Adequate Housing Research Articles

Mapping of Indices of Slum and Informal Housing Development in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Slums and informal housing developments in Akure are growing at an unprecedented rate. It is on this basis that this work sets out to map out the indices of slum and informal housing development in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. High-resolution satellite data, as well as primary and secondary data, were used in the study. Based on collected data, ArcGIS 10.3.1 software was used to prepare a base map showing the existing land use, built up area in 1986, 2002, and 2019, and indices of slums, or informal housing in Akure. The indices were rated on a scale of 1–5 and the results obtained revealed that socio-economic indices [housing shortage, lack of affordable housing, high incidences of urban poverty, high incidences of rural or urban–urban migration and unemployment], institutional indices [poor enforcement of planning laws, unclear regulation and long procedures for building plan approvals, and lack of planning/development plans], political indices [inadequate provision of sites and services, tenure insecurity and eviction, and poor resettlement programme by the government] and environmental indices [high density of development and overcrowding, inadequate neighbourhood facilities and services, and inadequate sanitation] are most significant in the core and peripheral areas of Akure. The study recommends slum upgrading programmes oriented to the betterment of the current conditions of slum households and neighbourhoods and formal housing aimed at securing access to adequate housing for all, in particular the most vulnerable, promoting affordable and safe solutions and inclusive housing finance systems.

Evaluating whether the laws governing deceased estates infringe on the right to have access to adequate housing

Despite many developments related to the right to housing in recent years, the laws governing deceased estates (in so far as they relate to the right to housing) remain remarkably unchanged. For example, a surviving spouse or other heirs are often forced to sell their primary residence in order to discharge the obligation to wind up the deceased’s estate and to liquidate the debts of the deceased. This is done without proper regard to relevant considerations of prejudice, including the risk of homelessness. The problem is exacerbated when the home is bonded at the time of the deceased’s passing and no life cover secures the outstanding bond – the provisions of the Administration of Estates Act 66 of 1965 oblige the executor to pay all the deceased’s creditors including the mortgagee. This is so even if the surviving spouse or other heirs can continue to service the monthly bond instalments but are unable to discharge the entire debt in one lump sum. In this article, the author contends that to the extent that the laws governing deceased estates necessitate the sale of a primary residence with the concomitant effect of rendering a spouse or heir homeless, they infringe on the right to have access to adequate housing enshrined in section 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 and as such, are unconstitutional.

Older Persons' Right to Adequate Housing

Older Persons' Right to Adequate Housing

Investigating the Benefits and Barriers of Quality Assurance Management for Adequate Housing Delivery in Nigeria: An Empirical Overview

Abstract Purpose: The process of housing delivery all over the world is confronted by multiple barriers resulting in houses that are short of clients’ expectations in terms of quality and overall standards. The inability of the house builders (contractors) to deliver quality housing normally occurs due to non-conformance to quality assurance principles and non-adherence to the key quality indicators. An assessment of recent developments and actions in the building industry that might help mitigate the identified barriers has been made in this study. Hence, skilful application of quality assurance principles to overcome quality barriers in housing delivery is essential. Methodology: The study has employed quantitative methods of data collection. Closed-ended questionnaires have been prepared and administered to building contractors in Akure, Nigeria. The collected quantitative data have been analysed with the aid of SPSS software, version 27. The results have been accordingly reported to ascertain the level of commitment made by building contractors on ensuring quality in housing delivery in Akure. Findings: Findings have revealed that building contractors are well conversant and knowledgeable about the probable benefits of implementing quality assurance in the housing delivery process. There are, however, obvious challenges and serious barriers that are militating against effective implementation of quality assurance measures in the housing delivery process such as engaging unskilled labour force. Recommendation: The study recommends that a pre-assessment of the workforce be made to establish their level of knowledge and competencies on quality assurance management principles. Originality and value: Creation of “quality assurance consciousness” for the housing industry will result in quality housing delivery to the satisfaction of all end users and the general public.

