Communoity Participation in Lowincome Housing Projects: problems and prospects

Abstract

Whenever low-income housing projects fail to produce the desired result, the failure is attributed to a lack of When governments do not have the funds to launch a low-income housing programme, is supposed to compensate for this lack of resources. There exists a considerable confusion about the exact meaning of the term community participation. All sorts of activities (ranging from house construction to discussions about loan repayment schedules) by groups of people as well as by individual persons are classed under the term. This article attempts to clarify the term community participation with reference to urban low-income housing projects. In squatter settlement upgrading projects, the authorities regularize the illegal land tenure of squatters and provide basic infrastructure in the settlements. These interventions are expected to be sufficient incentives for the residents to start improving their houses. In sites-and-services schemes, the authorities provide serviced plots to the urban poor and expect them to produce their own houses, through individual or mutual self-help or the employment of small contractors.