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Types of housing and their characteristics
Formal Housing
Provision by government or private developers - as formal housing developments are part of urban planning processes, they are usually undertaken by the government or private developers rather than by individuals. Formal housing if often well-arranged.
Legal right to occupy land - Land rights address the ownership of land, which provides security and increases human capabilities. Residents feel more secure about their homes. These properties may then be lived in, sold or leased to others due to the land rights.
Access to basic services such as electricity, water and sanitation - Infrastructure to support provision of these basic services (eg. underground water pipes, electrical substations, power lines and sewage pipes) is often built together with the housing project. Improves the quality of life for residents in these formal housing developments.
Good/ High quality building materials - Formal housing developments must conform to planning authorities’ guidelines and use high-quality materials. Such materials include concrete, metal or hard wood. Use of good quality building materials can withstand elements such as heavy rain and strong winds. It can also protect occupants from basic threats such as fires and last for a long time with minimal maintenance. Eg. In Singapore, all housing construction must conform to the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) specifications for building quality and safety.
Informal Housing
Self-built squatter settlements - Built by individuals in an unplanned fashion along roads or rivers. Informal housing settlements may be crowded leading to the spread of diseases.
No legal right to occupy land. Built out of necessity on any available accessible plot of land by residents desperate for shelters. Many occupy government land or private property which is undeveloped and unsecured. As illegal occupants, residents face the constant risk of being evicted, thus losing their homes.
Lack of access to basic services such as electricity, water and sanitation - Residents resort to illegally tapping onto nearby electrical grids, siphoning water from nearby pipes and disposing of sanitary waste into the ground or nearby rivers. Such practices increase the risk of injury and ill-health due to electrocution, consumption of contaminated water and waterborne diseases. Environmental degradation may occur due to improper waste disposal.
Poor quality building materials - Often constructed from scavenged materials such as repurposed zinc sheets and recycled lumber. Because informal housing is often constructed using inferior building materials, the houses are at risk of collapsing, being flooded on rainy days or catching fire easily.
Look at this interactive on how the HDB estates were built to foster the communities https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2023/12/hdb-flat-design-evolution/index.html?shell
An annotated photograph by a student of his neighbourhood in formal housing in Singapore
This interactive map is tons of fun! It calculates population around any point. There are 405,152 people a 3km radius in the Punggol-Sengkang, which shows how densely populated the area is.
Look at the transport amenities - 239 bus stops and 28 metro and train stops (MRT and LRT stations).
How does this show economic sustainability of an urban neighbourhood?
Locate another point on the interactive map e.g. an area in central Africa.
Why would the population size be lower and fewer transport amenities avai6?
Click here to explore the interactive map: https://www.tomforth.co.uk/circlepopulations/
Annotated sketch of informal housing - Poor housing in slum/squatters
Lack of safe shelter and insufficient basic services.
The housing not safe because it is flimsy and made of flammable materials.
The hut also does not have sufficient basic services. Since it is so small, there is likely to be no toilet or a kitchen. There is no evidence of piped water and electricity. The lack of basic services such as clean water and proper sanitation makes people vulnerable to diseases. Slum residents with no access to safe drinking water use water from sources such as polluted rivers and contaminated wells. The water may have bacteria that cause diseases such as cholera and dysentery.
Piles of rubbish are seen littered all around as the lack of waste management facilities in slums results in the improper disposal of rubbish.
Stagnant waters in blocked drains and sewers provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes and cause the spread of malaria and dengue fever.
Overcrowding in slums and squatter settlements also helps diseases to spread among the residents.
The distribution of housing locations within cities
• Location of formal housing in cities
Found on desirable land (e.g., away from pollution, away from heavy industries)
Near amenities and supported by quality infrastructure (eg. roads, piped water and electricity)
• Location of informal housing in cities
Found on locally unwanted land-use (LULU) e.g., near landfills, near sewage treatment plants, near large polluting industries
Lacking infrastructure development (eg. roads, piped water and electricity)
A slum by the canal in Thailand
Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/thai-low-cost-housing-plan-puts-slum-dwellers-in-charge
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