Marja Elsinga

Prof. Dr. Ir. Marja Elsinga is a Professor of Housing Institutions & Governance at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), with additional teaching roles at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management and East China Normal University (visiting professor). Her research focuses on housing governance arrangements that balance housing as a human right and economic asset, with special attention to cross-country comparative analysis between Global North and South contexts.

Research themes include:

• Comparative housing systems (Netherlands, China, Spain, Ethiopia)
• Public housing management and institutional arrangements
• Energy poverty mitigation through retrofitting
• Informal settlement governance
• Intergenerational housing equity

Recent publications analyze:

• Energy coaching programs (2025)
• Private investment in Spanish social housing (2025)
• Transdisciplinary knowledge construction tools (2024)
• Incremental housing solutions in South Africa (2024)

Scientific recognition includes:

• 2024 Venice Architecture Film Festival - Best Short Film Award for 'When I Came to Your Door' documenting Addis Ababa evictions

Professional engagements:

• Editorial leadership: Dutch Journal for Housing, Encyclopaedia of Housing and Home
• Board memberships: BNG Vank (financial institutions), Ymere (real estate)
• Policy advisory roles: Housing Associations Assessment, Housing Equity Task Force