Affordable Housing Schemes Research Articles

No shelter is safe: Syrian refugees and housing precarity in Beirut, Lebanon

Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, Lebanon has maintained an incomplete vision for its most recent wave of refugees, specifically through its “zero-camp” policy for displaced Syrians. However, it has provided no alternative shelter. In a country with no comprehensive affordable housing scheme, this has led displaced Syrians to seek informal ways of accessing spaces of refuge on their own and UNHCR to become the leading humanitarian organization in helping the most vulnerable refugees access shelter. The research reported in this field note, drawing on interviews, discussions, participant observation and analysis of secondary data, investigates how these displaced Syrians have accessed shelter and tenure in two upscale neighbourhoods in Beirut, navigating a delicate balance of legal, social, economic and spatial factors shared by both the displaced and local communities. The situation has been further complicated by Beirut’s historic sectarian divisions. The findings of the study provide an update on Syrian refugee self-settlement after the 2019 economic crisis in well-to-do neighbourhoods in Beirut, challenging the assumption that the shelter available to refugees in privileged areas might provide greater security in dire economic times.

Access to the exclusive city: Home sharing as an affordable housing strategy

Home sharing, particularly via online platforms, is becoming a mainstream housing strategy as social processes evolve and housing costs rise. Recent research has studied shared rentals as a modality for students and kin-based households, as one strategy among diversifying pathways to housing and as a social phenomenon. However, we still know little about whether it actually creates opportunities for home seekers in unaffordable markets. Analysing online rental listings in Los Angeles, we find that shared rentals are both more affordable and more widely available across diverse neighbourhoods than traditional whole-unit rentals. Shared rentals have historically been understudied due to their limited data trail, but they offer important entryways into unaffordable markets. We argue for shared housing research to shift its traditional focus away from students and young adults and towards a broader exploration of the diverse populations that may benefit from or depend on shared housing.

A REVIEW ON SUSTAINABLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN INDIA: ONE STEP TO BUILD A GOOD ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT

Affordable housing, economic growth, and environmental protection are India's urban development priorities. The housing sector of India holds the third largest position among other industries. India needs inexpensive, sustainable housing for economic and environmental reasons. The definition of affordable housing has been discussed as given by the government schemes and authorities. Urbanisation, infrastructure, and housing shortages affect India's housing business. According to a government technical study from 2011, there was an 18.76-million-unit shortfall in metropolitan areas, with 96% of those units belonging to EWS and LIG. However, it doesn’t consider nondurable and rental houses, which further increases the housing demand. To address such issues, the central government has launched various sustainable affordable housing policies to integrate sustainability, affordability, and inclusion into architecture and construction. ‘Housing for all’ is one of the government schemes launched in June 2015 which promotes affordable housing and technology in the sector. Housing and allied industries play a significant role to boost GDP, jobs, and communities. Energy-efficient technology, waste management, green spaces, and sustainable building reduce housing developments' environmental impact. These activities reduce carbon emissions and strengthen urban climate change resilience, saving the environment. The research stresses social inclusion to provide affordable housing to low-income, women, and vulnerable people. Housing inclusivity promotes equity in the society. India's sustainable, affordable housing schemes are analysed, and gaps are identified. Public-private partnerships, subsidies, and governments encourage sustainable housing. Finally, affordable housing benefits India's economy and environment. This study underlines the necessity to incorporate economic, environmental, and social factors into housing laws and practices to solve India's housing crisis. It further mentions Sustainable, affordable housing will boost India's economy, environment, and the quality of life holistically.

Housing and Settlements in The Ujung Menteng Urban Village area

This study aims to assess the housing and settlement dynamics within the Kelurahan Ujung Menteng area. Findings reveal a range of challenges impeding housing and settlement progress, encompassing inadequate access to fundamental services like clean water, sanitation, and road infrastructure. Moreover, socio-economic factors significantly influence the community's quality of life. In light of these findings, the research advocates several strategic initiatives to enhance housing and settlement conditions in Kelurahan Ujung Menteng. These include enhancing the accessibility of essential infrastructure, implementing affordable housing schemes, and fostering community empowerment in decision-making processes concerning area development.

