In “Tracing a long history of the Habitat International Coalition and the social production of habitat,” Ana Vilenica engages with Enrique Ortiz and Maria Silvia Emanuelli from HIC-AL to explore the evolution of housing justice movements and the role of the Habitat International Coalition (HIC) in advocating for social production of housing. The conversation provides a historical perspective on the coalition’s inception. It outlines the foundational moments of HIC, detailing the coalition’s growth out of a collective need to address housing as a human right. Enrique shares experiences from the formative years of HIC, where he connected with grassroots movements and organizations across Latin America, fostering a network that would support the social production of habitat. The Conversation highlights the strategic pivot HIC made towards reinforcing a global network that respects regional differences and promotes a common strategy grounded in human rights. It also underscores the need for a collective effort to influence public policy and the necessity of solidarity among various social economy and housing groups.
Read the full article here published by Radical Housing.
Enrique Ortiz was HIC Secretary between 1988 – 1999 and HIC President between 2003-2007. Currently a wisdom keeper of the organization.
Maria Silvia Emanuelli is a regional coordinator of HIC-LA, México.
Ana Vilenica is a feminist, no border and urban activist and organiser from Serbia curently living in Italy. She is a core member of Beyond Inhabitation Lab and a member of the Radical Housing Journal Editorial collective and the Feminist Autonomous Centre for research (FAC research).