Reconsidering corruption as a violation of the rights to equality and non-discrimination based on poverty in South Africa

Many international organisations and national institutions such as, for example, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council, Transparency International, and the Constitutional Court of South Africa have agreed that corruption has a negative impact on the realisation and enjoyment of human rights. Vulnerable and marginalised groups are disproportionally impacted when it comes to the realisation of their socio-economic rights. This is especially the case where corruption limits access to quality and affordable social services essential for the realisation of rights such as the rights to adequate housing, sanitation, education, and healthcare. This article argues that the criminal law approach, traditionally employed to fight corruption, is not sufficient to address the social harm caused by corrupt acts and omissions. It is argued that a human rights-based approach, grounded in the principles of accountability, empowerment, participation, and non-discrimination, must be employed to provide adequate remedies to the victims of corruption. This article specifically explores the possible violation of the rights to equality and non-discrimination, where corrupt acts or omissions result in limited access to social services for one of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society, the poor. This argument is based on the recent judgment by the Equality Court in Social Justice Coalition v Minister of Police 2019 (4) SA 82 (WCC), where the Court found that poverty constitutes an unspecified ground for discrimination, as envisioned by the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000. It is found that the state’s failure to adequately prevent corruption, particularly where corruption results in the limitation of access to quality and affordable social services such as education, housing, and healthcare, that are essential for the realisation of rights, impairs the fundamental human dignity of those living in poverty and adversely affects the realisation of their rights in a comparably serious manner. Thus, under a human rights-based approach, rights holders can hold the state accountable for violating duties, to which they are legally obliged under the human rights framework due to corrupt acts and omissions.

Minimum standards and essential needs in the protection of Syrian refugees in Turkey

UNHCR Executive Committee resolutions had recognized the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in mass influx and many bilateral international conventions, treaties, and agreements. The following rights have also emerged within UNHCR Executive Committee decisions, international human rights law, and international law. The significant central rights and the principle of law towards refugee and asylum seekers which are considered as the minimum standards are: 1) non-refoulement principles, 2) right to life, 3) right to protection from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, 4) provision of an individual legal status, 5) right to asylum, 6) prohibition of discrimination, 7) right to liberty and security of person, 8) freedom of residence and movement, 9) family reunification, 10) right to an adequate standard of living, and 11) right to adequate housing. Until September 2020, Turkey had been a host country for 3,621,968 Syrian refugees1 who are located in eighty-one cities. Turkey applies the family reunification policy towards the refugees. However, because of the large number of Syrians, Turkish authorities struggle with providing adequate living and housing standards. Thus, the article will elaborate on the most crucial elements from the humanitarian point of view, that is family reunification, right to an adequate standard of living, and right to acceptable housing standards applied towards the Syrian refugees in Turkey in virtue of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey (1982), Law on Foreigners and International Protection No. 6458 of 2013, and Temporary Protection Regulation (2014).

Housing as a Human Right within an Era of International Exceptionalism

The right to adequate housing is an internationally recognized human right, yet it has been incontrovertibly desecrated by a lack of recognition, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups. Economic, social, and cultural rights have encountered many challenges in an ever-increasing era of international exceptionalism and challenges arise in the protection of these rights. The right to housing is achieved in two ways: as a normative right and as a derivative right encompassed within economic, social, and cultural rights. This article introduces: (1) the normative development of economic, social, and cultural rights as recognized human rights, and their regulatory implementation through international instruments; (2) the concept of individuals as right-holders and duty-bearers of economic, social, and cultural rights; (3) understanding how the restriction of the right to housing leads to the violation of other human rights, including (a) the right to life, (b) the right to freedom from discrimination, and (c) the right to humane treatment – and the types of vulnerable groups that face the most discrimination, such as indigenous persons and women; and (4) protection against forced evictions, through an examination of the jurisprudence of the Inter-American System, European Court of Human Rights, and African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Duty without liability: The impact of article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the right to health care in Nigeria

The right to health care under article 12 of ICESCR is an instrumental right because it bears vital linkages to the realisation of other rights. For the many Nigerians living in poverty, their health may be the only asset on which they can rely for the exercise of other rights, such as the right to work or the right to adequate housing. Conversely, ill-health can be a liability to the many people living in poverty in Nigeria, even more so in the absence of equal access to affordable and essential healthcare services. This article aims to review the implication of article 12 of ICESCR on some of the existing initiatives for achieving the right to health care in Nigeria, especially in respect of human rights law and policy. The article argues that for Nigeria to meet its international obligations under the right to health care, it must commit to adequate funding of healthcare services and engage with regional and international partners to ensure compliance with article 12 of ICESCR. Given that the right to health care presently is not justiciable in Nigeria because of the ouster clause contained in section 6(6)(c) of the Nigerian Constitution, the article calls for an attitudinal change in the judicial perception of economic and social rights that come before the courts. It urges Nigerian courts to adopt the principle of the interdependency and indivisibility of rights, whereby judicial measures to enforce the right are given effect through the formally-enforceable civil and political rights contained in chapter four of the Nigerian Constitution. The Indian Supreme Court is reputable for taking this approach to the interpretation and enforcement of economic and social rights because the enjoyment of civil and political rights is linked to the satisfaction of economic and social rights, such as the right to health care. Finally, because of the importance of health care to a life of dignity, the article calls for Nigerian courts to adopt a progressive and broader approach when dealing with economic and social rights because of the evident connection between, for example, the right to health care and the right to life.