Has Housing Filtering Stalled? Heterogeneous Outcomes in the American Housing Survey, 1985–2021

Filtering of housing units—the process through which housing units over time serve occupants with lower or higher incomes—is a primary source of low-cost housing supply in the United States. However, the extent of filtering can vary widely in response to local housing market conditions, and this variation carries implications for the affordable housing strategies used in different areas. This paper uses the American Housing Survey (AHS) panels for 1985–2013 and 2015–2021 to construct repeat income measures of filtering. The analyses then describe the extent of variation in filtering outcomes across time periods, price points, and metropolitan areas. The results show significant variation across all three domains. Temporal analyses document significant changes in the estimated filtering outcomes across multiple time periods. In particular, the estimates for 2015–2021 suggest that downward filtering of housing units stalled or reversed as housing markets tightened in recent years. The direction and extent of filtering is also shown to vary significantly across metropolitan areas with higher and lower home price appreciation. These findings highlight the importance of heterogeneity in filtering outcomes to the conclusions drawn for policy. They also provide insight into the potential limitations of filtering as a source of affordable housing supply.

Changing roles of the state in the development of long-term rental apartments under a transitional housing regime in China

Long-term rental apartments (LRAs) are booming in Chinese megacities in recent years, largely facilitated by various forms of state intervention in the private rental sector. Focusing on the state’s endeavours in promoting LRA development and incorporating it into the affordable rental housing scheme nationwide, this study explores the changing roles of the state in two stages of LRA development through the conceptual lens of housing regime. Drawing on a comprehensive policy analysis and a field investigation in Beijing, our major findings are threefold. First, two stages of LRA development—market-led under state supervision (from 2015 to 2019) and state-led development (after 2019) are identified, in which highly responsive state interventions were introduced to cope with the housing affordability crisis and maintain social stability. Second, the role of the state shifted from a facilitator to an active participant with the deepening involvement of state-owned enterprises in the rental housing market. Third, a transitional housing regime shifting from a productivist regime to a developmental regime is underway to achieve different socioeconomic goals. This study enriches our conceptual and empirical understanding of the latest episode of housing and land policies in response to the volatile political and socioeconomic climate by introducing a transitional housing regime in urban China.

Comparative Analysis of Residential Satisfaction of Two Unapproved Housing Schemes in Peshawar

People seek housing to satisfy their basic needs for privacy protection and try to find an affordable house. People are attracted to an affordable housing scheme. But most affordable housing schemes do not have approval status from the concerned regulatory agency. Peshawar is among Pakistan’s most populous cities with an increasing urbanization rate. This causes increased housing demand and people only care about the affordability of the house, not to mention the approval status of the housing scheme. This study determines the comparative satisfaction of residents of two (Al-haram Model Town and Executive Lodges) unapproved housing schemes in Peshawar. the comparison is done on three bases: (i) neighborhood facilities and design, (ii) infrastructure provision, and (iii) maintenance and management. these categories are further divided into fifteen variables for insight study. A survey on close-ended questionnaires with a five-point Likert-scale ranging from strongly dissatisfied to strongly-satisfied was conducted in both housing schemes. the CATREG regression analysis was employed to determine the influence of each of the fifteen variables from both housing schemes on overall residential satisfaction. Regression analysis shows that residents of Al-haram Model Town are more satisfied than residents of Executive Lodges because of more variables of Al-haram Model Town of each category positively influence overall residential satisfaction than Executive Lodges each category variables.

Effective affordable housing strategies for the urban poor in Nigeria

Providing affordable housing (AH) in a suitable manner has continued to be a global challenge despite various research attempts and policy interventions, suggesting a need for innovativeness in affordable housing provision. Review of literature exposes a mismatch between AH demand and what is supplied. A pragmatic approach to AH provision warrants an investigation of the urban poor, being targets of AH interventions. To achieve this, this study examined the urban poor to diligently explore their informal housing strategies. 40 randomly selected respondents were interviewed from the 5 strata of largest slums in Lagos, Nigeria. Following a descriptive, content and thematic analyses of data, findings are that there are concealed and untapped resources within the housing strategies of the urban poor that may inform suitable affordable housing provision approaches. Findings are that suitable rent for housing the urban poor should not exceed $9 per month, rental housing is more suitable for the urban poor than homeownership, incremental housing, use of cheaper construction materials, adopting alternative housing approaches such as shared housing, convertible homes and hostels are suitable housing construction strategies. Suitable housing financing strategies will be modifying their existent housing finance means among other essential findings. This study provides insights into informally devised housing strategies of settlers in the slums of Lagos. Data from this study may benefit policymakers and are useful for future studies on pro-poor housing provision. Study recommended that the informal strategies of the urban poor can be improved, institutionalized and incorporated into housing policies to achieve effective and sustainable affordable housing provision for the urban poor in developing economies.

