HOUSING

INTRODUCTION
• Shelter is a basic human need close to food and water
• Houses should meet the physical and social needs of its occupants
• Owning a House still remains a big challenge in Africa
• Challenges of housing in Africa are largely felt in urban centers
because of overcrowding.
• Estimates suggest that by 2050 Africa’s population will have doubled
reaching 2.4 billion which will stretch the cities to beyond breaking
point due to inadequate housing and associated infrastructure needs
such as roads and clean water.
• Examples of countries that face housing problems include:
• Nigeria-housing deficit of 20 million homes.
• South Africa –housing deficit of nearly 2.5 million homes
• Kenya- housing deficit of nearly 2 million and continues to grow at a rate of about 200,000 units a
year.
• Uganda –housing deficit of approximately 1.7 million habitable housing units
• Ghana -housing deficit of 1.7 Million housing units as of 2018
• Housing contributes to economic development in many ways which include:
• Construction sector creates employment
• People who live in adequate houses are more productive at work
• It reduces social unhappiness
• Investment
• Reduce crime
DEFINITIONS
• Housing as defined by the United Nations (UN) encompasses the
housing unit and the entire ancillary services as well as community
facilities that are necessary for human well-being.
• Shelter is a basic human need necessary to everyone and the
provision of housing, as a means of solving one of the urban problems.
• Jibole (2011) defines housing as permanent structures for human
habitation
• The term “house” includes many kinds of dwellings , ranging from
rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individuals
structures.
Functional elements of a house
• Madhaka (2005) proposed the following:
• It should offer privacy
• Should provide access to water and other needs
• Should provide access to roads and other services
• Links occupants to society, work, leisure e.t.c
• It is an investment
• protection
Housing in Zimbabwe
• Before colonial occupation, Zimbabweans lived in villages and compounds like
that which existed at the Great Zimbabwe
• Some compounds were very big e.g. Great Zimbabwe, Lobengula’s Bulawayo
• When whites came in 1890, they introduced industries and mines which required
workers
• In the newly created urban centers, Africans were not regarded as urban
residents but as workers for industry and homes of white people
• Because of this policy, they were not provided with services or houses
• More Africans came to urban areas because they were forced to look for cash to
pay hut, dog, cattle and other taxes.
• Land apportionment Act (Number 30 of 1930)
Low income urban settlements
• The term ‘slum’ is traditionally used to describe areas housing the urban poor, despite its original
meaning as former desirable or salubrious areas that had been overtaken by poverty as affluent
residents migrated away (UN-Habitat, 2007).
• UN Habitat describes a ‘slum household’ as one that is lacking in one or more in:
• Easy access to safe, clean affordable drinking water
• Access to adequate sanitation
• Sufficient living area, defined as less than 4 people per room
• Housing of a durable nature that protects occupants from extreme weather conditions
• Security of tenure
• These are less costly housing settlements
• They are most suitable in developing countries where urban population is very high and is growing
• There are also suitable where income is very low
• They suit economies with low economic growth
Factors influencing housing provision in
developing countries
• Income
• Capital (mortgage) for prospective home owners to acquire houses
• Income very low for prospective home owners
• Unavailability of land
• Inefficient housing cooperatives
• Cost of construction
• Cost of acquiring land
• Urban and other gvt policies
• Investment options
• Social issues-e.g seasonal migration
FACTORS LEADING TO HOUSING
PROBLEMS IN AFRICA
• Poverty
• Increasing Urbanization
• Industries and economic development in cities
• Neglect of rural areas
• Shrinking of financial resources
• Public policies
Third World Housing in General:
Characteristics and Problems
• Housing shortage is the major component of the urban housing
problem in the third world.
• The rapid rates of urbanization in most developing countries have led
to massive housing shortages and qualitative deficiencies
• Urbanization in the third world is in sharp contrast to the western
industrial urbanization process.
• In developing cities of the world, urbanization and the emergent
pseudo-urban economy are breeding widespread poverty among the
fast growing urban populations.
• The access of the poor to adequate shelter is one of the biggest
challenges facing governments in developing countries as cities
continue to grow and larger numbers of poor households continue to
concentrate in them.
• Many third world housing development schemes which were put in
place to address housing provision issues have always ended as
fiascos.
