BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF LAND ADMINISTRATION

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 The course:
 Provides the general concepts and definitions of housing
 Deal housing in urban planning, urban design and
architectural dimensions and scales
 Will have theoretical and practical sections

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COURSE OBJECTIVES :

At the end of this course students will be able to

understand:
 The basic concepts of housing
 The issues of housing
 The urban planning Aspects/components of housing
 The urban design Aspects/components of housing
 The architectural Aspects/components of housing

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COURSE CONTENT:

Unit 1- Housing Issues and Housing Policy

Unit 2- Planning Aspect of Urban Housing

Unit 3- Urban Design Aspects of Housing

Unit 4- Architectural Aspect of Housing

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Lecture _I UNIT 2:
2. Planning Aspect of Urban Housing

Terminologies?
 Urban Planning:
One of its definitions, “urban planning” defined as the process of guiding the use
and development of land with the aim of making the city a better place to live and
work in.

 Urban:
One of its definitions, “urban” defined as relatively densely populated areas having
at least some basic services and facilities access, which related/characterized to a
town or a city.

 Housing:
One of its definitions, “housing” defined as not only shelter or household facilities,
but also has services and utilities which link the individuals with their neighbors.
So, the concept of housing encompasses the dwelling units as well as the overall
environment and facilities necessary for decent living conditions of human beings.
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2. Planning Aspect of Urban Housing
2.1. Problems and Possible Causes

2.2. Demand

2.3 Affordability

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 2.1 Urban Housing Problems and Possible Causes

Objectives of the Section:

After completing this section, students are expected to understand at
least the following points :

 Appreciate the magnitude of urban housing problems in relation with the

definition of housing
 Analyze the scale and nature of housing problems in relation with
household living standard
 Identify primary causes for urban housing problems and corresponding
policy responses
 Sort out the major indicators or manifestations of the problem
 Recognize the target group being affect by urban housing problem 7
2.1. Urban Housing Problems and Possible Causes
2.1.1. Major problems
 Gap between demand and supply
 Policy responses for housing problems
 Proliferation of squatters and slum settlements

2.1.2. possible causes of urban housing problem

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2.1. Urban Housing Problems and Possible Causes
2.1.1. Major problems

 Gap between demand and supply

 As evidenced from UN reports our planet is suffering with sever housing
problem. It is estimated that 1.2billion of the world population is living in
substandard housing. Out of them millions are squatter settlements or
temporary comps that are living in unsafe areas, i.e. an increase of urbanization
 However there are arguments that urbanization by itself is not the problem, but
the ability of governments to cope up the problem in terms of: insuring access
to land, shelter, and essential services & facilities will be” Davas Rakodi(1993)
 Governments of developing countries have begun to accept the fact that
urbanization is inevitable, indeed unstoppable, and that in the coming decades
an increasing proportion of their populations will live in urban areas.

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Some of the indicators or urban housing problems are:
 Serious/very high gaps between demand and supply of world particularly the
developing countries urban housing and related services and facilities
 Massive rural-urban migration
 Low capacity of local government to cope up with the increasing demand for
housing(inadequate financial resources, lack of awareness to the existing need,
less qualified and motivated staff, unclear accountability and cumbersome
administrative procedures).
 Majority of these migrants do not have the resources to purchase or rent in the
former housing market, they obliged to live in squatter settlement, shanty towns,
and illegal subdivisions
 High congestion of the housing unit. In the case of Addis Ababa, the ratio is 2 - 3
persons per room, which is very congested, compared with as size of a room.

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Then the real & growing housing problems is associated with poor urban
management are posing to:
 Shortage of urban housing,
 Unemployment
 Lack of basic urban services and facilities
 Social diversity(street dwelling, prostitution and etc),
 Increase of housing rent, land price, squatter settlement, slum settlement,
environmental degradation, urban-rural conflict and etc.
Therefore, the serving/oblige factors:
 acute shortage of housing production
 Low level of the household income (not afford housing market), which
doesn‟t confirm with the housing standards and regulations, so they try to
find shelter for themselves in leftover and environmentally sensitive areas
 high price of construction materials
 Inefficient land provision
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For Housing demand and supply calculation:
 Physical year
 Existing/total housing stock of the city/town
 Total population size of the city/town
 Annual population growth rate
 Average family size of the city/town

Housing ownership status of the city/town:

 Private, government, kebele & others

Housing condition measurements:

 Good, fair, bad and poor
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Housing Demand calculation/forecast:
1. Current/Backlog Housing demand
2. Land use/plan change housing demand
3. An increase in new Housing units/population
4. Additional Housing demand
5. Current Housing stock of the city/town
6. Projected total Housing stock(when demand = supply)

