What is the cause of the housing crisis? What is the connection between money creation for mortgages, scarce building land, and high housing prices? Why is it difficult to realize affordable housing?
In the artwork The Machinery of Public Housing, cartographer Carlijn Kingma maps the answers to these and other questions about the housing crisis.
The exhibition, made possible in part by the Province of South Holland, can be viewed at the following locations:
- February 2 to 13 in the Atrium (City Hall) The Hague
- February 20 to March 8 in the provincial government building.
Furthermore, the impressive drawing will travel in 2026 with an exhibition pavilion through the country, including banks, housing corporations, the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, and the Ministry of VRO.
Deputy Anne Koning: “The Machinery of Public Housing clarifies where our housing system is stuck. Housing corporations are indispensable for affordable housing but are hindered by high land prices, financial shortages, and tax burdens. They need a stable long-term perspective to be able to build now. And that is really important for people who need an affordable home now. Through smarter land policy and clear rules, we can ensure that the money goes where it belongs: in affordable and sustainable homes.”
Cartographer of society
Carlijn Kingma is a cartographer of society. She draws detailed maps of the invisible structures that shape our society. After studying architecture at TU Delft, she started her own practice at the intersection of art, research, and journalism. Kingma won several art prizes with her previous project The Waterwork of Our Money and exhibited at the Kunstmuseum The Hague, the Boijmans van Beuningen Depot, and the Venice Biennale.