New Forms of Housing Services Management in a Comparative Perspective

In the area of public services, and in particular social services, housing services are a sector in which to observe the intersection between public and private spheres, between national and global dimensions, between common law and civil law systems. Therefore, they represent an interesting area for the application of comparative exercise, especially with reference to the forms of housing services management, and over all these aimed at establishing a relationship between the public actor, the private one and the community of service beneficiaries. Efficient and participatory management is thus the goal to respond to the housing sector’s persistent inability to provide an adequate service to the most vulnerable. This form of management has been examined through the study and development of a U.S.-based institute, the Community Land Trust, and its feasible application in different legal and geographic contexts, such as the Italian one, due to its flexibility and adaptability. It allows to reflect on two profiles: the multi-participation management of the housing services and the preservation and circularity of them.