Provision Of Public Rental Housing Research Articles

Problems Associated with Informal Settlements in a Planned Neighborhood; A Study of Eagle Island of Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria.

Abstract: This study examined the problems associated with informal settlements in a planned neighborhood, using Eagle Island Port Harcourt, Rivers State as a study area. To achieve the objectives of this study, a detailed literature was reviewed on informal settlement. The study adopted survey research design as 120 structured questionnaires were designed and administered, eventually, 100 valid responses collected formed the data for analysis. The obtained data came from Eagle Island residents, officials of ministries of lands, Urban Development and Lecturers of Urban and Regional Planning in Rivers State University. In the course of the study it was discovered that the nature and conditions of existed informal settlements were identified as natural ageing of the building, poor sanitation within the vicinity, and poor health condition of the residents. The major associated problems of informal settlements as exposed by the study included increase in illness, forceful eviction, overcrowding, lack of privacy, low quality houses and uncontrolled development, marginality generation and exclusion of the vulnerable, structures demolition without prior notice and without adequate compensation. This study was restricted to Eagle Island Neighborhood, Port Harcourt, Rivers State and the selection of Eagle Island was mainly influenced by accessibility of the researcher and the recent forceful eviction and demolition of structures by the Rivers State Government, consequently the findings of this research will be taken as a representative for the entire country. The study provides detailed comprehensive propoor strategies which will contribute to the integration of informal settlements into a planned neighborhood to include poverty reduction strategies, site and services housing schemes, land regularization, provision of array basic facilities, comprehensive housing schemes and provision of public rental housing alongside the planned development. The study thus recommended that low income housing alongside comprehensive housing scheme should be provided. Similarly there should be provision of low cost public rental housing, provision of interventions in the housing sector among others. Keywords: Informal Settlements, Planned neighborhood, Eagle Island

Public Rental Housing Governance in Urban China: Essence, Mechanisms and Measurement

Recently, Chinese Public Rental Housing (PRH) provision has witnessed a shift from ‘government’ to ‘governance’: policy making shifted from government steering to mixed forms involving government, market and civic actors to pursue effective and fair policies. In the meantime, this new-era PRH governance is credited with mixed results. However, the existing studies fail to describe the mechanisms underlying this new-era governance of PRH with the rising involvement of market actors and those in civil society and whether the new-era governance is considered to be effective, achieving the objective of stability. Therefore, this PhD research aims to fill the two research gaps through building a better understanding of the PRH governance in the current Chinese context and evaluating PRH governance. To fulfil this aim, this dissertation is underpinned by a theoretical foundation from the governance perspective and adopts a mixedmethod approach with quantitative and qualitative data in the study of Chinese PRH provision. The dissertation reveals the essence of the current Chinese PRH governance by bringing forth a governance model and shows the structures and mechanisms for non-governmental actors to play a role in the governance of PRH. The dissertation also shows the perceived governance outcomes from tenants’ perspective and demonstrates two main governance challenges of Inclusionary Housing, a newly introduced instrument adopted in the Chinese PRH governance. Based on the results, this PhD research theoretically and empirically contributes to the h ture.

A systems approach to enabling affordable housing for migrants through upgrading Chengzhongcun: A case of Xiamen

• As informal settlements , Chengzhongcun has accommodated numerous migrants whose housing rights have been ignored. • Property-led redevelopment of Chengzhongcun has deprived migrants of low-cost housing. • Linking Chengzhongcun renewal and provision of public rental housing can help provide affordable housing for migrants.

