AN interactive map that identifies public land and resources for tackling the city's housing crisis and climate change is set to be launched tonight.
Developed by the Take Back the City Coalition, the toolkit marks the locations of available land and property, and maps out ownership and potential for sustainable development. The map also tracks the number of social homes being built in comparison to the number of people on the housing waiting list.
According to the research, there will be 6,413 new social homes needed in the "West Belfast 1" area and 4,200 needed in "North Belfast 1" by 2032 – a growing demand that campaigners say is not being met.
West Belfast currently has the highest number of people on the housing waiting list in the North. There are currently over 4,000 people, including 1,964 children, waiting on a home in the area.
The Take Back the City Coalition is a partnership between Build Homes Now campaign, Queens University School of Architecture, Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR), The Town and Country Planning Association, Rabble Tech Cooperative and award-winning author, Rory Hearne,
In launching the map, the coalition will also unveil a masterplan for the former Mackie's Site in West Belfast. The 12.7 hectare site is identified as the largest disused site in public ownership in Belfast, which campaigners project could hold 953 homes.
Take Back the City says its interactive map is the result of "two years' extensive consultation and engagement with communities, elected representatives and public authorities."
Sean Brady from PPR said the map will provide information that public authorities should make freely and easily available.
"The key point for all of our public authorities, elected representatives, Ministerial departments and the Executive is that we need to be more open with our information and let the public make informed choices," he said.
"We can't develop strategies to deal with the challenges that we face whilst government holds and contains this information in a way that is not accessible.
"We've come up against that challenge time and again on housing. We know that nothing we are doing now is anywhere near where it needs to be to solve the housing crisis."
To register for tonight's map launch webinar click here.
