Qualità abitativa e vivibilità urbana

This paper examines housing quality as a dimension of urban liveability. In the first part of the paper the act of inhabiting is defined as a complex social practice. In the second part a definition of housing quality is given, made up of five dimensions: physical quality of the dwelling, dwelling size, neighbourhood quality, security of tenure and affordability. In the third part of the paper four indices of housing quality are defined, using data from Eu-Silc. Each index is then analysed with reference to Italy. The analysis shows that housing quality in Italy is generally good, but at the same time some problems are highlighted, mainly within highly urbanized areas. Lower housing quality within the urban areas can be explained by the shift towards post-fordism. The profound social and economic transformations related to this process have given rise to a “new housing question”, characterised by the combination of old and new forms of housing deprivation.