Housing preferences and access to public rental housing among migrants in Chongqing, China

Since 2010, a fundamental transition in the Chinese housing system has been the policy of opening access to public rental housing (PRH) for Chinese (intra-national) migrants. While migrants are increasingly stating that they have a preference for public rental housing, some of them did not act upon such a desire while others have been insistent on it. Responding to a lack of understanding of the relationship between migrants and the public rental housing regime, the study examines three stages of migrants' access to public rental housing with a focus on exploring individual and housing differences between migrants. The three stages comprise (1) migrants who stated a preference for PRH; (2) migrants who translated the stated preference into action; and (3) migrants who persisted in the PRH application, those who applied four times or more, and those who gave up applying for a PRH after having applied one-to-three times. The study combines survey and statistical data from Chongqing, the first city to extensively offer migrants equal access to public rental housing on a broad scale. Results reveal that migrants with inter-provincial hukou, lower income, larger family size, more urban relatives and an expectation to improve their housing conditions were more likely to state a preference for PRH and to eventually realize such a preference. However, although migrants with unstable occupations also stated a preference for PRH, the application criteria restricted them from continually trying to realize their preferences. Moreover, migrants were less likely to move from employer supplied housing to PRH compared with moving from private rental housing to PRH. The consistent application for PRH was more likely to relate to the desire for single family housing, centrally located and larger housing, while these preferences and the PRH provision did not match.

Evaluation and Optimization of the Financial Sustainability of Public Rental Housing Projects: A Case Study in Nanjing, China

In recent years, Chinese governments have launched ambitious plans in developing public rental housing (PRH), which are almost impossible to accomplish without the involvement of the private sector. Yet, very few quantitative studies have been carried out to evaluate the financial sustainability of PRH projects in China, especially from the perspective of the private sector. This knowledge gap is bridged through the evaluation of the financial sustainability of a hypothetical privately owned PRH project in Nanjing, China as a case study, utilizing data of a state-owned PRH project and the classic discounted cash flow method. The results indicate that the studied project is financially infeasible, which means that private companies would not be willing to participate in the provision of public rental housing, if they merely focus on profits. Then, the most cost-effective optimization measure of the studied case is quantitatively selected from four possible optimization scenarios, leading to a financial balance. This paper presents the current financial status of Chinese PRH projects, thereby providing policy makers with useful references to effectively accelerate the private sector’s provision of PRH in China.

Linking social housing provision for rural migrants with the redevelopment of ‘villages in the city’: A case study of Beijing

The affordability of housing in China is a pressing social and economic issue, particularly for rural migrants. The provision of more social housing is a key element of current policies. Paradoxically, ‘villages in the city’ (ViCs) – which provide the majority of affordable housing for rural migrants – face the threat of, or have already undergone, demolition and redevelopment. This article explores the linkages between social housing provision for rural migrants and the redevelopment of ViCs by taking Beijing as a case study. It first looks at the marginal status of rural migrants in the system of social housing supply, and then analyses the opportunities afforded by and the problems associated with ViCs. A critical evaluation of the redevelopment of Tangjialing village highlights the problems caused by the strategy of combining the provision of public rental housing with the demolition of ViCs. Reflecting on empirical evidences and international experiences, this article suggests that it would be better to link the provision of public rental housing to the incremental upgrading of ViCs.

A real option-based valuation model for privately-owned public rental housing projects in China

Chinese governments' great efforts in promoting the private sector's provision of public rental housing (PRH) have little effects, and the main reason is lack of proper provision mode and relevant valuation model. This knowledge gap is filled in by proposing a privately-owned PRH provision mode and a real option-based valuation model. In the proposed provision mode, the private sector primarily refers to private real estate developers, who will have ownership and decision rights of PRH projects. Then, the embedded real option at decision making stage is identified, and corresponding option premium (OP) is assessed by the Black–Scholes model modified with value leakage. Adding OP and conventional net present value (NPV) together, the expanded net present value (ENPV) is obtained as the investment value of a privately-owned PRH project. Finally, the proposed provision mode and valuation model are both exemplified in a PRH project, which has a negative NPV indicator but a positive ENPV indicator. Through the sensitive analysis, increasing the average rent of PRH buildings is found to be the most effective measure to enhance the ENPV indicator. Therefore, the proposed PRH provision mode is a feasible way to accelerate the private sector's provision of PRH in China, and the proposed valuation model can value a privately-owned PRH project objectively and comprehensively.