Sanitary conditions diagnosis in vulnerable communities in the City of Recife and its influence on Covid-19 cases

The Covid-19 pandemic calls into question deficiencies in current public policies and infrastructure of basic services to the population in large urban centers. From health systems, environmental sanitation and social protection, particularly for the low-income population, this opens the debate of the values and priorities at different scales. The research study area are subnormal settlements located in the neighborhoods of Pina and Brasília Teimosa in the Metropolitan Region of Recife. The aim was to assess the sanitary conditions in ZEIS, by conducting semi-structured interviews and assessing secondary data. Among the interviewees, only 56.3% said they had sanitary sewage collection and another 74.4% (n=1041) had access to water supply by Compesa, showing a significant deficit in the provision of basic services. With the pandemic, the necessary production of detailed empirical field data from the perspective of the peripheries faces great scientific challenges. Ensuring access to ideal sanitary conditions is a right for all and is related in an integrated way to multiple SDGs of the 2030 agenda. Demanding safe, adequate and affordable housing, and inclusive and sustainable urbanization, with capacity for planning and management of participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlements.

Life Experiences and Coping Mechanisms among Breast Cancer Patients in an Urban Malaysian Hospital: A Qualitative Study

Breast cancer is top-ranking cancer that affects the quality of life among women in Malaysia. Although it is very difficult to define the quality of life (QoL) precisely, it has a broad concept that affects global life satisfaction, which includes good health, adequate housing, employment, personal and family safety, interrelationships, education, and leisure pursuits. In this study, we aimed to discuss the life changes upon being diagnosed with breast cancer and their perception of social support. We also discussed the spirituality factor in patients’ coping mechanism with their health condition. This study was carried out using a purposive sampling method. The perception of social support, quality of life, and religiosity factor is discussed through the perspectives of nine breast cancer patients with an interview consisting of semi-structured questions. Basic interpretive qualitative methodology was applied to analyse the perception of social support and religiosity factor as a coping mechanism. The results showed that all the breast cancer patients reported good social support from family and friends except for one patient. Five themes were identified, namely patterns of life, supportive atmosphere, decision making and confidence, expectation, as well as psychological defences and spirituality. Seven out of nine patients reported that their religion helped them to cope with the disease by maintaining self-esteem, providing a sense of meaning and purpose, giving emotional comfort, and providing a sense of hope. In conclusion, social support and religious factor are very important in the lives of breast cancer patients in dealing with their health condition.

The ambivalent link between globalisation and socio-economic rights in post-apartheid South Africa: Making a case for the right to adequate houses

ABSTRACT This paper examines the extent to which globalisation has affected the post-apartheid state’s ability to fulfil the right to adequate houses enshrined in the South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996). Underpinned by the rights-based approach to development (RBAD) which provides a mechanism to promote, protect, and fulfil various rights, the study employed a quantitative methodology. A survey was the preferred data collection method and a questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. The probability sampling technique of random cluster sample was used in the study and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse questionnaires focusing primarily on descriptive statistics. The sample size consisted of 500 survey respondents selected from two towns in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. We used an alpha level of .05 for all statistical tests. The study was premised on the following null hypothesis (H0): the right to housing is equally distributed among the population. The findings indicate that the right to houses is not equally distributed among the population, X2 (2, N = 500) = 56.37, p < .05. Therefore, the null hypothesis (H0) is rejected. We can conclude, therefore, that there is a statistically significant difference amongst the groups.

