Bad to Worse: The Ukraine War & Serbia's Housing Crisis

Apartments in Serbia are selling fast. But the average income in Serbia is about 640 euros and the average price of an apartment is 2000 euros, so who is buying the apartments?

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused a domino effect around the world in a multitude of areas. Serbia, one of the few countries openly accepting Russians is facing an unprecedented housing crisis linked to the influx of people since the conflict first broke out. As more Russians buy property, the cost of living in Serbia has skyrocketed, and supply is growing short. Anger and resentment about landlords and about Russians has led the social situation to worsen as tensions grow.

Fredrik & Leilani meet with Jovana Timotijevic & Marko Aksentijević of Serbia's Ministry of Space to discuss how the country's history of communism and the current influx of wealthy Russians & Ukrainians fleeing the war is taking things from bad to worse.

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Cities are becoming increasingly unliveable for most people. Costs are rising but incomes are not. Sky-high rents, evictions, homelessness, and substandard housing are common realities for urban dwellers across the planet. There is a global housing crisis. How did this basic human right get so lost? Who is pushing people out of their homes and cities, and what’s being done to pushback? 

On the heels of the release of the award-winning documentary, PUSH, filmmaker, Fredrik Gertten and Leilani Farha, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, have reconvened. Join the filmmaker and the advocate as they reflect on their experiences making PUSH and exchange ideas and stories about the film's central issue: the financialization of housing and its fall-out. 

For more about PUSH and to view it:  www.pushthefilm.com 

For more about Fredrik Gertten and his other films: www.wgfilm.com

For more about Leilani Farha in her new role, Global Director of The Shift: www.make-the-shift.org