segment into a social infrastructure with measurable and sustainable impact.
A challenge that requires new tools
Housing is no longer just an economic asset: it is a fundamental right and a pillar of cohesion within our communities. In this context, technology can help overcome long-standing limitations, making visible what has so far been intangible – such as the social value generated by affordable housing projects – and fostering concrete dialogue between public and private capital.
Two projects that are leading the way
In the Agenda Digitale article, two concrete examples of innovation already underway in the sector are highlighted in particular:
- Si4 – The Social Infrastructure Impact Investment Index: a project co-developed by PlusValue and IFAB that uses big data, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing to build an index measuring the social impact of investments in social infrastructure. This approach makes it possible to assess benefits such as social cohesion, public health and environmental sustainability, providing robust metrics to support impact-oriented investment decisions. More information is available here.
- Domus MatchBot: a responsible AI application for the allocation of social housing, which transparently and efficiently connects families seeking a home with available resources, optimising the matching between needs and opportunities and improving equity and trust in the system.
Towards a new urban social contract
Ultimately, technology is not an end in itself: to truly make a difference in the social housing sector, it must be integrated with bold public policies, targeted investments and a vision that places people and communities at the centre. From this perspective, tools such as Artificial Intelligence and high-performance computing can become decisive allies in building fairer, more accessible and more sustainable cities for everyone.
The full article on Agenda Digitale
The full article is available at this link.
