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A paradigm shift in water management is recognized as a necessary and fundamental step for adaptation to climate change and crucial for furthering sustainability. In contexts of rapid urbanization, this paradigm shift is particularly challenged since social and environmental needs often come into conflict. In Bogotá, as other Latin-American cities, demands for new housing are increasing daily, while the overall housing deficit remains an unresolved problem. Currently, the city faces the challenges to deal with the pressure to continue to urbanize flood prone areas with low-cost housing projects and simultaneously protect these areas in view of flooding, which promise to increase with the predictions of climate change. In order to contribute to context-responsive solutions to the water and housing issues, this paper investigates the shifting relations between settlement patterns, water infrastructure and landscape in Bogotá's El Tintal watershed. This sub-watershed of the Bogotá River has a rich history of formal and informal low-cost housing. The critical reading of the landscape transformation of the El Tintal has shown how the water system interventions were and can be instrumental in different stages of development. This reading was the base to elaborate design investigations that could translate to spatial adaptation measures. This paper argues that “soft” water management tools can be part of a twofold strategy to create spatial quality and provide resilience for more qualitative future urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, several studies have shown that low-income house-buyers faced severe problems in gaining access to house-loan. Therefore, this study investigated the root causes of housing-loans inaccessibility for low-income earners (LIEs) in Malaysia and proffer pragmatic panaceas in an unexplored dimension. This was done sequentially, first, the qualitatively explored and findings from the qualitative phase further tested and analysed via a questionnaire survey. The "quantilised findings" were validated by the Malaysian LCH policymakers. Findings show that the pervasiveness of house-loan rejection for LIEs is about 70%. The study found bad status of Central Credit Reference Information System, insufficient income, lack of creditworthiness, high default rate, fear of inability to recover loan and operating costs from the auction, repayment incapability, lack of evidence of regular income, the absence of collateral, inability to make down payment among others as the root causes of the factors that contribute to the house-loan rejection. The paper concludes that the government should establish a special housing loan scheme for LIEs while rent-to-own scheme should be sustained and strengthened via an independent agency. Also the self-employed should be encouraged to enrol with the Employee Provident Fund and a minimum wage increase to RM1,500/month among others was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper provides an assessment on the structural living conditions of selected government-subsidized low-cost housing settlements in the City of Cape Town and the associated health conditions of the inhabitants. Almost all of these houses have one or more informal dwellings in the backyard. Four subsidized housing communities were selected within the City of Cape Town in this cross sectional survey. Structured interviews were administered in 336 dwellings on 173 plots. Data was obtained from 1080 persons with a response rate of 100%. The vast majority of the main houses had two (38%) or three (48%) structural problems and 99% of the home owners could not afford repairs to the home. The integrity of the walls of the dwelling structure was problematic, showing large visible cracks. None of the walls were plastered causing rainwater to penetrate during rainstorms. During an inspection of the sanitation facilities in the home, 58% of toilets were non-operational, 66% of the bathrooms did not have toilet paper but had a supply of old newspaper instead, while 82% of the bathrooms did not have soap available to wash hands. At present the design of these low-cost housing schemes contribute to an increased risk of communicable diseases, rather than an improvement. The recipients of these houses were previously disadvantaged and their sanitation behaviour is inter alia shaped by the amenities at their disposal. The designers of low-cost houses should take serious note of the pathways of disease created by the provision and layout of sanitation-associated structures. The design of low-cost housing should not force the inhabitants of such houses into unsafe habits because of poor provision or poor layout of basic amenities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Self-help housing in Indonesia is related strongly to the kampong; being mostly a self-initiated and self-constructed urban settlement, with sometimes low housing qualities and always no security of tenure. In these low-cost self-management residential areas, the residents (must) rely mainly on their own efforts and their social networks. All known survival strategies of the urban underclass are practised here. Many kampongs were improved physically (especially with respect to their infrastructure) as a consequence of the huge Kampong Improvements Programmes (‘KIPs’), but home improvement was never a main issue. Other kampongs are informal and illegal as well, or even dangerous because of the badly chosen locations (locations ‘at risk’). Nevertheless, in a country where low-cost housing programmes are far from adequate, the kampongs are substantial and practical accommodation of the many urban low-income families. This paper explores the factors that led to the formation of kampongs in the first place and shows how kampongs benefit from or are adversely affected by the government housing policies. It ends with recommendations and suggestions for long-term strategic solutions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to maintain the economies of large-volume work that help reduce construction costs, homebuilders in Mexico tend to mass produce low-cost housing using conventional methods and targeting low- and middle-income earners before having buyers for the units. Even though these homes respect a minimum of housing quality as defined by housing institutions such as governmental bodies providing financial assistance via loans provision, homebuyers appear dissatisfied with these ready-built shelters that barely meet their housing requirements.In order to identify today’s market demand for new homes in Mexico, the authors surveyed some typical low-cost housing developments located in Aguascalientes—a middle-sized city located in the central part of the country. The authors visited construction sites and conducted personal interviews with selected homeowners. Based on their observation of such housing developments, the authors found that many homebuyers ‘extensively’ modify their new home immediately after occupancy. This need to personalise their new house may be explained in part by the lack of customisability in housing design at the purchase stage.This study therefore sought to introduce a ‘mass custom design’ approach that may bridge the production gap between the need for the mass production of housing that helps lower selling prices and the need for the design customisation required by today''s consumer. This paper also examines the potential effects of this new design approach on the delivery of conventional, low-cost housing in Mexico. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper summarises an M.Sc. (Physical Planning) field project carried out in 1997–98 on the planning of low-cost housing projects in Khartoum. The issue is one which calls for urgent rethinking. Planners seem inexplicably wedded to the rectilinear gridiron pattern in dealing with low-cost housing. The drawbacks of this approach, when the designs are regularly repeated without much revision and the executed projects never brought to completion, have become all too obvious after four decades of practice. The primary objective of this work is to assess this particular aspect while touching on some others which interact with it in the hope of eventually generating feedback to benefit future projects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]