Urban Housing Policy and Practice in the Developing World

Abstract

This chapter examines urban housing policy in the developing world. The emerging perspective put forth is based on a number of features in the contemporary world based on data indicating that the majority of people the world over will be living in cities or urban areas from now on. The author argues three key points. First, why the need to focus on urban housing policy and practice in developing and transitional economies. The second aim is to identify the fragmented nature of housing policy and practice in the developing world. The final aim of this chapter is to provide some out-of-the-box thinking on ways in which this fragmentation can be overcome. This chapter does not profess to provide definite answers but rather to reframe the questions that need to be asked, for as the saying goes, it is better to ask the right questions than provide answers to the wrong questions. Three main questions are posed. First, and foremost, what should the starting point be in addressing the housing policy and practice challenges in less developed regions? This second question is not only directly linked to the first on labor market opportunities but also has a substantial political dimension that is not helped by a large section of not-for-profits not accepting the diverse tenure argument. The third and final question is whether the current strategies of partnerships between not-for-profit organizations and the state or partnerships between the public and the private sectors are taking the easier path of providing visible progress to the detriment of holding the state and society to account for the widespread inequality in the size of housing lots that the poor occupy, having to make do with communal water and sanitation rather than services being available at the individual household level, and striving to ensure that the poor actually have a voice in choosing where they live. Keywords: urban housing; housing policy; developing world