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The housing crisis is now global. It shows just how undemocratic our nations have become | Leilani Farha
When we can’t even afford to rent or buy somewhere to live, we have to ask: did we give the financial sector too much power? Leilani Farha is the former UN special rapporteur on adequate housing In the summer of 2021, I visited a homeless community in a park in Toronto, Canada, and spoke to one of the residents. He was living in a tent in the shadow of brand new skyscrapers, and had been homeless for about five years. At one point he swivelled around, pointed up at a crane on the skyline, and said: “Who are they building those for? Definitely not for me.” He was right. And he captured something experienced by ordinary people around the world: the growing conviction that the housing system is no longer tethered to their needs. What he was pointing at is not just a housing crisis. It is a crisis of democracy. Leilani Farha is the 2026 CBC Massey lecturer. This piece is based on her new boo
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When we can’t even afford to rent or buy somewhere to live, we have to ask: did we give the financial sector too much power? Leilani Farha is the former UN special rapporteur on adequate housing In the summer of 2021, I visited a homeless community in a park in Toronto, Canada, and spoke to one of the residents. He was living in a tent in the shadow of brand new skyscrapers, and had been homeless for about five years. At one point he swivelled around, pointed up at a crane on the skyline, and said: “Who are they building those for? Definitely not for me.” He was right. And he captured something experienced by ordinary people around the world: the growing conviction that the housing system is no longer tethered to their needs. What he was pointing at is not just a housing crisis. It is a crisis of democracy. Leilani Farha is the 2026 CBC Massey lecturer. This piece is based on her new boo
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According to The Guardian’s source item, The housing crisis is now global. It shows just how undemocratic our nations have become | Leilani Farha, When we can’t even afford to rent or buy somewhere to live, we have to ask: did we give the financial sector too much power? Leilani Farha is the former UN special rapporteur on adequate housing In the summer of 2021, I visited a homeless community in a park in Toronto, Canada, and spoke to one of the residents. He was living in a tent in the shadow of brand new skyscrapers, and had been homeless for about five years. At one point he swivelled around, pointed up at a crane on the skyline, and said: “Who are they building those for? Definitely not for me.” He was right. And he captured something experienced by ordinary people around the world: the growing conviction that the housing system is no longer tethered to their needs. What he was pointing at is not just a housing crisis. It is a crisis of democracy. Leilani Farha is the 2026 CBC Massey lecturer. This piece is based on her new boo
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The development sits in VINI’s Global file for readers following international affairs, institutions, conflict, diplomacy, economics, and cross-border consequences. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-10-19T05:00:21+00:00.
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Primary source: The housing crisis is now global. It shows just how undemocratic our nations have become | Leilani Farha via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- The housing crisis is now global. It shows just how undemocratic our nations have become | Leilani FarhaThe Guardian - 2026-10-19T05:00:21+00:00
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