Social Housing Programs Research Articles

THE URBAN EVOLUTION OUAD EL HAD: FROM A MINOR URBAN EXTENSION TO AN INFAMOUS AND ILLICIT NEIGHBORHOOD

Informal housing represents a complex phenomenon with far-reaching implications for urban development and social equity, it is characterized by its spontaneous and unauthorized nature, it has emerged as a significant phenomenon in urban areas worldwide and usually arises a multitude of socio-economic challenges such as rapid urbanization, poverty, and as in our case, rural migration, Therefore, understanding the spatial evolution of informal settlements is crucial for designing more equitable and sustainable living environments. That was the case of “Ouad El Had”, a neighborhood that may be considered as one of the focal points in metropolis of Constantine, informal housing started as an extension, an illicit urbanization due to rural-to-urban migration led to the perpetuation of informal settlements on what was in that time the outskirts of city, Nowadays, housing shortages caused the proliferation of informal settlements, those settlements presented a chance to obtain a house in the social housing program given by the government leading it to get repopulated every time and after several attempts to evacuate the entire zone starting from 2012 to this actual day. Our paper offers an in-depth analysis of the spatial and temporal evolution to the informal housing situated in the neighborhood “Cité des Fréres Abbas” (Ouad El Had) and its evolution within urban and social contexts with the objective of understanding the complex case of this neighborhood that led to its repopulation after every evacuation or displacement and identifying the urban model generated of during this process.

The onerous granting of the right to build: an alternative form of financing in the popular housing programs of the municipality of Goiânia

The City Statute (Law nº 10.257/2001) established general norms for the elaboration of the Master Plan by the Municipalities, including defining that not only the OODC, but all urban policy instruments defined therein, must follow the general guidelines of urban policy, such as the fair distribution of burdens and benefits, the recovery of government investments that result in the appreciation of urban properties and, in the specific case of Onerous Grants, that part of the amounts collected with their concession are applied in social housing programs. In this sense, the scope of the implementation of the urban instrument of the Onerous Grant of the Right to Build is discussed, based on its criticisms and distortions, in case there is a legal binding expressed in the local legislation of the percentage of collection of its revenues linked to housing programs of social interest.

An avenue for providing the integration of distributed PV generation in low-income dwellings in Brazil

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact on the income of families benefiting from the “Minha Casa Minha Vida” Brazilian Social Housing Program through the integration of photovoltaic (PV) generation systems into housing financing, as outlined by Law 14,620 enacted in July 2023. Given the novelty of this legislation, there is no existing database for analysis. Consequently, simulations of PV generation were carried out for the typical dwellings provided by the program across the five macro regions of Brazil. The simulation takes into account maintenance and equipment replacement costs, tariff rules, and standard adjustment rates in the country. Across all examined scenarios, the installation of residential rooftop PV systems yielded favorable outcomes, resulting in a reduction in electricity costs for the low-income population. Making provisions for a Sinking Fund in the program was identified as crucial to provide sustainability, long-term operation, maintenance and replacement. Additionally, it was observed that civil construction companies play a crucial role in popularizing the proposal. In conclusion, legislation incorporating PV generation into the national housing program represents merely the initial step toward realizing the widespread adoption of this energy generation technology in the country.

Ninguna casa sin jardín

Th. Sørensen was involved in the most important Danish collective social housing programmes between the 1930s and 1950s, in which his aim was to design community gardens designed to complete the modern habitat programme with outdoor public spaces. This article traces the landscape architect's thinking on the design of public space and studies Sørensen's six most outstanding collective gardens with the aim of highlighting the design strategies employed that have consolidated them into spaces of high civic value that are still suitable nowadays. The text is structured in three approaches that depend on the spatial pattern of the buildings and its degree of dispersion. The chapters analyse the programme and the use of topography and vegetation for the definition of a defined character, with a clear spatial order and resources to reconcile the public and human scale.

Establishing New Isosexual Pairs in Adult Male Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus) to Facilitate Social Housing.

Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) are a commonly used species in biomedical research. As social creatures, compatible guinea pigs should be housed together unless scientific objectives or veterinary care require otherwise. Extensive literature suggests that adult male guinea pigs are highly aggressive in the presence of females, but data are lacking regarding the compatibility of cohoused adult males in the absence of females. Most studies that use adult males do not report housing densities. We used serial wound scoring and observations of behavior to determine whether unfamiliar adult male guinea pigs will develop stable, prosocial isosexual pairs. Wound scoring was performed before and 24 h after pairing. Serial behavioral observations assessed affiliative and agonistic behaviors at 0.5, 2, 24, and 48 h after pairing. Wound scoring and behavioral observations continued weekly for 1 mo and monthly thereafter. Wound scores were significantly higher at 24 h after pairing as compared with baseline and all other time points. Wounding was rare after week 2, indicating reduced aggression. Furthermore, affiliative behaviors significantly increased over time while agonistic behaviors were rare. Together, these data suggest that unfamiliar adult male guinea pigs establish stable prosocial pairs after an acclimation period. As was done in the present study, providing ample space, separate shelters for each animal, and the absence of female guinea pigs will likely facilitate successful pairing. We recommend consideration of a social housing program for adult male guinea pigs to provide companionship and enrich their housing environment.

Enabling Real Estate Development: The Role of Housing Boards on a National & Global Scale

India, recognizing housing as a fundamental necessity, has grappled with deteriorating urban housing conditions driven by factors like rural-to-urban migration and rising construction costs. To address this challenge, the government initiated social housing programs during its third five-year plan, establishing housing boards and city development agencies at central and state levels. These entities aim to provide affordable housing solutions, slum rehabilitation, and urban renewal. Central and state housing boards collaborate to make housing accessible to those with limited resources. The paper presents case studies from states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Gujarat, highlighting diverse strategies, including public-private partnerships, to address housing needs for various income groups. These partnerships aim to bridge the housing gap and promote urban development. However, challenges persist, particularly in achieving affordability and efficient delivery of housing. Singapore's Housing Development Board (HDB) model offers insights into the transformative potential of public housing in shaping the real estate landscape. Foreign investment and proactive improvements are crucial for India to replicate Singapore's success and ensure quality housing for all citizens. Key Words: Housing boards, affordable housing, Public- private partnerships, Urbanization

Social Housing and Upward Mobility in South Africa: an Assessment of Household Outcomes

Social housing offers a way of promoting upward mobility and urban integration by improving people’s access to economic and social opportunities. These are prominent goals of South Africa’s social housing programme. In practice, household advancement tends to be taken for granted rather than deliberately pursued or monitored. We review survey data for 1632 households across ten social housing projects and find modest evidence of social mobility and racial integration. One reason for this is that other considerations have taken precedence during implementation. We conclude by identifying various ways of reaffirming the transformative goals of social housing.

Indoor monitoring and long-term survey to identify the risks of Energy Poverty: the case of social housing in Northern Italy

Low-income families often live in poorly heated houses belonging to social housing programs. Tenants’ wellbeing and health in social housing is typically threatened by problems associated with energy inefficiency and poor Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). These conditions are among the symptoms of a social issue known as Energy Poverty (EP), which occurs when residents face difficulty in paying energy bills. In 2020 about 2.1 million households (8% of the total) were suffering from energy poverty in Italy. The risk of EP is mainly favored by three factors: the low income of the family, the high final price of energy and the poor technical construction characteristics of the building which can lead to poor IEQ. Four indicators have been proposed by the European Commission and some others developed in the scientific literature, but often neither the thresholds to assess the status of EP nor the methodology to collect data have been defined. This study aims to assess some of the recommended European indicators on a case study. The risks of EP have been investigated in social housing located in Northern Italy by means of an integrated methodology based on a site inspection, a survey, and the continuous monitoring of the indoor environmental parameters during the winter season. The proposed method allowed detecting the presence of EP in 5 dwellings out of 8.