• Many of such schemes meant for housing the poor ended up as
middle class housing.
• Rakodi (1995) noted that as a result of this, different types of rental
accommodation have been developed for the vast majority in the
developing countries and that the majority of the poor are renters.
• He also noted that though the poor are predominantly renters in
some cities, continued expansion of illegal housing has been providing
opportunities for low – cost ownership.
• There are hardly any third world countries which do not have some
low – income housing arrangements such as the slum and squatter
settlements for housing provision among the poor
• Yeh and Fong (1984) undertook an evaluation of the housing problems in the third world and
argued that, the world housing deficit is a problem which is a measure of the official
misconception of what housing should be rather than what it does and that the supply of
housing stock is determined by unrealistic standards which are dependent on middle class or
western values.
• A study by UNCHS (1995) found poor governance as the main element that encourages informal
settlement.
• Due to corruption many people, not the lower-income group only go for informal transaction
rather than formal.
• This is reflected in the percentage of informal housing in cities of developing countries.
• Informal housing has evolved because of non –availability of adequate housing in the legal
housing market.
• Countries, experiencing informal settlements growth are facing many problems related to urban
poverty, higher unemployment, social hardships and conflicts.
TYPES OF HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS
STSYEMS
• According to Mitlin (2000), developing countries have three types of housing
development systems; formal, informal and organic.
• Formal developments have the legal basis of planning agency.
• They are developed within the structure of government rules, controls and
regulations.
• Whereas informal housing development is often illegal and consists of
unauthorized gatherings and squatter settlements.
• These types of developments become rampant because of affordability
problems, inadequate housing and poor governance.
• The significant characteristics of informal development are insecurity of
tenure and low standard of facilities and infrastructure.
• The major characteristics of informal settlements in developing countries as
itemized by Tsenkova, 2009 include:
• Insecure housing tenure,
• Inadequate basic services,
• housing settlement that contradicts city bye-laws,
• housing built on a property owned by the state or a third party instead of that of the
owner or resident,
• Insufficient access to basic urban services, substandard housing and inadequate
building structures,
• Illegal subdivision of housing,
• poverty and social exclusion and unhealthy living conditions and hazardous location
• Organic housing developments are those that emerged over a period
of time without any conscious measures, whether legal or illegal.
• Old cities and urban villages fall under this category of developments
(Sivam, 2003).
• A significant proportion of urban population lives in the informal
settlements.
• Slum and squatter settlements are products of informal housing
developments; urban basic service like power, water supply, and
sanitation are completely absent.
• They are characterized by very high densities with small amount of
living spaces and chaotic building layout.
• The settlement is also characterized by inadequate road network
which usually results in severe congestion as the volume of traffic
grows, and there are usually home based industries within the
residential space.
HOUSING POLICIES
• It is determined by a particular country.
• Housing policy is also an integral element of the whole national
development strategy.
• Home ownership policy 1982
• National housing policy 2004 –CABS building houses for civil servants
• Garikai Hlalani Kuhle –but it lacked funding
Housing for all
• Housing for all by the year 2000 was a programme by UN Habitat, the
UN agency responsible for housing issues
• The objective was to ensure that everyone had access to decent
accommodation by the year 2000
• Zim adopted this policy but because of challenges highlighted before,
housing for all was not achieved
• Zimbabwe housing model for rural areas which was supposed to be
achieved by the year 2000 consisted of 3 bedrooms and dining
/lounge under brick and zinc/asbestos, a brick round kitchen under
thatch and storage room (traditional hozi) or brick under
zinc/asbestos flat
• In urban areas, housing for all meant each person should have a
house with at least 3 bedrooms, dining /lounge,a kitchen, toilet,
• All urban and rural areas were expected to have access roads and
toilets and other services
Types of houses according to levels of desirability:

• Brick, concrete and mortar under tile, zinc or asbestos (in both rural
and urban areas). Most have security of tenure
• Pole, dagga, thatch or brick under thatch-less strong, low cost,
prevalent in rural areas
• Slums-tents, thatch, plastic, boards etc. Less strong and no deeds or
security of tenure
1st Transitional Development Plan (TDP),
GoZ, 1982, Towards housing for all
• It states that housing and related services must be affordable for all
people irrespective of geographical or socio-economic status
• Public sector must provide and finance housing
• self help schemes aided by gvt must be started e.g. Cooperatives
• Building brigades and materials production brigades must be
established
• Provision of housing in rural and urban areas must be balanced
• New and old settlements must all be supported
• Slums must be eliminated and replaced with serviced stands
• Cost of supplying houses must be reduced
• Each household must have a house with at least two bedrooms
• Housing industry must contribute to the economy by creating
employment
• Improve quality and quantity of housing in communal, resettlement,
mining and commercial farming areas.
