Housing – The big picture

The National Main Stories

HOUSING woes are not unique to certain countries only and neither are the problems due to economic heath and development. From poor to rich and advanced countries, domestic housing needs of citizens remain thorny and protracted.
And Papua New Guinea is also no different than many countries.
According to Forbes, the developing world cities are suffering many very serious problems. These are a consequence of the rapid population growth, a lack of capital to invest and a non-existent, very poor and/or outdated infrastructure.

Problems

  • COLLAPSING infrastructure – Many cities in the developing world do not have an infrastructure that is capable of dealing with the massive increases in population. In addition, the governments do not have sufficient funds available to maintain the facilities, let alone improve them. Particular problems arise because of the inadequacy of the road and sewerage networks;
  • INCREASING levels of pollution – Pollution of air, land and water is a major problem in most developing world cities. The drive to industrialisation brings with it inevitable problems, especially as legislation to protect the environment is often non-existent or rarely enforced;
  • INCREASED volume of traffic on poorly maintained roads – The water supply can also become polluted as inadequate sewerage facilities allow the spread of harmful bacteria. Indeed, death from water-borne disease is one of the biggest causes of high infant mortality rates;
  • INADEQUATE housing and services – Shanty towns display most problems typical of developing world cities. On arrival at the city, it is most likely that the migrant will find him having to create his own shelter, live on the streets or rent a single room. In Calcutta, “Hotbed Hotels” rent rooms on an eight hour basis, whilst in Mexico City, more than 10 million live in shanty towns;
  • THE shanty town is likely to be found on inappropriate land – Maybe it is prone to flooding or is very steeply sloping, increasing the chances of a landslip. It could be on a piece of land that has been badly polluted by a neighbouring industry. The shelters made of wood and high population densities increase the risk of fire;
  • THE services will be non-existent or incapable of maintaining a basic standard of living – The lack of basic services like a clean water supply, rubbish collection and sewerage disposal mean that the risks of disease are very high; and
  • A LACK of employment means that people have to look for other ways of earning money. In Manila, children scavenge on refuse sites collecting cans for recycling.

Solutions to any problem are made more difficult by the lack of available resources and the sheer scale of the problems faced. Attempts to solve housing problems:

  • SITE and service schemes – Popular in India and Brazil. This is a scheme whereby the government will provide a site (a small concrete “hut”) and basic amenities such as water and sewer facilities. Such schemes are relatively cheap and give the migrants a sense of control over their future, encouraging community spirit;
  • HOUSING developments – Some countries, such as Singapore, have embarked upon massive re-housing programmes, resulting in high-rise estates. Early apartment blocks were very similar to those found in the UK and faced many similar problems. Singapore’s highly efficient rail system – the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) helps reduce traffic congestion, which is further reduced by strict quotas on the number of licensed cars and regular tolls on all major roads. The housing and development board aims to provide every person with a home and has continued its building programme for the last 40 years;
  • SEWAGE rehabilitation – Several cities have taken on major projects to try and repair damaged water and sewerage pipes. This improves the safety and quality of the water in the city and would reduce mortality rates. – Forbes/S-cool (UK)

Causes

  • IMBALANCE between supply and demand; a result of strong economic growth creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs (which increases demand for housing) and the insufficient construction of new housing units to provide enough supply to meet the demand;
  • HOUSING affordability crisis? – Occurring because of lack of resale inventory as well as a lack of new construction inventory, which in turn was caused by a labour shortage, lack of housing lots and other kinds of higher construction costs – Forbes;

Six emerging ways cities can solve affordable housing crisis

  • CREATE affordable housing trusts – Such funds are established, ongoing, and public funding sources for low-income housing developments in both states and cities;
  • FUND via bond elections;
  • OFFER incentives, tax breaks,etc;
  • RELAX zoning, developing Rules, etc – salud-america
  • ENGAGE big tech (and big businesses), etc; and
  • REVITALISE neighborhoods.