“International financial institutions (IFIs), as well as public development banks in general, should contribute to the development of good-quality and affordable housing solutions because the sector is of high social relevance and cannot be left entirely to free market forces,” writes Rolf Wenzel, CEB Governor. By providing advantageous financing to housing associations and social housing providers, the IFIs can actively support the increase in housing supply, particularly for low-income and vulnerable population groups, and thus strengthen social cohesion in Europe.

Marion Brunet graduated from the French engineering school of sustainable planning (ENTPE), with a master in Urban and territorial politics and strategies from the Lyon urban planning institute (IUL). Having started her internship with Housing Europe during the first COVID lockdown, she decided to dedicate her master thesis to the way public, cooperative and social housing providers in Europe have been weathering the storm collectively.

About three years ago, qlinker was presented as the first digital housing association in the Netherlands. With the experience of a hundred years of social housing, but without the restrictions of a hundred years of social housing. Does that mean a story of "freedom, happiness" where you can always choose for the customer and innovation? A conversation with Lead Architect Marcel Vogel about out-of-the-box thinking, digital processes and the letting of the first 136 homes.