Housing and its special distribution

What is housing

Structures or buildings developed to shelter people from the elements

Planned or unplanned

Permanent or temporary

Housing in cities: classified according to height and density

Planned: usually built by the government or private companies

Unplanned: usually built by settlers or squatters illegally

Unplanned: Can be stripped down/destroyed

What are the different types of housing

Informal

Formal

Found in desirable land

Built on locally unwanted land use (lulu)

Built by government or private developers

Legal right to occupy land

Access to basic services

High quality building materials

Concrete

Glass

Cement

No legal right to occupy land

Lack of access to basic services

Poor quality building materials

Water

Sanitation

Electricity

Supporting infrastructure

Protect from rain and strong wind

Safe from fire

BCA sets standards

Zinc sheets

Recycled lumber

Easily collapse

Prone to fires

Unplanned

Illegal occupants

May be evicted

Water

Sanitation

Electricity

Near sewage, toxic factories, garbage dumps

In planned spaces near industrial areas or amenities

Away from pollution and heavy industries

Quality infrastructure

Near roads, piped water, electricity, proper waste disposal

Found near industrial sites

Easier for residents to travel to work

Factors affecting location of housing

Land use planning

Developers

Land price

Housing financial support

Guidelines drawn up by planning authorities

restrictive land use, zoning - to ensure well-developed built-up environment, to shape the layout of cities

High rise vs low rise

High density vs low density

Permanent: not planned to be destroyed/taken down

Built by settlers or non-qualified builders (without permit)

Government: considers needs of people

Private developers: develop property for profit, choose commercially viable sites

Cost of land

Governments regulate pricing to ensure affordability

Financial support schemes for developers help lower cost of building houses sell houses at affordable prices

Chapter 9-Sustainable development of housing