Housing, the State and the Poor: Policy and Practice in Three Latin American Cities (Cambridge Latin American Studies, Series Number 50) - Hardcover

Gilbert, Alan; Ward, Peter M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521262992 ISBN 13: 9780521262996

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1985

Synopsis

Originally published in 1985, this book is concerned with the housing and service needs of the poor in Latin America and how they are articulated and satisfied. It examines the aims and implementation of government policies towards low-income housing dwellers and tries to relate those policies to the wider interests of the state. It discusses how the poor perceive the constraints on barrio servicing and improvement, their involvement in community organisations and the role the community and its leaders play in influencing state action. Since housing and servicing issues directly impinge on the interests of politicians, bureaucrats, landowners and real-estate developers, as well as on those of the poor, patterns of provision mirror closely the nature of the relationships between the poor and the wider urban society. The main theme of this book is thus the allocation of resources within urban society and the operation of political and administrative power at city level. The book will interest not only those concerned with housing and planning but also those who wish to understand social and economic policies towards the poor in most kinds of Third World city.

About this title

Book Description

Originally published in 1985, this book is concerned with the housing and service needs of the poor in Latin America and how they are articulated and satisfied. The main theme of this book is thus the allocation of resources within urban society and the operation of political and administrative power at city level.

Synopsis

This book is concerned with the housing needs of the poor in Latin America and how they are articulated and satisfied. Based on the authors' research in Bogota, Mexico City and Valencia, it examines the aims and implementation of government policies towards low-income housing dwellers and relates those policies to the wider interests of the state. It discusses how the poor perceive the constraints on barrio servicing, their involvement in community organisations and the role of the community in influencing state action, and demonstrates how patterns of provision mirror the relationships between the poor and the wider urban society. Its main theme is thus the allocation of resources and the operation of political and administrative power at city level.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1985
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521262992
• ISBN 13: 9780521262996
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336