Resource overview (publisher and contributors)
The Atlas of Affordable Housing is an online portal from Affordable Housing Activation that consolidates information and tools intended to support the global debate on access to decent, adequate and affordable housing. The initiative is linked to the UIA 2022 International Affordable Housing Activation Forum and is convened by the International Union of Architects (UIA) and organized by CSCAE (Spain’s Council of Architects), together with public institutions including Spain’s Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Madrid City Council and COAM, with support from bodies such as UN-Habitat. The platform and forum communications reference contributions from a wide set of participants and speakers, including figures such as Marta Vall-llossera and Angela Baldellou, alongside many other experts and institutional representatives.
Evidence base and data infrastructure
A central feature of the Atlas is its large indicator base for comparing housing conditions and barriers. The portal references more than 4,000 indicators drawn from multiple international sources, including the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and Google. By aggregating these datasets, the Atlas is positioned as a decision-support resource that can help diagnose affordability challenges, track enabling conditions, and support cross-country learning for policymakers, housing actors and built-environment professionals.
What the platform includes
The portal presents a set of interconnected components designed to structure knowledge exchange and coordinated action. It highlights a Knowledge Platform, a Collaborate space, and a Media Center, intended to host resources, discussions and outputs related to affordability. The broader effort aims to create an ongoing activation space that keeps the work of the forum accessible, including repositories of events and materials and the use of artificial intelligence tools alongside “dynamic atlases” to visualize the complexity of housing barriers through linked data and concepts.
Global participation and the Madrid forum format
The Atlas is framed as the legacy platform of the UIA 2022 International Affordable Housing Activation Forum: Removing Barriers, held in Madrid between May 18 and 20 at the Gran Teatro Príncipe Pío. Reported participation includes more than 80 experts from 30 countries and more than 4,000 attendees (in person and via streaming). In parallel, 40 side events were organized across five continents, involving more than 200 experts and attracting more than 3,500 participants. In aggregate, the initiative reports engagement from more than 7,500 professionals from 120 countries, indicating a large international network connected through the forum and continuing platform.
Barriers, commitments and links to sustainability agendas
The forum outputs are organized around “barriers” to adequate and affordable housing and emphasize the need for initiatives that can diagnose conditions and facilitate decision-making. A referenced “Call to Action for Adequate and Affordable Housing” proposes a roadmap aligned with rights-based development and housing agendas, including the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda. The text highlights priorities such as improving quality in affordable housing production and design, reinforcing interdisciplinary collaboration, and linking sustainability goals with urban regeneration and the improvement of degraded environments. It also notes proposals to build alliances that support inclusive, sustainable and resilient approaches to realizing the right to housing, including mobilizing technical and financial support and exploring new forms of governance for inclusive housing production.
Institutional backing and ongoing activation space
The initiative describes broad institutional and sector support, including collaboration from intergovernmental organizations, academic institutions, professional networks and other partners. The portal is presented as the continuation of the forum’s earlier web presence, intended to remain open to contributions and commitments, and to maintain momentum by connecting experiences, policies, data and diverse perspectives through a participatory, interdisciplinary and international site. Through its combination of indicator-based analysis, knowledge sharing and collaboration features, the Atlas positions itself as an infrastructure for sustained engagement on housing affordability and related sustainability challenges.