• Reduce and eliminate housing backlog in rural and urban areas
• Some of the cooperatives between this years included :
• The Cotton Printers Housing Cooperative.
• It was formed in 1984 as a work based housing co-operative in
Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe.
• One of the largest housing co-operatives today, Kugarika Kushinga
Housing Cooperative (KKHC) was founded in 1986 with about 2000
members, according to Zimbabwe National Association of Housing
• Cooperatives (ZINAHCO)
National Housing Delivery Policy (NHDP),
2000
• The policy noted that:
• The TDP had failed on its housing objectives
• Zim had a housing backlog of 1 million houses by 2000
• Housing delivery is inflexible because of unrealistic housing standards
(e.g. Stand can only be developed after service-water, sewer, road and
only brick walls ie no dagga or wood)
• Lack of security of tenure affects housing delivery
National Housing Programme (NHP), 2003
• It came as a result of the NHDP
• It says gvt has failed to provide decent and affordable housing
• It says that in 1985, as part of housing for all, gvt targeted to provide
162 000 houses a year but was only providing about 15 000 to 20 000
per annum in 2000
• By 2002, only 5 500 stands were serviced by the formal sector yet 250
000 people required houses that year
NHP: Role of GVT, local GVT and pvt
sector
• Provide land
• Technical assistance e.g. Surveyor General’s Office
• Provide financial assistance e.g. National Housing Fund
• Encouraging and Monitoring cooperatives
• Setting and enforcing housing standards e.g. Urban Councils Act, Rural
District Councils Act, Bye laws
• Employee loans
• Bank loans-mortgage from Building Societies
Current scenario
• Housing for all has not been achieved
• GVT has failed to deliver, so has the private sector
• GVT has been affected by bureaucracy whilst the private sector has been very expensive
• Brigades failed to work due to overhead costs and poor work discipline
• GVT has made land available
• Cooperatives have been formed but they have a multiplicity of challenges among them
incompetency, corruption etc
• Slums increased until Operation Murambatsvina
• Construction costs are still huge
• Local councils are failing to enforce standards
• In short, Zimbabwe has failed to meet housing needs of at least 2 bedrooms per household in
both rural and urban areas
National Housing Policy
• In 2012 following an intensive consultative process, a National
Housing Policy was adopted.
• The policy is based on three elements: the promotion of housing
development strategies to assist the poor, the use of a participatory
approach and, the mobilization of the beneficiaries’ own resources.
• Most recently in 2013, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio
Economic Transformation (ZIMASSET) on its social service delivery
cluster recognized that there is need for strengthening community
based housing organizations for improved housing delivery
Ministry of National Housing and Social
Amenities
Zimbabwe National Association of Housing
Co-operatives (ZINAHCO)
• Its a body that represents housing co-operatives.
• However, not all housing cooperatives are affiliated to this apex body
because membership is voluntary.
• ZINAHCO informed the Committee that since the year 2000, through
its members, it had serviced 20 000 stands and had built more than
10 000 houses.
• The Committee also noted that the apex body occasionally receives
financial support from developmental partners.
• However, those housing cooperatives not connected to ZINAHCO
have to rely on their own internal resources.
Strategies and options to solve housing
challenges
• Rural development to reduce migration
• Aided schemes e.g. Site and service schemes by government and NGOs in
Glenview, Warren park, DZ, Hatcliffe, Kuwadzana serviced plots of 200m2 to 300m2
were given to home seekers by gvt.
• Some had core houses or not. Loans were introduced. Each house was expected to
be completed by the owner in 10 years and only after completion were title deeds
given. A site and service scheme was done by USAID in Kuwadzana. Loans of
between Z$2500 and 3000 were given payable over 30 years. Aided schemes are
non-interest bearing
• Efficient cooperatives-self help schemes
• Employee loan and cooperative schemes
• Private land developers
FURTHER READINGS
• Operations Murambatsvina (started 19 may 2005) and Garikai. Was it
a fight against poverty or a war against the poor?
