A global study of
the financialisation of housing
In Urban Warfare,
Rolnik charts how the financialisation of housing has become a global
crisis, as models of home ownership, originating in the US and UK,
are being exported around the world. These developments were largely
organised by those who benefit the most: construction companies and
banks, supported by government-facilitated schemes, such as ‘the
right to buy’, subsidies, and micro-financing.
Using examples
ranging from Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Chile, Israel, Haiti, the UK and
especially Brazil, Rolnik shows how our homes and neighbourhoods have
effectively become the “last subprime frontiers of capitalism.”
This neoliberal colonialism is experienced on the scale of the city
but also within our everyday lives. Yet since the financial crisis
and wider urban politics that have left millions homeless, forced
from their homes because of urban development politics, and
mega-events such as the Rio World Cup in 2013. These narratives are
weaved together with theoretical reflections and empirical evidence
to explain the crisis in depth. In response, Rolnik restates the
political need for activism and resistance. Examining in detail the
June Days protests in Rio, 2013-14, she shows that housing remains an
essential, and global, struggle.