Root Cause of Cost Overrun Risks in Public Sector Social Housing Programs in SIDS: Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation

Root Cause of Cost Overrun Risks in Public Sector Social Housing Programs in SIDS: Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation

Barriers to accessing social housing programs in Canada

The right to housing is enshrined in Canadian law, however, access to housing can be limited by administrative requirements. This is particularly true for people experiencing homelessness and/or insecure housing, as they may not have access to documentation, such as identification or notice of assessments (i.e. income tax verification). The current research examines program eligibility and documentation requirements for access to social housing across Canada. Sixty-seven communities that receive funding from Canada’s federal government were examined via Internet-based searches. Eligibility requirements were grouped into five main categories: (1) Citizenship; (2) Finances; (3) Support needs; (4) Housing history; and (5) Legal history. Similarly, documentation requirements were grouped into four main categories: (1) Identification and Citizenship; (2) Finances; (3) Housing history; and (4) Personal circumstances. The results demonstrate the complexities in applying and being approved for social housing in Canada. The potentially onerous eligibility and documentation requirements may limit access to social housing for those who are most in need. Policy and program recommendations are discussed to improve access to social housing in Canada.

SOCIAL HOUSING IN THE CONDITIONS OF PRESENT-DAY (on the example of Astana city)

The economic downturn and crisis in the country have decisively affected the housing problem, exacerbating the need for the formation of social housing. In this regard, there is a need to revise the existing classification of housing and introduce a new one-social housing, which contributes to the emergence of a new portrait of those in need. In the course of the research, typological groups of social housing and state housing construction programs in the Republic of Kazakhstan were studied. The purpose of the work is to identify the main directions and solutions of promising tasks of social housing in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Policies and Mechanisms of Public Financing for Social Housing in Peru

Social housing in Peru is a significant contemporary urban issue. This study aims to assess the current state of supply and demand for social housing. The methodology employed involved examining indicators, socioeconomic reports, existing regulations, and relevant literature on social housing. Through this approach, we were able to determine the demand profile, identify the characteristics of the available supply, comprehend the dynamics of social housing programs, and establish the correlation between supply and demand. The ultimate goal was to explore the options for acquiring this type of housing. In Peru, the acquisition of social housing is facilitated through the Fondo MIVIVIENDA program, which operates through two primary mechanisms: Techo Propio and Nuevo Crédito MIVIVIENDA. The findings of this study reveal that the social housing offered in the country falls short of meeting the current demand of various socioeconomic sectors. This discrepancy arises from several factors, indicating that family income alone is not the sole limiting factor. The absence of consistent and well-designed public policies further exacerbates the issue, hindering social development, impeding citizens’ access to a better quality of life, and undermining their social inclusion.

Gain and pain: resilience of home mobility in early Shabiyat housing of Ras Al-Khaimah

The Social Housing Program initiated by the United Arab Emirates Government in 1971 aimed to upgrade the living conditions of the local Emiratis. The early housing projects were later known as Shabiyat. Individuals living in harsh conditions in the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah were willingly and within a short period relocated to new houses an approximate distance from their original homes, and they had to adapt to the new lifestyle and place. Due to changes in these individuals’ everyday practices, they questioned the resilience of their new houses. This study aimed to investigate the degree of resilience of the early Shabiyat housing and examine the notion of home mobility and how it is related to resilience through physical and nonphysical spatial transformation and everyday practice. The study is structured into two sections: first, understanding the resilience of the traditional settlements in the mountains; and second, examining the main characteristics of early Shabiyat, its main concept, and how it has addressed the Emirati society’s needs. This will assist in tracing these structures’ patterns of resilience and offer some practical guidance for professionals and the public in developing policies toward maximizing the sustainability of proposed future social housing projects.

