A Review of the Iraqi Housing Sector Problems

Abstract

Housing is one of the important necessities for people. It comes after food and drink according to Maslow’s pyramid of human needs. It also influences countries’ social cohesion, stability and development and at the same time is affected by their general conditions. Iraq has a housing sector crisis. The county experiences a large housing shortage. The Iraqi National Housing Policy identifies critical challenges in seven housing-related fields: housing production, land management, housing finance, infrastructure, construction materials, housing stock status and slums. This paper aims to present a better understanding of these housing challenges as a first step to the development of appropriate solutions. It presents a critical investigation of the housing sector’s issues through exploring a wide range of literature to build a framework that critically evaluates and identifies the problems. The paper also quantifies the current housing shortage at around 1 million dwellings. Based on the extrapolation of trends towards 2030, it is estimated that Iraq has to build around 230000 dwellings annually to satisfy future demand. Results confirm the importance of the issues identified in the National Housing Policy, which gives it more validity. The paper concludes by proposing a series of measures to address Iraq’s housing challenges.