Social housing: construction, renovation and the challenges of today and tomorrow

Social housing: variable from country to the next

Social housing statistics vary considerably throughout the world and the concept of social housing itself is not always defined in the same way, nor subject to the same laws. In the United States, for example, 1.1 million public housing units accommodate 2.2 million households¹, which is less than 2% of all households². However, if you take all forms of social housing, known as subsidized housing in the US, you obtain 5.1 million units in 2023³, more than double the number in public housing alone. In Singapore, 78% of the population live in some form of social housing. However, unlike other regions in the world, it is possible to rent a property... with a 99-year lease⁴. Another example is Mexico, where the government financed 70 half-built housing units in the Monterrey Incremental Housing project. Each half-built unit costs 20,000 dollars. Inhabitants can choose to expand the properties themselves, depending on their needs and financial means⁵... 

In Europe, according to the OECD report⁶, social housing only accounts for 8% of housing on average, there being some major discrepancies between countries. The Netherlands, Austria and Denmark, have over 20% of social housing, whilst Spain, Estonia, Lithuania and Czechia only have around 1%. In France, social housing - often referred to under the acronym HLM (habitation à loyer modéré, rent-controlled housing)⁷- concerns approximately 16% of households, with demand constantly increasing. It is subject to specific construction, management and allocation rules (see boxed text).

Coping with increasing demand - a major challenge

In many European countries, the social housing market is coming under increasing pressure. In France, although the total number of rent-controlled units is increasing (+ 0.9% between 2023 and 2024¹⁰), demand is outpacing the increased supply (+ 4.8% at the start of 2025¹¹). As of 1 January 2025, 2.76 million requests for social housing were unmet, an increase of almost 6% on the previous year¹². 2024 was the fourth consecutive year in which the number of requests met had fallen, reaching an all-time low of 9.4%.

It therefore seems essential, on the one hand, to produce more affordable, good quality housing to reduce the pressure in the market and, on the other hand, to renovate the existing housing stock. A lot of pre-1980 housing needs renovation work as part of an attempt to eliminate low-energy efficiency buildings, which are largely responsible for the fuel poverty faced by many households¹³. This can however prove to be a challenge when it comes to renovating occupied collective housing.

Social housing: building to meet everyone's needs

In addition to the necessity to build good quality housing that meets environmental regulations and is as energy efficient as possible, it is essential to consider the needs of all stakeholders when designing new social housing projects. Institutional players (the State, local authorities, municipalities, etc.), project managers and social housing landlords, property and construction professionals have every interest in working together and taking into consideration the requests of future tenants.

To meet the demand for high-quality social housing tailored to the needs of each landlord, region and occupant, VINCI Construction launched the Novologi scheme at the end of 2024, offering sustainable and resource-efficient social housing. The aim is to bring together landlords, future residents and partners at the early stages of property development projects, in order to design housing that closely matches everyone’s needs. This participatory approach enables the creation of spaces tailored to everyone’s expectations, whilst anticipating urban developments in the regions. VINCI Construction draws on the expertise of ADIM, its property development subsidiary, to design each scheme: the combination of property developer and design-build expertise allows for control over the value chain and execution. Novologi also promises optimised design timelines and construction costs, a selection of eco-friendly materials, and modular, functional and light-filled apartments. 

The Confluence residence in Montauban, inaugurated on 14 November 2024, is a successful example of social housing particularly suited to older people and those with disabilities. Confluence offers a form of communal living combined with a shared social life project that is open to the outside world.

Providing decent housing for everyone, sometimes in situations where supply is limited, remains a global challenge, especially in densely populated areas. There are many ways to build to a budget whilst respecting the environment and collective well-being, especially when public authorities work together with construction and property professionals. Although many challenges remain, particularly when refurbishing old buildings, involving citizens in decision-making is an approach that has proven successful.

Sources :

¹ CLPHA : “Public Housing Facts “ – https://clpha.org/public-housing/facts  

² Statista : “Number of households in the U.S. from 1960 to 2025”  – https://www.statista.com/statistics/183635/number-of-households-in-the-us/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed  

³ USA Facts : “How many subsidized housing units are available in the United States ? “ – https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-subsidized-housing-units-are-available/country/united-states/  

⁴ Le Devoir  : “À Singapour, un modèle d’habitation sociale unique au monde“ – https://www.ledevoir.com/monde/asie/772315/logement-un-modele-unique-au-monde? 

⁵ Patrimoine (LinkedIn) : “Les pépites du logement social “ – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/les-p%C3%A9pites-du-logement-social-exemples-inspirants-des-vodrf/  

Salomon Calderon, architecte : “Case Study: Monterrey Incremental Housing“ – https://www.salomoncalderon.com/house-guest  

⁶ EuroNews : “Housing in Europe: Where do people rent more than they buy?” – https://fr.euronews.com/business/2024/05/13/logement-en-europe-dans-quels-pays-y-a-t-il-le-plus-de-proprietaires  

⁷ Ministères de la Transition écologique, de l’Aménagement du territoire, des Transports, de la Ville et du Logement : “Logement social (HLM) : définition, catégories, financement, attribution, acteurs “ – https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/logement-social-hlm-definition-categories-financement-attribution-acteurs  

⁸ Ministères de la Transition écologique, de l’Aménagement du territoire, des Transports, de la Ville et du Logement : “ Logement social (HLM) : définition, catégories, financement, attribution, acteurs “ – https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/logement-social-hlm-definition-categories-financement-attribution-acteurs 

⁹ SDES : “ 5,4 millions de logements locatifs sociaux en France au 1^er janvier 2024 “ – https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/54-millions-de-logements-locatifs-sociaux-en-france-au-1er-janvier-2024 

¹⁰ SDES : “5,4 millions de logements locatifs sociaux en France au 1^er janvier 2024 “ – https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/54-millions-de-logements-locatifs-sociaux-en-france-au-1er-janvier-2024 

¹¹ ANCOLS : “Les attributions de logements sociaux “ – https://www.ancols.fr/publications/statistiques-etudes/les-attributions-de-logements-sociaux-5 

¹² Le Progrès : “Les demandes de logements sociaux de moins en moins satisfaites “ – https://www.leprogres.fr/social/2025/04/28/les-demandes-de-logements-sociaux-de-moins-en-moins-satisfaites 

¹³  ONPE : “ Les ressources et chiffres clés de la précarité énergétique “ – https://onpe.org/  

¹⁴ VINCI : “Novologi, la nouvelle offre de VINCI Construction dédiée aux bailleurs“ – https://readymag.website/u18697589/novologi/ 

¹⁵ VINCI Immobilier : “VINCI Immobilier lance l’offre In’Clusive : création de lieux de vie et de logements à destination des bailleurs sociaux “ – https://www.vinci-immobilier-institutionnel.com/actualites/offre-inclusive