The dismantling of public housing: the welfare state and housing policy

Resumé

This article examines how the role of public housing in the Danish welfare state has changed over the past 75 years. From being a universal service aimed at all citizens, public housing today primarily functions as a selective solution for socially vulnerable groups. Based on legislation, construction statistics, and registry data on resident composition, we show that (1) access criteria have become more restrictive, (2) residents have become significantly more economically and socially marginalized, and (3) the public housing sector constitutes an increasingly smaller share of new construction and primarily functions as a supplement to the private market. This development reflects a shift in Danish housing policy from a social-democratic universalist approach to a more selective and market-oriented one.