Conference on Ageing, Housing and Urban Development

Madam Chair, Dear participants

Let me first regret that the minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ms. Sylvia Brustad, unfortunately is not able to join us due to a tight schedule these days. She sends her regards and her best wishes for the conference to be a success.

Madam Chair,

I have the pleasure - and honour - to welcome you all to this conference. Especially I would like to welcome our guests from abroad coming from many countries around the world. I hope you have had a good journey and that your first impression of our country have been a pleasant one. I know that the staff of the OECD secretariat and the host institution here in Norway - the Norwegian State Housing Bank – have been working hard to prepare for the conference and to see you all well accommodated. I understand that some of you yesterday visited projects here in the city of Oslo relevant for the conference-themes, and I hope that the visit served as an inspiring prelude to the deliberations the coming days. I also hope that you enjoyed the dinner hosted by the Ministry last evening.

We are glad to host this important OECD seminar. OECD gives important input to co-operation between the industrialised countries. Although we are different, we often share common challenges. The theme of this seminar – to meet the challenges on how to properly house the growing number of elderly people in an urban context - is probably no exception.

Housing policy is an important portfolio of my ministry. We are responsible for different types of legislative and economic policy instruments in the housing field. The Norwegian State Housing Bank and the National Office of Building Technology and Administration are subordinate institutions under the authority of the Ministry. The Housing Bank offer loans and grants for construction of new housing to first time buyers, to renewal of urban areas, - and for purchasing of housing for disadvantaged groups, including the most vulnerable.

The Norwegian model for building and management of housing was established after the Second World War. The model is based on a division of responsibilities between central and local levels of government and the private sector. The municipalities play a particularly important role in the Norwegian system, and have a large degree of autonomy.

The Central Government sets goals, proposes housing laws and regulations. This level provides also funds for loans, grants and housing allowances through the Norwegian State Housing Bank. The central government has also a major responsibility for research - and for the dissemination of relevant information to all the actors in the housing field.

The Municipalities provide planning in terms of local housing structure as well as necessary infrastructure for housing construction and rehabilitation. Local authorities are responsible for providing adequate housing for disadvantaged groups. Our 435 Municipalities have a strong position in the Norwegian welfare model. They have extensive authority to prioritise between various measures within the housing sector.

The Private Sector, including the housing co-operative movement – private firms and organisations - are responsible for the actual building, rehabilitation and management of the housing stock. In Norway, the housing co-operative movement has played an important role in providing homes to the average man and woman.

There is an active co-operation between the central Government, the Municipalities and the Private Sector.

The same model is applied for policy for the elderly; the State provides grants, loans and legislation - while the Municipalities are the executive bodies – they are planning and providing dwellings often in co-operation with Housing-Co-operatives and other organisations, for example Foundations

Norwegian housing policy has one major ambition - to provide descent homes in a descent residential neighbourhood for the whole population. Current objectives are:

1. To meet the demands of housing by adequate supply and to establish well functioning housing and construction markets
2. Adequate distribution of housing
3. Adequate housing quality and housing environments
4. Security of tenure
5. A functional and just organisation of ownership and tenancy

The housing situation in Norway is in general very good. All surveys of general housing conditions using common indicators show that housing standard is very high and the supply of housing is good. The majority of the population - 80% - own their own home.

Even though the situation in the housing sector in Norway in many ways is satisfactory, important challenges lie ahead. The main challenges could be summarised in the following way:

1. To make it easier for young people, refugees and other disadvantaged groups to establish themselves in the housing market
2. To improve the existing housing stock, especially for those living under poor conditions
3. To build environmentally sound housing, with optimal use of resources - and at last, but very important:
4. To adapt housing to the needs of the elderly and handicapped

To meet the needs of the elderly and disabled, the Norwegian Parliament in 1997 adopted a four-year Plan of Action for local authorities on nursing and care services. The plan runs from 1998 to 2001. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, through the Norwegian State Housing Bank, has the responsibility for providing 24 400 units - both specially adapted dwellings and new nursing and care posts - during a period of four years. Investment grants are awarded to local authorities. 19 May this year – last Friday - the Government presented a White Paper on the experiences gained so far. The Plan of Action seems to have been a success. My colleague, Eva Jupskås, from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs will tell you more about the Plan of Action and the experiences.

A major objective in Norwegian policy for the elderly is that everyone should be able to live in their own home as long as possible. To achieve this goal we need good home care service and greater accessibility in houses and residential areas. New homes are to a certain extent built with a so-called life span quality, which means that the house is accessible for persons in a wheeled chair. Even though the Housing Bank provides supplementary loans for dwellings with a life span quality, during the last years the amount of housing build for life span has decreased. At the same time the needs for dwellings adjusted for elderly and disabled have increased. Many elderly live in urban areas and many of them prefer living in the city-centres. When people get older, many would prefer to live in a small flat which is easy to look after. In city-centres there also are easy access to all kinds of services and social events . Adequate planning in urban areas is therefore very important when meeting the needs of elderly and disabled persons.

The scope of the conference has been chosen to encompass Ageing, Housing and Urban Development. It appears both wide and yet concrete, dealing with important aspects of life that are vital both to individuals, the families, local communities as well as nations. The topics we have focused on are not new. We have a huge bulk of experience and research to rely on in our deliberations, as well as in policy formulation and implementation. But I anticipate that making a triangle of related topics ageing, housing and urban development we can gain new insights. More important, most nations are facing large challenges in the area of this triangle and exchange of ideas and experiences, positive and negative, could be of great importance.

I wish you all good luck with the conference.