Jobs from Housing: Employment, building materials, and enabling strategies for urban development - Softcover

Spence, Robin; Wells, Jill; Dudley, Eric

Softcover

ISBN 10: 185339212X ISBN 13: 9781853392122

Publisher: Practical Action Publishing, 1993

Synopsis

Based on evidence from throughout the developing world this book takes a fresh look at the processes and the problems of income generation through housing.

About this title

Synopsis:

Housing is a universal need, like food and clothing. Yet official involvement in improving shelter by direct investment has often been a failure, and has been drastically reduced in most countries, despite the overwhelming need for improved standards of shelter. Based on a recent review of evidence throughout the developing world, "Jobs From Housing" takes a look at the processes and the problems of income generation through housing. It examines the present state of housing, the expected future demand, and the processes by which housing is created. It considers the role of the building industry, the building materials producers and the informal sector in creating wealth through housing activity. The authors also identify some ways in which governments and aid agencies can act to stimulate economic activity, create employment and remove current supply constraints in the availability of materials for building. Due to the increase in the world's urban population, this book focuses on the problems of urban housing as a special concern. Part One describes the housing process as a whole, in the context of the wider economy.

There is a much greater potential for creating wealth and local employment through housing activity than is currently either achieved or understood. It concludes that governments and the aid community must find constructive ways to remove present obstacles to these processes, such as: constraints on land availability, lack of infrastructure and services, restrictive regulations and, in particular, shortage of affordable building materials. Part Two is concerned specifically with overcoming the perceived shortages of building materials for housing. It examines the range of building materials available and the reasons for the present crisis in supply. It takes a critical look at past efforts to transfer and disseminate new technologies appropriate to the resources of low-income countries. This book concludes that ensuring satisfactory supply of building material cannot be left to market forces alone. Action at national and international level is needed to increase the supply of unprocessed local materials and to widen the range of factory-made materials available.

It recommends ways in which national governments and aid agencies can help people find better shelter, without undermining the operation of the market.

About the Author:

Robin Spence is currently President of the European Association for Earthquake Engineering.

About this edition

• Publisher: Practical Action Publishing
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 185339212X
• ISBN 13: 9781853392122
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112