Housing policy in Malta : meeting the present and future needs

Abstract

This study analyses Malta’s housing policy history within a multiplicity framework. In this regard, the study investigates the influences which shaped the country’s housing policies in terms of social, historical, political and economic factors. In doing so, the study determines the main factors which facilitated or obstructed policies and whether policies were successful or unsuccessful in reaching the set goal/s and target/s. In the process of the study, some conflicting interests were identified, such as planning development at the expense of sustainable environment interpreted within Malta’s limited spaces. Malta’s size accentuates the problem of housing as land value tends to appreciate by time, rendering housing expensive and even unaffordable to some, many a-time due, to land and property speculation.

The study investigates the problem of affordability, both in terms of property buying and rent rates, which puts more pressures on social housing. History reveals that in many cases, the incumbent government was caught unaware of the new demands of social housing. In addition, housing policies have to be interpreted within Malta’s political context, which is imbued with clientelism and cronyism, thus rendering weak the rule of law. Within this scenario, the government may either adopt policies in the best interest of Malta or give in to political pressures, rendering policies less effective and sometimes ineffective. As a matter of fact, one of the recommendations put forward in this study is that policies must be backed by a robust institutional capacity. The study is qualitative in nature as it examines Malta’s policy history from the 1940s onwards; using information collated from archival research, oral interviews and newspaper reports. The span of over seventy years gives a good snapshot of how housing policies have developed throughout the years. The study examines the political influences as well as the social and economic factors that shaped housing policies throughout the years. In this regard, the study investigates what triggered respective governments to formulate housing policies and the different factors that influenced the adoption of housing policies.

In conclusion, the study identifies an endemic problem, namely, how to reconcile property development and a sustainable environment within the limited amount of land available in Malta. History indicates that development planning was not high on Malta’s agenda and many housing policies were instituted to address the shortcomings prevalent at the time of their implementation, an approach coined as patchwork policies. The study concludes that one of the solutions is to draw out a long-term housing strategy which caters for sustainable development, a sustainable environment and affordable housing within a robust institutional framework.