Exploring the Association between Job Attributes and Housing Rents: A Case Study of Guangzhou

The association between jobs and housing rents has garnered significant attention from scholars. However, the current body of literature only examines a limited number of job-related characteristics when investigating the link between jobs and housing rents, without delving into more comprehensive job attributes. This study utilizes job data sourced from the job search website Zhilian to conduct a comprehensive analysis of how housing rents are associated with job attributes (specifically, job position features, employer features, and distant job accessibility) at various spatial scales. The analysis is based on a sample of 3,850 communities in Guangzhou, China. This study reveals that housing rents are associated with job attributes at varying spatial scales, with the magnitude of impact generally diminishing as the spatial scale expands. When considering job attributes, it is found that employer features hold the highest level of significance, followed by job position features, while distant job accessibility is deemed to be of lesser importance. The aforementioned findings contribute novel insights into the association between specific job characteristics and housing rents. This information can prove valuable for policymakers as they strive to formulate affordable housing strategies that align with prevailing employment conditions.

Towards closing the housing gap in the UK: exploration of the influencing factors and the way forward

PurposeHousing provides constructed space for human activities. Literature indicates that housing impacts wealth, education attainment and health outcomes, among others. Because of its contributions to society, it is essential to develop and implement strategies that address the housing shortage experienced in most cities across the globe. This study aims to unpack the factors affecting housing production in the UK and chart the way forward.Design/methodology/approachIn addressing this study's aim, an interprivitst approach was adopted and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 experienced professionals. Data were collected across the four nations of the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland).FindingsThe results indicated that the opportunistic behaviour of stakeholders is one of the main factors affecting housing production in the study area. Also, modern construction methods, collaborative practices, government intervention and affordable housing schemes were identified as key strategies for addressing housing production factors.Practical implicationsThis study identified strategies for mitigating housing production issues that provide a focal point to all stakeholders keen on filling the housing shortage gap and improving productivity to channel their resources and effort accordingly.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to empirically analyse the influencing factors on the housing gap in the UK from the perspective of the supply side to provide information that could lead towards closing the said gap.

Affordable Housing in India: A Beneficiary Perspective

Affordable housing is the need of the hour to overcome the existing housing crisis in India. About 95% housing shortage is observed in the economically weaker sections of the society. Housing for All scheme—Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, ushered in ample opportunities by establishing a lucrative model for all stakeholders. But only 38% of the sanctioned houses are constructed in the span of 5 years. Success of the scheme lies in appropriate identification of beneficiaries and creating a system with linkages for them to avail the benefits stated under the scheme. However, constructed units are lying vacant and an upsurge of 25% in unsold stock inventory is observed. Moreover, the focus of research has always been on supply side to aid the builders and financers in service delivery. This prompts a need to scrutinise the situation and identify the prevailing gaps. Interactions with stakeholders show the impediments in accessing the government affordable housing. The study has generated relevant insights from the users’ point of view regarding the various policy aspects which are yielding deviations from the outcomes as previously desired by the policy. The study is case-based orienting around affordable housing schemes in the city of Vadodara in Gujarat.

An Affordable Identity—Customisation Prior to Housing Construction in Australia

This paper presents a study that explores an affordable housing scheme which allows customisation prior to construction for owner-occupiers. Due to ongoing concerns about the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic affecting large populations, the demand for affordable housing is increasing. In particular, low-income households continue to struggle with unaffordable rents throughout major Australian cities. Assailed by this growing affordability crisis and deemed environmentally unsustainable, Australian suburbs are in need of revitalisation. The implementation of mass customisation solutions can heighten the sense of identity within a community and also significantly increase occupant satisfaction. However, presently, there is a lack of studies discussing the financial model and design of affordable mass customisation solutions for housing. To address that gap, this paper employs the method of case studies by analysing five relevant cases from the perspectives of affordability and customisation. The results of this study indicate that there is great room for future improvement in what is currently claimed to be defined as affordable housing, in terms of both affordability and customisation. These results will potentially assist and provide guidance to future architects, developers and planners.

