5. Strategies to manage housing shortage

Evaluate the success of strategies to manage housing shortage.

Present both the success and limitations of each strategy with NAMED examples.

Slum upgrading

Self-help schemes

 Involve the participation of low-income households to improve the living conditions of existing housing.

 Government does not provide housing directly, but provide assistance on other forms, such as proving construction materials or basic services and training to equip residents to build their houses.

 People build the houses themselves at their own time which reduced construction costs.

Limitation:

However, the rate of construction may be slower as residents can only work on the houses during their free time, such as after work or during weekends.

Success:

 Named example – Rocinha Project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Most of the wooden houses were replaced by concrete houses. 75% of the homes have electricity compared to just 30% before reconstruction. Services such as rooftop water tanks and piped water systems were also added to the houses. Proper sanitation facilities such as toilets and sewers were also built.

Partnering with United Nations

 Named example – the Kenya government partnered with the United Nations (UN_HABITAT) in a project to provide residents in the Nairobi slums with the rights to build on the existing land, and improve housing conditions and infrastructure.

 Residents shifted temporarily to an area with new housing units equipped with services while the vacated slum areas were upgraded.

 Mixed responses from the residents. Some welcomed it as an opportunity to improve their living conditions.

Limitations: There are some residents who were reluctant to participate as they were uncertain about its success and feared facing difficulties paying for the cost of the new housing units.

Provision of public housing

Public housing refers to government efforts to provide housing units with basic services, usually for low-income households and other persons of need such as the elderly and disabled.

 Reasonably priced compared to private housing, and may be subsidized by the government.

 Government plan, carry out and fund public housing projects.

 Many ways – old flats may be rented from the government at a low price, conversion of abandoned buildings for residential use, building new apartments, etc.

 Named example – Singapore Public Housing Programme

In the 1960s and 1970s, slums and squatter settlements in Singapore were cleared to provide higher quality housing to residents. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) was set up in 1960 to build and provide public housing for Singapore’s increasing population.

In 2013, more than 80% of the Singapore’s population live in HDB flats. The public housing programme was so successful that it has evolved to address the diverse needs of all residents today.

 Named example – Brazil My House, My Life Programme

To provide affordable housing for low and middle income groups and reduce slum areas.

Success: The Bairro Carioca Project in Rio de Janeiro comprises 2 240 apartments which will house 10 000 people. Government partnered with the private sector to build the basic infrastructure of roads, sewerage and water plants, and also to design and build the housing units.

Limitation/Challenges: Brazil is too large a country to monitor and evaluate all the projects and manage many local issues. The household needs are also too varied and diverse.

Activate learning

Google Earth Virtual tour

Use Google Earth and take a virtual tour in one of the slums in Brazil. They are known as the Favela in Brazil.

How different is the slum from your neighbourhood?

Promote Thinking and Discussion

Do you think the following projects will help to improve housing for the slum dwellers?

Slum Upgrading

Self-help schemes involve the participation of low-income households to improve the conditions of existing housing. Governments do not provide housing directly, but instead provide assistance in other forms such as providing construction materials or basic services.

e.g. Rocinha Project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - wooden houses replaced by concrete houses, supply of electricity rooftop water tanks, piped water system to home, and proper sanitation facilities such as toilets and sewers were also built.

Slum upgrading effort in Nairobi, Kenya

In Nairobi about one million people are living in the slum without any rights to the land on which they live. Sweden is supporting the Pamoja Trust who is working for the peoples right to safe, secure and ample housing. Through saving schemes the communities can get loans for new constructions and ownership of land.

Provision of public housing

Another strategy to manage housing shortage is provision of public housing which the government provides housing units with basic services, usually for low-income households. In Singapore, the HDB was set up by the government in 1960 to build and provide public housing for the increasing population. Slums and squatter settlements were cleared and the land was used to build high-rise flats. Such HDB flats helped improve the housing situation by providing housing units with basic services such as water, electricity and sewerage. Over the years, many flats have been built. Today, more than 80 per cent of Singapore’s population live in HDB flats. The public housing programmes have also evolved to meet the diverse needs of all residents.