Korean Public Rental Housing for Low-income Households: Main Outcome and Limitations

ABSTRACT This paper examines the achievements and limitations of housing assistance programs for low-income households. Korean public rental housing has been rapidly developing since 2000, and thereby achieved an increase in public rental housing stock, housing quality improvements, and the reduction of rent over-burden for low-income tenants. Despite some conflicting evidence, it appears that the provision of newly-built public rental housing has helped stabilize the prices of neighboring private rental housing units. But, as we are entering an era of one million long-term public rental housing units, we need to shift our focus from quantity-oriented provision to housing maintenance for tenants, and from cost-based rental housing to affordable rental housing and better access to rental housing for low-income tenants who are not beneficiaries of government assistance. Most of all, it is very important for local governments and the private sector to actively participate in the provision of public rental housing in order to ensure a stable rental housing market.Key words: Public Rental Housing, Low-Income Tenant, Housing Welfare, Housing Assistance Program

“Right to Housing” in Hong Kong: Perspectives from the Hong Kong Community

The “right to housing” incorporates at least five different dimensions, all of which are indispensible for minimum satisfaction of this right: (1) the “right to adequate housing”; (2) the “right to affordable housing”; (3) the “right to enjoy” one’s housing without arbitrary interference; (4) freedom from the threat of arbitrary forced eviction; and (5) the “right of choice” in relation to: (5a) the decision to rent or home-ownership; and (5b) the neighbourhood one is to live in accordance with needs, preferences and lifestyle. Though the provision of public rental housing in Hong Kong supports the “right to housing” of the poorer class, unfortunately the low-income and non-self-contained private housing tenants are facing a somewhat disturbing situation. Although the “right to housing” for self-contained private housing tenants, government assisted home-owners and non-government-assisted home-owners is generally protected, their “right to enjoy housing” is, to a certain extent, circumscribed by the densely built and cramped situation in most residential areas in Hong Kong, with the “right to privacy” generally difficult to satisfy.

The commodification of land and housing: the case of South Korea

The developmentalist state in South East Asia has played an important role in guiding and promoting economic growth. Although an implicit theme of much of the discourse is the role of the state in controlling the factors of production, this is not located within the decommodification/commodification debate. Proceeding from the premise that underlies much of economic theory, namely that land values at a time reflect the residual (or surplus) of economic activity that requires land as a factor input, the purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which the Korean state has managed the commodification of urban development and the distributional effects of this process. In spite of private land ownership the state has had a major impact on the processes by which land has become commodified, using extensive land expropriation and land‐use planning powers. The Korean state used different strategies to manage trends to commodification at different times: land readjustment projects were used from the 1950s to the 1970s and Public Management Development projects were the main mechanism of urban development from the 1980s. The urban development system was feasible because of the state's extensive control over access to housing finance (decommodified money). In the mid‐1990s there was a shift towards greater private sector involvement in urban development. The distributional effects of the urban development process have been highly inequitable. Subsidised home ownership for middle‐income families has been favoured over provision of public rental housing for low‐income families, driven in major part by cash flow considerations of the developmentalist state. Further, the basis of selecting beneficiaries has been very arbitrary. The system has promoted significant land concentration and land speculation particularly by private companies, including the large chaebol (corporations).

Economic Transformation and Public Housing Reform in Hong Kong

Abstract Hong Kong's economic development has always been closely tied to events outside its borders. and in particular developments in Mainland China. The large scale provision of public rental housing occurred in tandem with its transformation from an entrepot economy to a manufacturing economy. The view has been persuasively presented that indeed its economic development and public housing programme are related. Public housing remained important, although changed some of its essential characteristics, as Hong Kong transformed again from a manufacturing to a higher order services economy. These changes included a greater emphasis on targeting public rental housing and promoting assisted home ownership. Hong Kong is now in the throes of a third economic transformation. to developing innovation and technology based high value added industries. While some of the essential features of Hong Kong's public housing programme remain intact, policy changes presage a shift in its role in Hong Kong's economy and so...