A Framework for Increasing Sustainability in Affordable Housing: Case Studies in Turkey

The concentration of city populations profoundly impacts the environment and human well-being, posing massive sustainability challenges related to affordable housing and its infrastructure. Turkish cities are part of this global trend resulting in new aspirations for affordable and rapidly built public housing, including those created since 2003 by the Mass Housing Development Administration (TOKI). A major challenge for affordable housing in developing countries, such as Turkey, is the lack of a holistic and viable sustainability framework for use in their creation. Currently, empirical case studies of successful housing projects and city design and planning literature provide a rich source of background data on affordable housing strategies, yet a detailed set of urban sustainability indicators are neither well defined nor integrated. The primary goal of this article is to articulate the components of economic, environmental, and social sustainability (e.g. land-use, energy use, design process, accessibility, density, affordability), while outlining a set of guidelines for affordable housing that can be operationalized by agencies fostering a more sustainable quality of life, such as TOKI. The article begins with a review of literature to identify sustainability indicators applicable to low-income residential environments, then examines two TOKI housing projects in Turkish cities, Bursa and Amasya.

A Framework for Increasing Sustainability in Affordable Housing

The concentration of city populations profoundly impacts the environment and human well-being, posing massive sustainability challenges related to affordable housing and its infrastructure. Turkish cities are part of this global trend resulting in new aspirations for affordable and rapidly built public housing, including those created since 2003 by the Mass Housing Development Administration (TOKI). A major challenge for affordable housing in developing countries, such as Turkey, is the lack of a holistic and viable sustainability framework for use in their creation. Currently, empirical case studies of successful housing projects and city design and planning literature provide a rich source of background data on affordable housing strategies, yet a detailed set of urban sustainability indicators are neither well defined nor integrated. The primary goal of this article is to articulate the components of economic, environmental, and social sustainability (e.g. land-use, energy use, design process, accessibility, density, affordability), while outlining a set of guidelines for affordable housing that can be operationalized by agencies fostering a more sustainable quality of life, such as TOKI. The article begins with a review of literature to identify sustainability indicators applicable to low-income residential environments, then examines two TOKI housing projects in Turkish cities, Bursa and Amasya.

Offsite construction supply chain strategies for matching affordable rental housing demand: A system dynamics approach

Australian housing affordability is influenced by both housing supply and demand factors. These factors include lengthy construction and planning process. The affordability crisis affects the housing rental sector, which accommodates more than 20 % of Australian household. This research developed a system dynamics model to simulate demography-linked affordable rental housing demand and supply in South East Queensland (SEQ). A Prefabricated Offsite Construction (OSC) housing supply strategy is compared with a traditional building approach (BAU) to investigate the effectiveness of OSC techniques to reduce informational asymmetries during development planning stages to deliver better affordable rental housing is linked to housing needs in SEQ. The model focuses on demographic groups housing demand of one, two- and three-bedroom apartment units and examines how reductions in the development process, through OSC methods, influence the efficiency of Government supported affordable rental housing supply schemes. Overall, the study finds that reduced planning and construction timeframes through OSC methods may improve demography-linked rental housing supply by approximately 6.6 % overall compared to BAU in SEQ. For 1,2- and 3-bedroom apartment demand, OSC strategies are expected to improve supply efficiency by 8.7 %, 8.4 % and 9.2 %, respectively. Optimal OSC strategies were assessed and found that flexibility in development sizes have an outsized positive effect. The study has implications for Government supported affordable rental housing strategies, including the build to rent sector.

Inclusionary housing in the United States: dynamics of local policy and outcomes in diverse markets

Inclusionary housing (IH) ties the creation of affordable, below market-rate units with new development, and it is known to help address the affordable housing crisis and build inclusive communities. Yet, the absence of a national IH database limits our understanding of the prevalence, practice, and production of inclusionary housing in the U.S., and it creates barriers for further investigation and development of this affordable housing strategy. This study draws a national census of IH programs in the U.S. Through a comprehensive data collection between 2018 and 2019, a total of 1,019 local IH programs are documented in 734 local jurisdictions of 31 states and the District of Columbia. This study summarizes program design nationwide and features distinct patterns in California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, where state laws largely impact program adoption and production. A subset of 258 programs reported producing about 110,000 inclusionary units, and 123 programs have collected close to $1.8 billion in fees for affordable housing development.