European Union Housing Policy—An Attempt to Synthesize the Actions Taken

Adequate housing conditions are an indicator of a decent life, whereas the lack is one of the main reason behind so-called social exclusion. The importance of housing, in ensuring the social safety of citizens, as well as supporting social equity, has been emphasized for decades. Housing, however, also has an important economic dimension. A developed housing sector, in a broad sense guaranteeing the right to housing, is indicated as one of the main conditions for long-term economic growth. The significant role of housing, in deepening integrational processes on the old continent, has also been observed by the European Union. This article is a review and comprises of an attempt to synthesize arguments justifying the need to expand the European Union policy to include housing-related issues. For this purpose, a historical context of the perception of the role of housing in the process of European integration is presented; it characterizes the main phases of incorporating housing into EU policy, as well as indicating the most important areas and instruments of the European Union’s influence on the housing policy of member countries, along with an assessment of their results. The work makes use of the method of the critical analysis of literature, as well as an analysis of EU legal regulations, accounts, and reports referring to the housing sphere. Studies confirm the need for active involvement, aimed at including housing in the scope of EU competencies. The undertaken initiatives of a political, social, economic, environmental, and legal nature are the main forms of recommendations, propositions, and instruments supporting the implementation of common values. Studies conducted to date indicate that the implementation of a single EU housing policy for all member states is neither a simple nor desired task. A more effective solution would unquestionably be seeking out general solutions, addressed to groups of countries functioning under similar conditions. A European housing programme, which holds the status of European law supporting national housing policies, should be such a solution.

Planning for Seniors Housing in Changing Cities: Lessons Learned From a Cross-National Exchange

Across North America, a growing number of older adults have a core housing need and lack access to affordable, suitable or adequate housing. Although federal, state/provincial and local backdrops vary across Canadian and American contexts, seniors’ housing providers in both countries face similar challenges and must develop innovative policy and program responses to help older adults age in place. We hosted an international seniors’ housing conference to create a platform for cross-national collaboration among multidisciplinary seniors housing experts. This event offered an opportunity to exchange best practices, emerging research, and policy solutions, and establish a set of shared priorities for advancing seniors housing that were applicable to two nations with different social systems. This paper will reflect on the exchange of knowledge and best practices related to housing preservation, eviction prevention, and access to supports during COVID-19, and the lessons learned fostering a cross-national collaborative network of seniors housing experts.

Aging in the Right Place? Photovoice With Older Adults Residing in Shelters During COVID-19

Aging in the right place (AIRP) involves supporting older adults to live as long as possible in their homes and communities, recognizing that where an older person lives impacts their ability to age optimally and must match their unique lifestyles and vulnerabilities. Photovoice, a participatory action research strategy, allows people to document their experiences through photography, promoting critical dialogue about issues such as AIRP and rights-based housing. This presentation highlights the concept of AIRP from the perspectives of a diverse group of older adults living in promising practices shelters in Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary, Canada using photovoice. Findings indicate that the process promoted a sense of empowerment among participants. Insights about older adults’ perceptions of AIRP residing in shelters to best meet their intersectional identities, housing, and support needs will be shared. Findings inform policy initiatives that promote AIRP and the right to adequate housing for older adults experiencing homelessness.

Comparative analysis on the thermal performance of selected building materials and technologies for housing in the sudan

In search for adequate and affordable housing based on appropriate local building materials and technologies, theNational Fund for Housing and Rehabilitation (NFHR) has invited research institutes, professional associations andpractitioners to give their suggestions and recommendations in this regard. Demonstration models were developed to showthe appropriateness of some technologies and materials and the extent of its affordability.The purpose of this study is to carry out a comparative analysis between some of these different technologies in termsof economical and environmental contexts using Ecotect software. According to the analysis results, selected materialsfor walling and roofing are ranked based on their performance in terms of annual energy required, passive comfort, heatgains, and passive breakdown of heat gains and losses.

Gender Equality and Sustainable Development

The article discusses gender equality as an integral part of democratic values. It is a democratic state that should be based not only on political and social, but also on the idea of gender equality, which means ensuring equal rights and responsibilities, responsibilities and equal participation in socio-political life. The 5th goal of the United Nations-Sustainable Development is to ensure gender equality in society. Therefore, the Government of Georgia is actively working to ensure economic empowerment of women and equal economic opportunities in the country by 2030 and to protect the gender balance in the decision-making process. According to global studies, female potential is the least used economic resource in the world, and a pandemic exacerbates this problem. According to world studies, globally, the rate of job losses in women due to pandemics is about 1.8 times higher than the same rate in men. The article extensively covers additional risk factors for gender equality, such as poverty, as women often do not have access to adequate nutrition, fresh air, water, doctor visits, and housing. For example, the production of textiles is one of the most important polluting industries in the world. 90% of the employees in this field are women. Similarly, in Georgia, the majority of employees in garment factories are women. Our observations show that women earn an average of 400-500 GEL per month, in return for having to work hard, working overtime, which also increases their health risks. Similar problems exist in other industry conditions. For example, the city of Rustavi, where the degree of air pollution is 3-4 times higher than the allowable norms. That is why most women complain of weak immunity, various allergic and oncological diseases. It should also be noted that in Georgia, the integration of gender issues in the development of legislative policies, laws, strategies and programs does not happen often and, unfortunately, the state puts the interest of business profit ahead of the needs of society. The UN Office in Georgia has set up an Extended Gender Thematic Group (GTG) to achieve the goals and objectives set out in the 2021-2025 Partnership Agreement, which brings together all gender contacts and works to promote gender equality and women's empowerment in the country. Keywords: Gender equality, sustainable development, cooperation agreement, women's empowerment, women's rights.