Development of a Python-based algorithm for adaptive thermal comfort: Theoretical formulation and application cases

Adaptive thermal comfort has gained momentum within the scientific community as a cost effective and affordable way of maintaining acceptable levels of comfort in dwellings while abating energy expenditure. At the moment two international standards, namely the European EN16798-1 and the American ASHRAE55-2010 shape the understanding of adaptive comfort around the world. However, in recent years concerns have raised about whether they can accurately represent comfort conditions considering the cultural and societal background of different countries, and whether adaptive thermal comfort will be still feasible in future scenarios of climate change. Considering these challenges, this study presents an algorithm which can model different adaptive comfort models; additionally, it can be implemented into energy simulation engines and therefore used to predict energy consumption under different climates, building typologies, and dynamic comfort conditions. This contribution presents the development of the aforementioned algorithm, called ACCIS (Adaptive-Comfort-Control-Implementation Script), originally written in EnergyPlus Runtime Language (ERL) and later nested in a Python package called ACCIM (Adaptive-Comfort-Control-Implemented Model)”, its main characteristics, and also the implementation into two cases studies: The thermal comfort in social dwellings in Spain and Japan considering present and future climate change scenarios namely Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 for years 2050, 2080 and 2100. The results show that the predicted energy consumption of low-income families is strongly influenced by the adaptive comfort model chosen to model their thermal routine and suggest that international standards should be put under revision to consider the local particularities of dwellers in subsidized housing projects. The results of this research can be useful to devise public policies aimed at abating energy cost for low-income dwellers that benefit from social housing programs, particularly in the light of the increment of energy costs for heating and cooling associated with climate change..

ДЕРЖАВНЕ РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ БУДІВНИЦТВА ЖИТЛОВОЇ НЕРУХОМОСТІ В УКРАЇНІ

Increasing the level of provision of housing for the population of Ukraine is traditionally one of the most urgent and problematic socio-economic tasks of development. Solving this task is a priority of housing policy and should be accompanied by effective methods and forms of state regulation of housing construction both at the national and local levels of management. The article researches the current state of housing provision of the population of Ukraine, the state of the housing stock. Based on the results, the main specific characteristics that are important for the practice of state regulation of residential real estate construction are separated. The current legislative and regulatory framework regulating the activity of the subjects of the residential real estate market in Ukraine has been studied. Based on the systematization of scientific literature, the set of functions of state regulation of the housing construction industry was supplemented. The author's vision of the scheme of the system of state regulation of the construction of residential real estate is offered. It was determined that in order to ensure the effective functioning of the system of state regulation, it is necessary to build an appropriate mechanism for its institutional and organizational support. The principles of sustainable development of housing construction and the full guaranteed supply of the country's population with housing should become the dominant principles of the system of state regulation of housing construction. Separate aspects of the practice of state regulation of housing construction and the market of housing services in foreign countries are analyzed. The results of the research showed that the adoption of the Housing Code, the implementation of targeted strategic and medium-term social housing programs of affordable housing and rent for the country's population, and the further development and support of mortgage lending could be promising directions for the national practice of state regulation of residential real estate construction. Priority forms of state regulation can become public-private partnership and interaction with regional (local) governing bodies.

Residential fencing and security aspect: The case of the new city of Ali Mendjeli in Constantine (Algeria)

Our research article focuses on the security aspect in the living quarters of collective housing and aims to determine the main reasons for the residential fencing. Taking as a case study the new city of Ali Mendjeli, more specifically the 434 housing units in the neigh-bourhood unit No. 05, from a participatory social housing program. It is divided into two sections; the southern section, which consists of 242 housing units was the subject of our investigation. To fulfil the objectives of the research and get reliable results, we chose to work with a mixed-method research approach. Firstly, we used a quantitative method based on a questionnaire and then a qualitative method based on interviews and direct observation. The results of our survey revealed that the security aspect is a major concern for the inhabitants of the district, which leaded them to choose the residential fencing in an informal residentialisation process of the studied district, and by extrapolation of the surrounding districts. We also noted that the type of security sought as a top priority was for the dwellings, more than vehicles or persons, and the main obstacle to fencing work was financing. It seems to us that it would be right for the relevant authorities to take this aspect into consideration during urban upgrading processes but also in new housing programs so that this type of residential fencing integrates the upstream the study stage of this type of project.