• UN Housing for all by the year 2000-what it sought to achieve and
was this achieved in Zimbabwe
• Habitat Agenda-objectives and lessons for Zimbabwe
• Ministry of Rural Housing and Social Amenities
• MTP
Housing cooperatives since 1980
From Habitat Agenda
• I 27. Equitable human settlements are those in which all people have equal access to housing,
infrastructure, health services,
• adequate food and water, education and open spaces.
• provide equal opportunity for a productive and freely chosen livelihood;
• Provide equal access to economic resources, including the right to inheritance, the ownership
of land and other property, credit, natural resources and appropriate technologies;
• Offers equal opportunity for personal, spiritual, religious, cultural and social development;
• Provides equal opportunity for participation in public decision-making;
• provides equal rights and obligations with regard to the conservation and use of natural and
cultural resources; and equal access to mechanisms to ensure that rights are not violated.
• The empowerment of women and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres
of society, whether rural or urban, are fundamental to sustainable human settlements
development
HABITANT AGENDA
• Chapter II - Goals and Principles 22. The objectives of the Habitat Agenda are in full conformity
with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
• 23. While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical,
cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the duty of all States to
promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to
development.
• 24. Implementation of the Habitat Agenda, including implementation through national laws
and development priorities, programmes and policies, is the sovereign right and responsibility
of each State in conformity with all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the
right to development, and taking into account the significance of and with full respect for
various religious and ethical values, cultural backgrounds, and philosophical convictions of
individuals and their communities, contributing to the full enjoyment by all of their human
rights in order to achieve the objectives of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human
settlements development.
• 25. We, the States participating in the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II),
are committed to a political, economic, environmental, ethical and spiritual vision of human
settlements based on the principles of equality, solidarity, partnership, human dignity, respect and
cooperation. We adopt the goals and principles of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human
settlements development in an urbanizing world. We believe that attaining these goals will promote a
more stable and equitable world that is free from injustice and conflict and will contribute to a just,
comprehensive and lasting peace. Civil, ethnic and religious strife, violations of human rights, alien and
colonial domination, foreign occupation, economic imbalances, poverty, organized crime, terrorism in
all its forms, and corruption are destructive to human settlements and should therefore be denounced
and discouraged by all States, which should cooperate to achieve the elimination of such practices and
all unilateral measures impeding social and economic development. At the national level we will
reinforce peace by promoting tolerance, non-violence and respect for diversity and by settling disputes
by peaceful means. At the local level, the prevention of crime and the promotion of sustainable
communities are essential to the attainment of safe and secure societies. Crime prevention through
social development is one crucial key to these goals. At the international level, we will promote
international peace and security and make and support all efforts to settle international disputes by
peaceful means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
• 26. We reaffirm and are guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and we reaffirm our
commitment to ensuring the full realization of the human rights set out in international instruments and in particular, in
this context, the right to adequate housing as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and provided for in
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, taking into account that the right to adequate housing, as included in the above-
mentioned international instruments, shall be realized progressively. We reaffirm that all human rights - civil, cultural,
economic, political and social - are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. We subscribe to the principles
and goals set out below to guide us in our actions.
• I 27. Equitable human settlements are those in which all people, without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, have equal access to
housing, infrastructure, health services, adequate food and water, education and open spaces. In addition, such human
settlements provide equal opportunity for a productive and freely chosen livelihood; equal access to economic resources,
including the right to inheritance, the ownership of land and other property, credit, natural resources and appropriate
technologies; equal opportunity for personal, spiritual, religious, cultural and social development; equal opportunity for
participation in public decision-making; equal rights and obligations with regard to the conservation and use of natural
and cultural resources; and equal access to mechanisms to ensure that rights are not violated. The empowerment of
women and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, whether rural or urban, are
fundamental to sustainable human settlements development.