 4 = 1 + 2 + 3 + (10 - 15% contingencies)

6 = 4+5

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 Policy Response for Housing Problems
 As other urban development policy components, many countries have
taken housing policy as major one and given considerable attentions

 In Singapore, housing is a direct Government concern; Government

encourages private housing ownership by constructing and selling out
the public houses

 In South Africa, every citizen has the right to claim for housing as his
constitutional right. The government beyond enabling the private
house developers to build rental and other modes of housing, himself
directly involved in construction public houses

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 In Sweden: the government had also developed five decades
housing production plan/program:
1. 1945 – 1965:
 Modern Swedish housing policy started just after World War II
 The period is called as the Golden Age of Swedish housing
 Mostly individual houses were built on plots of 700 – 1 000m2 & a few as row
houses,
 In rural areas & towns, the plots were larger up to 2000m2

2. 1965 – 1974:
 In 1965, “a one million homes program”, in ten years, but it was realized only
around 600, 000 housing units
 At the end of this period there was a reaction against the high rise buildings
and the sterile/congested site plans.
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3. 1975 -1985:
 Small infill projects on vacant inner city sites, with greater architectural concern
 From 1945 - 1974 one third of all housing constriction was a single family home.
But, after the one million homes programs, it became two thirds
 It was highly subsidized & promoted by low interest loans, mortgages & tax
deductions.
 Massive renewal of the existing housing stock since the middle of the 1970s
 Elevators were installed, the improvements resulted in high rent increases. Hence
many low income families & students were displaced b/se of rent unaffordability
4. 1985 -1995:
 “Half million homes program”, it was not possible to keep down the building costs
 Simplified building regulations, reviewed the regulations so as to produce
housing at lower costs

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 Coming to Ethiopian urban housing situation (refer to the past and
current country housing policies), we can see that:
1. The Hailesilase Regime:- had left housing for the private developers, with
some attempts of direct low cost housing government involvement.

2. The Derge regime:- government directly involved in the construction and

production of rental houses through RHA and municipalities, provided free land
for housing builders at different levels and institutional support for house
builders, through Housing Cooperatives

3. Currently:- Government is left large housing proportion for the free market and
given emphasize to support for the real estate, low cost housing(condominium)
and private developers.

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 Proliferation of squatter and Slum Settlements

1. Definition and Characteristics of Squatter/informal Settlement:

 Squatters are residential areas which has developed without legal claims
to the land & building permissions

 They could emerge due to a number of social, economic and political

reasons. It could be internal and external factors.
 Internal reasons: lack of collateral asset; savings and other financial assets.
 External reasons: high cost of land and housing service; cumbersome
procedures; rigid planning & building standards, rules, regulations and policy
issues

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 Major characteristics of informal/squatter settlements are:
1. Physical Characteristics: illegal, bellow the standard services and
facilities area, absence of household level water connection but it will
have communal water, electricity, toilet uses and are unplanned
settlements
2. Social Characteristics: they are low income social groups residential
area, day & informal sector laborer, are dominated by predominantly
rural-urban or urban – urban migrants, mostly second/third generation
dwellers
3. Legal Characteristics: usually located in leftover and environmentally
sensitive urban areas
 Responses Towards Squatter Settlement: demolish, relocation, sties and
services scheme. Settlement upgrading, Land sharing is an approach of
settlement improvements
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2. Definition and Characteristics of Slum Settlement:
 The term „slum” defined as “ a residential areas that are physically and
socially deteriorated

 Bad housing conditions Which have inadequate light, air, toilet and
bathing facilities; are subjected to fire hazard, overcrowd area,

 The term slum originally had a clear and specific meaning referring to a
particular king of damp, working-class tenement dwelling

 Responses Towards Slum Settlement: Redevelopment:

renewal(slum clearance) and Upgrading . (slum clearance ….>>relocation
…..>>upgrading)

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Lecture _II
2.1.2. possible causes for urban housing problems
 urban poverty(household capacity to housing)
 Failure to supply of developed land ….for various
reasons
 Poor Promotion of Security of Tenure
 Inflexible Building Standards
 Poor Utilization of Local Building Materials and
Technologies
 Lack of Housing Finance
 Etc.

