Affordable Housing

Accessibility is Affordability: Why Evaluating Urban Access is Key to Affordable Housing Policy

By |2024-04-26T09:44:02+02:00April 25th 2024|

City planners and data scientists Santiago Fernández Reyes and Apaar Bansal explain how a new visual tool they developed can bridge the land use and transport policy gap – and push policymakers to provide adequate housing that is better located.

Affordable Housing

Advancing the right to housing through self-build

By |2024-04-18T16:14:53+02:00April 18th 2024|

“A house for all” is a promise made by the South African government, which has not yet been fulfilled. Annette May, of Isandla Institute, highlights this ongoing struggle and advocates for policy reform to address systemic challenges in housing delivery.

Women Experiencing Cities

Safeguards Against Physical and Mental Health: Just and Gendered Sanitation in Tanzania

By |2024-03-19T13:14:59+01:00March 19th 2024|

Women in Tanzania often suffer from deplorable housing conditions including horrendous sanitation. Tatu Mtwangi Limbumba knows why and what to do about it.

Inequality in Cities

Women’s Collective Power: Driving Responsible Urban Development

By |2023-11-08T15:21:00+01:00August 1st 2023|

India is rapidly urbanising. However, the disparities that affect the poor and marginalised are glaring. Bijal and Chirayu Brahmbhatt discuss aspects of addressing these inequalities through women-led approaches towards a better future for all.

Energy in Cities

Navigating Heterogeneity: The Way to a Just Energy Transition in the Global South’s Housing Sector

By |2024-01-05T12:59:12+01:00April 20th 2023|

Achieving a just energy transition in the urban housing sectors of the Global South demands recognition and engagement with their heterogeneous energy networks and rapidly evolving spatialities. Marie Urfels explores the challenges of achieving a just energy transition in the housing sector of the Global South while emphasising the importance of embracing these complexities to create targeted, context-specific solutions.

Perceptions Data Reveal Patterns of Tenure Insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa

By |2024-01-04T14:25:15+01:00March 23rd 2021|

Understanding what drives perceived security can help policymakers and urban planners make better choices. Shahd Mustafa shares new findings from Prindex’s report on land rights in the Arab region.

Land Rights in Africa Are About People, Not Paperwork

By |2024-01-04T14:27:05+01:00March 2nd 2021|

As part of the Prindex global dataset, people in 34 sub-Saharan countries were asked about their feelings of security or fear regarding possible eviction. Dr Ibrahima Ka and Cynthia Berning share intriguing findings.

Egyptian Eco-Communities: Reintegrating the Homeless

By |2024-01-04T08:38:53+01:00October 30th 2019|

Homelessness is an issue that countries are struggling to address. Professor Ayman Mosallam’s proposal for building Eco-Communities represents an innovative solution that equips homeless people with new skills and purpose. At the same time, the Eco-Communities also promote sustainable living.

Leave No One Behind in Cities: How Can Knowledge Gaps About Marginalisation Be Filled?

By |2024-01-03T16:56:06+01:00July 30th 2019|

Street dwellers and the urban poor often don’t have access to their cities’ services. One reason behind this problem is the fact that they are not surveyed and consulted in data collection. How can this gap be filled?

The Role of Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations in Kenya’s Housing Finance Sector

By |2024-01-03T14:58:21+01:00June 11th 2019|

Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations play a key role for housing security in Kenya. Davina Wood explains how they work and discusses benefits and current challenges.

The Future is Community-led: How People Are Improving Their Neighbourhoods Across Africa

By |2024-01-03T15:01:43+01:00May 16th 2019|

All across Africa, the most rapidly urbanising continent, locals are taking action to improve their neighbourhoods and get access to adequate housing and services. Leading up the UN Habitat Assembly, URBANET presents examples from Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

When Communities Transform Old Socialist Housing into Adequate Housing – Part 2

By |2024-01-03T15:03:59+01:00May 14th 2019|

Socialist-era apartment buildings in Vietnam’s cities, so-called KTT, are decaying rapidly. Tenants’ community organisations could help upgrade them and prevent redevelopment, says Boram Kimhur.

When Communities Transform Old Socialist Housing into Adequate Housing – Part 1

By |2024-01-03T15:04:11+01:00May 9th 2019|

Socialist-era apartment buildings in Vietnam’s cities, so-called KTT, are decaying rapidly. Tenants’ community organisations could help upgrade them and prevent redevelopment, says Boram Kimhur.

Building from Scratch and Sand

By |2024-01-03T15:04:26+01:00May 7th 2019|

Urban areas around the world face the challenge of delivering affordable housing to ever growing populations. Availability and expenses of both building material and skilled workers are a common hindrance. Turning sand into a revolutionary new building material might offer a solution, writes PolyCare Co-Founder Dr Gerhard Dust.

Understanding and Tracking Affordable Housing Investment Opportunities in Africa

By |2024-01-03T10:25:12+01:00March 12th 2019|

Housing has become a policy issue that interests not only housing departments and local construction authorities, but Central Banks and financial players as well. Kecia Rust from the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF) explains why housing has become an investment opportunity, and the role that policy makers play.

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