Housing: a right or a commodity? With Barbara Audycka

The Polkast

The slogan “housing is a right, not a commodity” has risen into prominence in Poland, sparking a great deal of debate. But what does the right to housing mean in the Polish context?

In this episode, we talk about the housing situation in Poland: its history and how it changed in the era of transformation; current problems and the solutions proposed by different sides of the political spectrum.

Is increasing home ownership the right goal, or can renting be the answer? How do we solve a problem like patodeweloperka (“pathological developments”)? What’s the state of the Polish housing movement? And why was activist Jolanta Brzeska murdered in 2011?

To tackle these questions, we spoke to Barbara Audycka - a sociologist, specialist in housing policy and a lecturer in interdisciplinary Urban Studies at the University of Warsaw.