Sustainable Affordable Housing Strategies For Solving Low-Income Earners Housing Challenges In Nigeria

Globally, several studies have affirmed that the population of those who are displaced with respect to housing is on the rise. Developing nations in the continent of Africa to include Nigeria are reportedly not spared of this development. Similarly, the low-income earners have been reported as the worst hit of this global menace. Shanty dwellings, squatter settlements and informal settlements have similarly been reported to be homes to low-income earners who constitute over 90% of the population of Nigeria. This study therefore presented sustainable affordable housing strategies as an emerging concept through which low-income earners housing challenges in Nigeria can be eliminated. The study relied on a systematic review of literature to arrive at its findings. Findings from the study revealed that sustainable affordable housing strategies through which Nigerian low-income earners housing challenges can be addressed can best be explored from the social, economic, environmental, institutional and technological components of sustainable affordable housing. The study calls on the government, stakeholders, policy makers as well as private developers to adopt sustainable affordable housing strategies for low-income housing provision in Nigeria. The study’s outcome will contribute to existing body of knowledge in that it will provide useful information with respect to low-income housing provision and equally re-direct research interest on low-income housing in Nigeria and other developing nations.

Home ownership for liveable city: case study of Kajang City, Malaysia

Home ownership is one key factor of the principles of livability towards achieving liveable city. In addition, there are also many factors affecting home ownership which includes income, location and accessibility factor. Various issues have been discussed by the Government of Malaysia in addressing the concern of home ownership, especially for the middle- and low-income groups in many cities in Malaysia. Using the case of Kajang city, this article aims to achieve the objective of identifying the major factors affecting home ownership for liveable city focusing the middle-income earners. Purposive sampling was used and in-depth interviews method were conducted with 41 potential homebuyer, 60 homeowners and 20 housing experts representing the Federal Government agencies, State Government agencies, Municipal Government, Developers, Banks and Real Estate-Related Consultant. The result of the study shows that the main factors affecting home ownership are income, housing loan scheme, location, government role, developer role, PR1MA affordable housing scheme, construction cost, Bumiputera quotas, lifestyle, quality of life, real estate investment and transfer, assessment/property tax, land ownership by foreigners and ownership title. The findings show that the Kajang City is an example of a city that can contribute to the affordable housing strategy requirements towards achieving liveable city. The findings also will help key stakeholder in addressing the main issues of housing affordability in the State of Selangor.

Impact of Globalisation and Affordable Housing Provision

The challenge of affordable housing has assumed global proportions, and the various efforts at private and public sector levels is yet to put a significant dent in what is becoming a worldwide epidemic with economic, social and environmental implications. In terms of strategies, public-private partnerships (PPP’s) as a solution have grown in popularity on an equally global scale. In evaluating the extent of affordable housing as a global issue, this paper aims to evaluate the factors that were commonly administered in the application of PPPs as an effective strategy for addressing affordable housing. This paper notes that while the issue of affordable housing may be global, proposing PPP’s as a silver bullet may well depend on contextual peculiarities and may yield differences in affordable housing delivery outcomes. The study notes that while lending practices, land laws and incomes levels are critical factors in determining delivery of affordable housing, other factors like proper allocation of risk, socio-political stability, and quality standards (regulations) are also significant factors that influence successful affordable PPP housing strategies in the broader context.

Issues & Challenges In Housing Schemes : A Case of Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme

Affordable housing has become a hot topic since the new government has come into power. Their manifesto of providing 5 million (one million each year) houses has cherished everybody especially the low-income people. This study investigates the affordable housing scheme announced by the Government of Pakistan with the help of the banking sector- issues and challenges from customer’s perception. The research was based on interviews and questionnaire design. A convenient sampling method was used in selecting the respondents from low and middle-class inhabitants in different areas of Karachi city, Pakistan who were interested in borrowing the amount for house mortgage under the Naya Pakistan Housing Development Authority (NAPHDA).
 
 Sample of the research comprised 400 respondents using the convenient sampling method. The result of the survey showed a couple of problems/ reservations from consumer’s perceptions regarding the validation of this scheme. This paper highlights the key issues and challenges and possible ways out in order to make affordable housing for everyone possible.