Housing affordability crisis and vulnerable social groups in Turkey
ISSN: 0168-2601
Article publication date: 21 June 2022
Issue publication date: 9 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the housing affordability crisis from the perspective of vulnerable social groups (VSG) in Turkey and Turkey's megacities, Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir, over the period of 2010 and 2019.
Design/methodology/approach
The author employ house cost and multiple income variables, involving residual income, to construct socially informative house cost-to-income (HCI) ratios. To measure the country/urban level socio-economic dimensions of the affordability crisis, the author develop 12 main and 76 specific housing affordability criteria.
Findings
The author find that housing is not affordable in Turkey and low/unequal distribution of income is a contributive factor for the affordability crisis of VSG. The evidence suggests that housing unaffordability for VSG is deeply rooted in the socio-economic/demographic disparities that eventually result in income and homeownership inequalities.
Social implications
Constructed HCI ratios provide precise information for the targeted housing affordability policies for the VSG defined by education level, age, location, income distribution, employment status/condition and gender. The author' socially targeted modeling approach briefly suggests that housing affordability policies should focus on low-educated groups, young generations, some elementary occupations, employees in low-income industries, and casual/regular-small firms' employees.
Originality/value
This is the first study that provides nuanced information on housing affordability for Turkey by employing HCI ratios for the targeted VSG. This socially targeted empirical analysis is the first analysis for developing housing markets as well. From the methodological perspective, the author contribute information quality of the housing affordability ratio by using income data of various aggregate-level socio-economic/demographic groups.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under the 2219 National Postdoctoral Research Scholarship Programme (research grant no 1059B191700414). The author thank to Murat Atay (Garanti BBVA Mortgage) and Reidin for providing data to the study. The author also thanks to the editor and the anonymous referees, whose remarks have been very helpful in preparing the final version of the paper. The author would like to also thank to useful comments of Craig Watkins. The author is solely responsible for the opinions expressed in this work.
Citation
Coskun, Y. (2023), "Housing affordability crisis and vulnerable social groups in Turkey", Open House International, Vol. 48 No. 2, pp. 258-284. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-12-2021-0267
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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