• 1II 28. The eradication of poverty is essential for sustainable human settlements. The principle of poverty eradication is based on the
framework adopted by the World Summit for Social Development and on the relevant outcomes of other major United Nations conferences,
including the objective of meeting the basic needs of all people, especially those living in poverty and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups,
particularly in the developing countries where poverty is acute, as well as the objective of enabling all women and men to attain secure and
sustainable livelihoods through freely chosen and productive employment and work.
• III 29. Sustainable development is essential for human settlements development, and gives full consideration to the needs and necessities of
achieving economic growth, social development and environmental protection. Special consideration should be given to the specific situation
and needs of developing countries and, as appropriate, of countries with economies in transition. Human settlements shall be planned,
developed and improved in a manner that takes full account of sustainable development principles and all their components, as set out in
Agenda 21 and related outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Sustainable human settlements
development ensures economic development, employment opportunities and social progress, in harmony with the environment. It
incorporates, together with the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which are equally important, and other
outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the principles of the precautionary approach, pollution
prevention, respect for the carrying capacity of ecosystems, and preservation of opportunities for future generations. Production,
consumption and transport should be managed in ways that protect and conserve the stock of resources while drawing upon them. Science
and technology have a crucial role in shaping sustainable human settlements and sustaining the ecosystems they depend upon. Sustainability
of human settlements entails their balanced geographical distribution or other appropriate distribution in keeping with national conditions,
promotion of economic and social development, human health and education, and the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable
use of its components, and maintenance of cultural diversity as well as air, water, forest, vegetation and soil qualities at standards sufficient to
sustain human life and well-being for future generations.
• IV 30. The quality of life of all people depends, among other economic, social, environmental and cultural factors, on the physical conditions
and spatial characteristics of our villages, towns and cities. City lay-out and
• aesthetics, land-use patterns, population and building densities, transportation and ease of access for all to basic goods, services
and public amenities have a crucial bearing on the liveability of settlements. This is particularly important to vulnerable and
disadvantaged persons, many of whom face barriers in access to shelter and in participating in shaping the future of their
settlements. People's need for community and their aspirations for more liveable neighbourhoods and settlements should guide
the process of design, management and maintenance of human settlements. Objectives of this endeavour include protecting
public health, providing for safety and security, education and social integration, promoting equality and respect for diversity
and cultural identities, increased accessibility for persons with disabilities, and preservation of historic, spiritual, religious and
culturally significant buildings and districts, respecting local landscapes and treating the local environment with respect and
care. The preservation of the natural heritage and historical human settlements, including sites, monuments and buildings,
particularly those protected under the UNESCO Convention on World Heritage Sites, should be assisted, including through
international cooperation. It is also of crucial importance that spatial diversification and mixed use of housing and services be
promoted at the local level in order to meet the diversity of needs and expectations.
• V 31. The family is the basic unit of society and as such should be strengthened. It is entitled to receive comprehensive
protection and support. In different cultural, political and social systems, various forms of the family exist. Marriage must be
entered into with the free consent of the intending spouses, and husband and wife should be equal partners. The rights,
capabilities and responsibilities of family members must be respected. Human settlements planning should take into account
the constructive role of the family in the design, development and management of such settlements. Society should facilitate, as
appropriate, all necessary conditions for its integration, reunification, preservation, improvement, and protection within
adequate shelter and with access to basic services and a sustainable livelihood.
• VI 32. All people have rights and mu
SUSTAINABLE URBAN
DEVELOPMENT
• The goal of sustainable urban development is to reduce the impact of
consumption of natural systems (Global, regional and local) by the
city, by keeping within natural limits, while simultaneously enabling
human system to be optimized without impairing the quality of urban
life.
• Thus, sustainable urban development is meant to integrate the green
and brown agenda, to improve the human environment while
reducing the impact of natural resources use and improving the
natural environment of the city.
• The brown agenda is essential for making a city work, for a healthy
and liveable environment, and for creating the human and economic
opportunities that have driven cities throughout their history.
• All cities consume land and resources such as energy, water and
materials, which they use for building and transport.
• In the process of making a city functional, these resources are turned
into wastes.
• It is now possible to quantify that impact in one parameter called
ecological fort print
• The Sustainable Development Goal Funding (2014) states that the
chief target of SDG 11 to ensure , access to safe and affordable
housing and upgrading of slums.
• SDG 11 targets to provide sustainable housing to all the home seekers
by 2030.