EIB: Simplification of administrative procedures to accelerate resolution of housing crisis

Excessive bureaucracy and outdated norms remain one of the main obstacles to the development of affordable housing in Europe and must be immediately reconsidered, Luis Hebrero Rodriguez, Head of the Housing, Cities and Regions Division of the European Investment Bank (EIB), said during a panel discussion titled "From Global Housing Financing to Local Action on Affordable Housing: Leveraging Global Development Finance and Sub-National Financing" held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.

According to him, the initiative is implemented by UN-Habitat with financial support from Saudi Arabia and is aimed at the development and implementation of a quality of life index that has already been tested and applied in cities around the world.

"The main goal of the initiative is to advance a human-centered global agenda, as well as to strengthen an approach that goes beyond the GDP indicator in assessing development," he said.

He noted that the quality of life index is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and allows for the assessment of the contribution of global goals to improving living conditions at the local level.

De Vayne emphasized that an important feature of the index is the unity of objective and subjective indicators of quality of life, as people's perceptions play an important role in assessing well-being.