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Manuel B. Aalbers

Manuel B. Aalbers | KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium

Biography

Manuel B. Aalbers is professor of Urban and Economic Geography at KU Leuven. He takes a political economy approach to studying the effects of ‘big’ processes like financialization and neoliberalization on cities and housing markets across the globe and has published on redlining and exclusion, the privatization of social housing, neighborhood decline and gentrification. He is the author of "Place, Exclusion, and Mortgage Markets" and "The Financialization of Housing", and lead author of a study on housing speculation for the European Parliament.

Sessions

13:15h

Thematic Roundtable | HOWS BARCELONA Housing - Housing Regulation

How can we Finance Affordable Housing When Public Budgets are Never Enough?

Manuel B. Aalbers KU Leuven Professor of Urban and Economic Geography Chair

Tanguy Desrousseaux European Investment Bank Head of Housing, Cities & Regions Department, Project Directorate Chair

Francesc Martí Paz Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza - Moderator

#Housing Financialization, #Innovative Models of Collaboration, #Institutional Funds, #Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships, #Public-Private Partnerships, #Tax Incentives

2026-11-05 13:15 2026-11-05 14:00 Europe/Madrid How can we Finance Affordable Housing When Public Budgets are Never Enough?

Delivering affordable housing at scale requires more than political commitment. It demands financing models that can mobilise public and private capital at sufficient volume, distribute risk appropriately, and keep homes affordable over time. As public budgets alone are often insufficient, the session will focus on how cities, development banks and investment institutions can combine funds, guarantees, and public-private partnerships to make projects viable, manage risk, and ensure that investment supports long-term affordability rather than short-term market dynamics.

Stage: HOWS BARCELONA

Thu 5

13:15h - 14:00h Stage: HOWS BARCELONA All Passes