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 Poverty” which refers to:
 Absolute poverty: earn below fixed minimum international income level
 Relative poverty: earn below certain proportion of the national average
income level
 Poverty is a multidimensional which refers; to Lack of access to social
services, political freedom, safety net, housing/shelter; unsecured and
exposed to environmental and other problems
 Indicators of Housing poverty:
 High dependency ratio
 Low education level
 Lack of employment access
 High population growth rate with low productivity rate(under employment)
 Low house hold income level
 Unsafe environmental and living conditions
 Low level of decision making
 Expose to squatter and slum settlements
 Lack of good governance, property right, and housing finance
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2.2. Housing Demand and its methods of understanding

Objectives of the Section:

After completing this section, students are expected to understand at the
following points :

 Understand what do mean by housing Demand

 Identify different factors of housing demand

 Recognize different types of Urban housing provision modalities

 Understand how to attain balance for the demand and Supply

housing

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 Housing Demand:
 Housing demand expresses the housing stock need for renting or buying. The
demand is expressed by quality(typology of houses and standards) and
quantity(number). Demand side of the housing market is mainly concerned with
the type of the houses needed and the consumption capacity of the demander.
Housing demand is nowadays considered as a human right issue

 The major housing demand determining factors:

1. Housing Modalities/Delivery Systems/
2. Growth in Population: the total housing demand entailed by the population
growth
3. Households size: It will determine housing demand in terms of size
4. Economic growth: the economic development of the city & the country
affects the living standards of the population, & so the housing demand
5. Income of the household: is the other determining factor of the housing
demand
6. Affordability: the economical capacity of the household to access a housing
by rent & by ownership

1. Housing Modalities/Delivery Systems/:

 Actually there are different kinds of housing delivery systems adopted by
different income groups particularly in large towns and cities.
 “Formal” and “informal housing” delivery steams 24
1.1. Formal Housing Delivery Systems:-Are major and principal housing delivery
systems
 Private Housing Development: Which are built individually and usually on
housing cooperatives but owned individually
 Public Housing Development: usually named as low cost housing, social
housing and/or public housing. Built, operated and owned by a government for
nominal rent OR sell purposes
 Cooperative Housing: It describes collective, self-help, mutual assistance and
non-profit housing (Habitat, 1992). The individuals who comes together
collectively to improve their housing on a non-profit basis
 Real Estate Housing: It is one of the popular and formal urban housing
delivery systems, which is developed by the private developers for sell/rent

1.2. Informal Housing Delivery Systems : It is not legally recognized as a formal

housing development, that didn‟t fulfill the legal preconditions and formal procedures,
example:
 Squatter settlements
 Institutional housing
 Military camps
 Field housing
 Plastic housing 25
 Housing Demand and Supply Balance:

 Sustainable housing provision, employs diversified housing delivery

mechanisms in which different actors are involved. More over, housing
is one of the sectors where demand and supply are not easily
governed by market principle. The role of governments(especially local
governments) in check and balance is therefore indispensable

 As part of the housing planning process, urban plan implementation

offices of municipalities should conduct a continuous observation on
demand and supply and take balancing measurers.

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2.3. The Affordability Issue of Urban Housing

Objectives of the Section:

After completing this section, students are expected to understand at the
following points :
 Discuss the economic affordability of urban housing intervention
mechanisms
 Came up with basic concept of sustainable housing
development/provision strategies

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 Economic affordability:
 housing for those who cannot afford the market price
 social housing, subsidized housing
 direct or indirect financial assistance
 solidarity principle: helping of urban poor
 conducive housing policy
 public intervention
 low cost: standardization, replication, large/massive housing projects
 good spatial integration
 standard housing, building codes: security and comfort
 acceptable price
 durable housing solution
 affordability is not only in terms of construction cost but also need to look in
financial modalities for construction, rent and upgrading
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 Sustainable housing provision/development strategies:
I. Overall Concept of Sustainable Housing
 Technical feasibility and durability
 Habitable and cultural adaptable
 Economically affordable
 Progressive
 Spatially non-segregated
 Not overcrowded/tolerable density
 Subsidy/finance
II. Focus Areas of Sustainable Housing Development strategies:
1. Providing Employment Opportunity:
 Stimulate economic growth through different mechanisms
 Promote small scale enterprises
 Employment intensive service delivery
 Labor market support, through basic education & training
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2. Strengthening Informal sector

3. Supply of Developed Land

4. Housing Finance

5. Improving Access to Infrastructure and services

6. Encouraging Affordable Building Material Development and Supplies

7. Revising Building Regulation and Standards

8. Incremental Housing Development

9. Site and Service Scheme: provide a plot and basic infrastructure & facilities

for the target groups

10. Improving Slum and Squatter Settlements Environment/Upgrading

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Thank you!
…..>>

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