Wealth inequalities and the dynamics of housing property markets in European cities

The work aims at analyzing socio-spatial inequalities induced by property prices inflation. Housing prices have increased faster than the income of buyers in most post-industrial cities : the project spatially characterizes accumulation or vulnerability and its attendant effects on local markets. Assuming wealth inequalities stem from housing finance regimes, the project builds upon a network of geographers, planners, spatial economists, in a comparative perspective between cities. It aims at assessing how housing provision policies and culture of ownership articulates with local housing markets and local affordability, using advanced geospatial analysis of the unequal structure of affordability using disaggregated and harvested internet “big-data”. First insight from a project comparing housing markets in Lyon, Avignon and Paris will be discussed, as well as some results from an ESPON european study on « Big Data and Housing ».