Search

The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine caused an escape of >7 million people to other European countries. In this extreme context, the accommodation of refugees has been an urgent need and an unexpected challenge for the host cities and societies. This short paper discusses insights and learnings on housing and accommodation of Ukraine war refugees at the local scale. It summarises challenges within the general management of (housing) integration, discusses related learnings from the hitherto coping mechanisms and sheds light on policy implications for the future by embedding the migration challenge of Ukrainian refugees into a wider context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction: Peer support brings together people with similar concerns or experiences, enabling them to explore solutions together and empowering them. In a Norwegian municipal action research project, parents from low-income families participated in a peer support programme to help solve their housing challenges. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe how parents in low-income families’ experience participation in a peer support programme that focused on their housing situation as a crucial aspect of their lives. Methods: The research approach involved participant observation, a focus-group interview, and in-depth personal interviews. Findings: The findings describe how participants changed from social isolation to shared experiences of reciprocity and mutuality and from powerlessness to developing personal strength. They started to act more assertively in everyday life, and they met social service providers with a new mentality. Concluding discussion: The discussion focuses on how participation in peer support groups may strengthen participants’ development towards more empowered citizens. It also addresses the relevance of peer support groups for persons using social services and concludes that peer support groups may be a supplementary way to solve challenges of limited resources in the municipal social housing sector.

Affordable housing contributes to the prosperity of any community. This study assesses housing challenges and enabling programs to affordable housing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) within the Vision 2030. A questionnaire of housing experts was undertaken, and responses were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Chi-Square. The findings show that top-ranked challenges are the high price of residential land (RII = 0.89), high construction cost (RII = 0.87), and high urbanization rate (RII = 0.76). The study found that participants' demographic factors led to significant differences in scores for six of the investigated challenges. In addition, the most effective enabling programs were the value added tax (VAT) exemption program (RII = 0.82), followed by the developmental housing program (RII = 0.73), and ownership forms (RII = 0.73). Significant differences in scores for two of the enabling programs were found based on participants' age and gender. The present study recommends that the government should review some of these programs and reassess the challenges of access to affordable housing.

The aim of this paper is to propose an agenda and some guidelines for urban local governments in Africa to design policies and strategies towards achieving sustainable housing in the post-2015 period. We argue that the effective methodology for achieving sustainable housing in Africa lies in building an effective housing stock that is affordable for all. We employed and reviewed extensive literature, and we then applied textual and content analysis to construct this study. We note that Africa faces deficit and poor quality housing, where the poor struggle and informal settlements are numerous. Various approaches are used to address the housing issue but most of them are not successful. In some countries, self-help housing is the major mode of delivery, which faces a number of obstacles including funding, appropriate location, and even failure to meet the town planning requirements. An example of best practice in housing delivery can be the housing provision programme in South Africa from 1994 under the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). Smart partnerships where local authorities provide land and the private sector provides funding are critical. Nevertheless, strategies have to be crafted so as to accommodate different groups within the low-income category. The poor are not a homogenous group, since there are some who 'pretend' to be poor and tend to offset the deserving members from different schemes of funding assistance. Therefore, a systemic approach is required to provide a sustainable concoction to treat the housing poverty malady in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affordable housing contributes to the prosperity of any community. This study assesses housing challenges and enabling programs to affordable housing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) within the Vision 2030. A questionnaire of housing experts was undertaken, and responses were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Chi-Square. The findings show that top-ranked challenges are the high price of residential land (RII = 0.89), high construction cost (RII = 0.87), and high urbanization rate (RII = 0.76). The study found that participants' demographic factors led to significant differences in scores for six of the investigated challenges. In addition, the most effective enabling programs were the value added tax (VAT) exemption program (RII = 0.82), followed by the developmental housing program (RII = 0.73), and ownership forms (RII = 0.73). Significant differences in scores for two of the enabling programs were found based on participants' age and gender. The present study recommends that the government should review some of these programs and reassess the challenges of access to affordable housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the enablers of creating a viable environment for a sustainable housing industry and investigate the barriers limiting this progress. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review is carried out to explore the four-angle enablers (technological, institutional, internal action and market influence) which are crucial to create an industry which is prone towards sustainable construction. Based on the interviews and surveys conducted on Malaysian developers, the findings point to various challenges for each enabler. Findings – The paper highlighted that the government's lack of incentive programmes and the slow progress in revising related regulations are major hindrances for institutional enablers. For technological aspects, the problem lies in the cost of importing products because of the lack of locally-produced green technology. The cost factor and lack of "urgency" are the core problems in encouraging internal action, while the low demand by the potential buyers affects market influence. Originality/value – Actions towards transforming the conventional industry into a sustainable one require resolute actions and drive from various parties. This paper provides an insight into the key enablers for a sustainable housing industry and the current problems associated with each enabler. Although the research was carried out in Malaysia, the results may be applicable to other countries as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]