Unlocking Social Value in housing: Addressing ambiguity and establishing a common assessment approach for housing actors
Created on 14-11-2024
Social value in the built environment: A gradual implementation of the Act characterised by ambiguity on key aspects and a common approach to assess it:
This challenge is about the gradual implementation of the Social Value Act in the context of housing. While the Act represents a significant step towards promoting social value in the built environment, it faces one obstacle - the lack of consensus on how to define and comprehensively assess social value. This ambiguity hampers the full potential of the regulatory framework.
In order for SV to be promoted and legal measures to be effectively implemented within the sector, it is imperative to establish common ground between the diverse actors involved. This challenge calls for a transdisciplinary lens (Godemann, 2008). Such an approach can pave the way for a people-centred conceptualisation of social value. This perspective holds promise, especially for housing providers striving to articulate the numerous programs and activities they undertake. Long-term impacts and those that address more intangible dimensions of well-being often remain excluded from current methods of monetisation and metrics used to gauge value, yet they undeniably generate value for communities.
It is important to note that while this challenge focuses primarily on the legislation of one particular country (England and Wales in the context of the Social Value Act), the broader discussion on the holistic assessment of social value in housing is not limited to a single context. Social value principles have gradually found their way into policy frameworks in other Anglo-Saxon countries and are also gaining ground in several Western European countries (ESG criteria is becoming very relevant when allocating funds for housing projects). Therefore, the insights derived from this research can offer valuable guidance for policy-making and decision-making in other contexts with similar housing challenges.
Systems knowledge
Actors
Housing developers
Non-profit and for-profit housing organisations that undertake various tasks, such as the construction and management of housing.
Universities
Method
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Teams from different disciplines or fields work together to tackle complex problems, find innovative solutions and develop a broader understanding of a particular issue. This approach recognises that many real-world challenges cannot be adequately addressed within the confines of a single discipline or field.
Target knowledge
Level
Building
The structure, project or development that is directly impacted by the various building regulations.
Country
The political structure governs a specific geographical area and accommodates a specific population group.
Transformation Knowledge
No references
Related vocabulary
Transdisciplinarity
Participatory Approaches
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