Housing Security: Placing Brazil’s Social Housing Program in a Violent Context

Latin America’s ‘housing crisis’ affects 28 million lower-income households. In many Latin American countries, governments have developed housing policies to provide access to basic standard dwelling and to offer a route towards legal tenure at an affordable cost. Yet, they have failed to address violence and crime that beneficiaries are often exposed to. I argue that housing policies must take stronger efforts in accounting for urban security. To sustain that argument, I will trace Brazil’s attempts to provide a ‘secure future for beneficiaries by providing equal access for all to physical and social infrastructure and basic services, as well as adequate and affordable housing’ (UN Habitat 2017: 7). I refer to such policy directive as an incentive for national governments to pursue housing security. I primarily draw from academic literature on housing policies in Latin America, evaluations of Brazil’s contemporary housing program, and media outlets, and use parts of my own interviews with public administrators and beneficiaries of the housing program. Designing routes towards housing security, first and foremost by reinforcing the constitutionally granted right to housing along with guaranteeing the social function of property, must be central concerns of Brazil’s next federal government.

Social housing and accessibility in Brazil's unequal cities

Ensuring equal access to opportunities while assessing the housing needs of low-income populations has been a significant challenge in many global south countries. Social housing programs have been recurrently criticized for reinforcing inequalities by ignoring the poor conditions of urban access. This study evaluates the urban access of a national social housing program, My House My Life (Minha Casa Minha Vida, MCMV), in Brazil, one of the most unequal countries in the world. This program is renowned for building many of its housing projects in urban outskirts. We use job accessibility metrics to identify differences and similarities in MCMV housing production in six large Brazilian cities through a comparative lens. We find that although MCMV beneficiaries have less access to job opportunities than average-income citizens, the program may improve their conditions compared to individuals with similar income levels within central cities. We hope that future studies may expand this work to include the surrounding metropolitan areas, which were not considered due to data restrictions. We also expect to encourage other efforts in the investigation of social housing impacts through spatial data science, especially in evaluating accessibility in large-scale social housing programs.

Energy communities: a tool to rehabilitate post-war reconstruction buildings

In 2050, about 80% of the European building stock will consist of buildings currently in use. In Italy, a significant share of such stock was built during post-war reconstruction through the Ina Casa social housing programme, which solved such problems as unemployment and housing demand. The rationale behind the building focussed on tradition and saving and drove the implementation of architectural solutions which do not meet the current European Green Deal requirements. Due to the energy crisis, such architectural solutions are also expensive to manage. The wish to rehabilitate the above-mentioned stock stimulates the adoption of new instruments, such as energy communities and participatory energy management models. These instruments achieve a sustainable energy set-up and drive both social and economic development.

Rationalizing Critical Cost Overrun Factors on Public Sector Housing Programmes

The cost overrun phenomenon on projects worldwide creates a major source of risk that warrants investigation. The prevailing factor school of thought provides strong empirical evidence that critical factors contributing to cost overruns are both context-specific and project-specific. Although many studies have been conducted identifying factors and causes of cost overruns, very few studies have investigated root causes. Additionally, a limited body of knowledge is available within the context of Small Island Development States (SIDS). To fill this gap, the objectives of this study were to identify and determine the main critical factors contributing to the cost overrun phenomenon in public sector social housing programmes (PSSHPs). These selected factors were thereafter categorized under leading root causes, and their severity was determined based on primary stakeholders’ perspectives. One hundred and twenty-three factors were identified from the literature, of which forty-one critical factors were extracted and grouped under four root causes based on a pilot survey of relevant public sector housing experts in the Trinidadian and Jamaican construction sectors. These refined factors and root causes were formulated into a questionnaire survey. One hundred and five responses were obtained from professionals who had a minimum of five years’ experience in various phases of public housing delivery. The severity of these critical factors was evaluated, ranked, and categorized using the relative importance index (RII) approach. The findings uncovered the leading root cause, which is political in nature. The top five critical factors are the selection of politically aligned contractors, the intentional design of inadequate contracts, the project actors' deliberately underestimating costs, the partisan project management team, and strategic misrepresentation. These findings are unique to SIDS and contribute to knowledge to reframe contemporary project management practices, which focus mainly on technical causes. Finally, as existing technical solutions are ineffective in curbing cost overruns in PSSHPs, these findings also inform public sector policymakers to focus on prioritization, control, and mitigation of political risks in formulating effective governance mechanisms. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2022-06-03-016 Full Text: PDF