مركز دراسات البصرة والخليج العربي / جامعة البصرة

Iraq faces great challenges, the most important of which are terrorism, economic corruption, and the rentier economy. The countries have disintegrated and collapsed after 2003 after the US occupation and the change of the previous political regime. The Iraqi economy has faced rampant corruption in various economic sectors, economic mafias, and the inability of successive Iraqi governments to address the imbalances in the Iraqi economy, and then terrorist organizations spread. Conflicts, destruction, displacement, and large financial spending on military operations and on fictitious and unproductive projects began since 2003 until Iraq’s victory over terrorism, which destroyed the country and the people, especially the Western regions of Iraq. Accordingly, the start of comprehensive economic reform, while limiting the phenomenon of financial and administrative corruption in the joints of the economic sectors in Iraq, and the reconstruction of cities and areas liberated from terrorist gangs, as well as developing appropriate plans and strategies to enhance the economy’s ability to advance the deteriorating reality and depends mainly on oil revenues. , and this needs to expedite the development of solutions and treatments to advance the economic reality, through diversifying the Iraqi economy in order to increase and diversify exports, reduce imports to provide hard currencies derived from oil revenues, encourage foreign investments in various economic sectors, and build adequate housing for the majority of the Iraqi people who suffer From economic corruption, terrorist operations, and building an economy that depends primarily on local natural and human resources.

Climate change and the right to health of people with disabilities

Climate change and the right to health of people with disabilities

Ceding Control and Taking it Back: The Origins of Free Movement in EU Law

Abstract Given the emphasis, at the time of the 2016 referendum, on the need to take back control of UK immigration policy, the article raises the question as to why the founding EU States decided not only to cede control in this sensitive field but also to allow such a generous approach to economic migration (to include not just workers but also their family members and to include equal access to benefits, including to housing) (the ‘why’ question). We also wanted to know whether any of the concerns which so resonated in the 2016 referendum campaign, especially about benefit tourism and pressure on public services, were ventilated at the time (the ‘risks’ question). Given that the contemporaneous academic literature did not offer much insight, we went to the archives and traced the evolution of the debates on economic migration in the period leading up to the signing of the Treaty of Rome, and again in the run up to the adoption of the key Regulation on workers, Regulation 1612/68 (now Regulation 492/11). We suggest that in respect of the ‘why’ question there was no single—or simple—explanation as to why the founding states agreed to the introduction of free movement but various justifications were offered. In respect of the ‘risks’ question, our research revealed little contemporaneous discussion of the concerns that subsequently took hold, primarily in the UK but also elsewhere. More striking were the extensive debates on adequate housing for migrant workers and their families. This was less couched in terms of risk but in terms of the paucity of provision of adequate housing for all families. The article concludes by considering the question as to why there was so little attention paid to the radical nature of free movement.

In The Face of Financialization: Cities and the Human Right to Adequate Housing

The right to housing is a human right with broad but frequently overlooked implications, particularly in the urban environment. This difficulty is heightened in the context of what is known as the “financialization of housing”. Financialization involves the interconnections between global financial markets and housing, and, at the extreme, has prompted a climate in which housing is conceived less as a social good and more as a commodity. The result of the financialization turn is cities with a severe lack of affordable housing, a reality that is now a global phenomenon. This naturally leads to economic exclusions and displacements from cities, but, on a deeper level, also entails major collective consequences for the social and cultural fabric. Financialization thus threatens the right to housing in cities, particularly when the right is examined and understood in its full sense. And yet, cities have a duty to ensure the right to housing even in the face of financialization. Drawing on the jurisprudence of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights through its individual communications procedure, the European Court of Human Rights, and domestic cases from South Africa and the United States, this paper aims to elucidate this duty of cities in the realm of housing. A substantive rather than purely procedural shape of protection for the right to housing is pushed, which deliberates the connections between housing and the wider societal context, and the implicated concerns of resources, property, and urban community. In present times, our appreciation of home as a necessary nexus of safety, comfort, and productivity has come to the fore, as have our fears around economic insecurity, forcing us to confront and closely interrogate the right to housing.