Lean construction for affordable housing: a case study in Latin America

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eder Martinez ◽  
Carolina K. Reid ◽  
Iris D. Tommelein
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Consumer Choice ◽  
Lean Construction ◽  
Housing Construction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Low Income Families

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore opportunities and barriers to using lean construction to address issues related to the value, quality and scalability of affordable housing production in Latin America. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case study of a housing developer in Ecuador that used lean construction in the design and construction stages of an affordable housing project. The study describes how the developer addressed operational challenges derived from implementing a customization strategy and analyzes qualitative and quantitative data to assess the outcomes of lean initiatives. Findings The developer reduced cost and delivery time without sacrificing consumer choice. However, the economic and policy conditions worked against the benefits of lean construction, demonstrating the importance of the regulatory context in facilitating or inhibiting lean initiatives and construction innovation. Research limitations/implications This paper focuses on conventional means for new housing construction. Self-help and upgrading are not covered. Practical implications The operational challenges described in this study, as well as the innovative ways to deal with them, are beneficial for practitioners seeking to improve the quality and efficiency of affordable housing construction. Social implications This paper advances knowledge about how to increase value and quality delivery in the built environment which may benefit low-income families. Originality/value This study bridges construction innovation and housing policy, discussing the potential of lean construction within the policy and regulatory environment in which affordable housing takes place.

US election could affect remittances to Latin America

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Low Income Families

Subject Growing remittances to Latin America. Significance Family remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have been growing strongly in a year when immigration has become a central and controversial election issue in the United States. Impacts Strong remittance growth will have a positive impact on millions of low-income families in the region. A Trump presidency could lead to reduced LAC-US migration and a tax on remittances, probably slowing growth in 2017-18. LAC migrants and their families are set to benefit further from an expected continuing fall in sending costs.

Measuring homeownership affordability in emergent market context: an exploratory analysis for Turkey

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yener Coskun
Keyword(s):  
Income Distribution ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Low Income Groups

Purpose This paper aims to offer an extensive empirical case study analysis by investigating housing affordability in Turkey as a whole, and in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir over the period of 2006 and 2017 and its sub-periods. Design/methodology/approach This paper develops a theoretically informed model to assess affordability using complementary methodologies in quantitative analysis. This study seeks to help outline the nature of the problem in aggregate level and in the cities; it also seeks to offer lessons about how to address measurement and modelling challenges in emergent market contexts by constructing aggregate-/city-level housing cost-to-income (HCI) ratio, adjusted HCI (AHCI) ratio, housing affordability index (HAI) and effective HAI sensitive to multiple calculation methodologies and alternative data set involving income distribution and poverty tranches. Findings HCI, AHCI, HAI and EHAI models generally suggest the parallel results: housing is not affordable in Turkey and in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir except for the highest income groups. The evidence implies that besides macroeconomic instabilities, distorted interest rates and short average mortgage maturity, poverty and unequal income/wealth distributions are the main reasons of the Turkish housing affordability crisis specifically heightened in metropolitan areas such as in Istanbul. Research limitations/implications The evidence provides an insight on housing affordability problems in Turkey. However, small sample size and short observation period create a limit for generalisation of the findings. Further analysis would be required to illustrate how housing affordability changes in different cities of Turkey in a longer period. Practical implications By using empirical approaches, this paper helps to understand how serious housing affordability problems of Turkey in aggregate and urban levels. This evidence helps to explain declining ownership ratio in low-income groups and in urban areas. Reliable explanations on existing housing crisis of Turkey also help to develop affordable housing policies. Social implications Declining housing affordability and homeownership ratio may translate as the rising housing inequality and insecurity among Turkish households. Moreover, better affordability values of higher income groups suggest that existing inequality, economic/social segmentation, and hence social tension between high and low income groups, may further increase. In this respect, the authors suggest socially important policies such as reducing income/wealth inequalities and increasing affordable housing supply. Originality/value This study offers a detailed empirical case study analysis that can be used as an exemplar of how to overcome data constraints in other evolving housing market contexts. This study sets out an approach overcoming the challenges of measurement. This study also combines existing methodological approaches with the modified variables to provide a more realistic aggregate-/urban-level housing affordability picture. The authors calculated some parts of housing affordability ratio and index series using discretionary income, minimum wage and effective minimum wage to show the variations of different measurement approaches. Some constructed series are also sensitive to income distribution and poverty thresholds. Collectively, this empirical approach, developed by using emerging market data, provides a contribution to the literature.

Analysing delay causes and effects in Ghanaian state housing construction projects

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Teye Amoatey ◽  
Yaa Asabea Ameyaw ◽  
Ebenezer Adaku ◽  
Samuel Famiyeh
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
State Institution ◽  
Housing Construction ◽  
Cost Overrun ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Project Outcomes ◽  
Project Delays

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the causes and effects of delays in public sector housing projects in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – A purposive sampling approach was used in selecting the respondents for the study. These were experts working on various state housing construction projects in Ghana. Findings – Results from the study showed that the critical factors that contribute to project delays in Ghana are; delay in payment to contractor/supplier, inflation/price fluctuation, price increases in materials, inadequate funds from sponsors/clients, variation orders and poor financial/capital market. The critical effects of delays are cost overrun, time overrun, litigation, lack of continuity by client and arbitration. Research limitations/implications – This paper is limited to causes and effects of project delays in Ghana based on data collected from only one state institution. Due to geographic constraints the researchers were unable to sample state institutions across Ghana involved in various housing projects. Practical implications – This paper has documented the critical state housing construction project delay factors in Ghana. The results will help project managers and policymakers appreciate the effects of these delays on project outcomes. Social implications – Measures aimed at reducing cost of housing projects in Ghana can translate into significant benefits to the poor and support achievement of government objective of providing affordable housing to low income citizens. Originality/value – This research focussed on the key factors and best practices that lead to the success of state housing projects within the Ghanaian context.

Analysing capabilities and resources used to incorporate fruit and vegetables into the family diet: findings from an Australian case study

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Samantha B Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Fruit And Vegetables ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Organizational Skills ◽  
Australian Case ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
Conducting Research

Research attributes low fruit and vegetable consumption to problems of access, availability and affordability. We conducted, for the first time, a case study with three families designed and analysed using the sustainable Livelihoods Framework. The benefit of such an approach is that we moved away from identified barriers and towards identifying the capabilities and resources low-income families use to incorporate fruit and vegetables into their diets. Mitigating cost and access, we provided families with a box of fresh fruit and vegetables free of charge for up to 10 weeks and observed and recorded how/if the contents were used. Results identify the importance of social networking, organizational skills, knowledge of health benefits, and social structures. This paper demonstrates an effective methodology for understanding the capabilities of, rather than barriers to, low-income families increasing fruit and vegetable intake. Additionally, we provide a ‘how to’ and ‘lessons from the field’ for researchers interested in conducting research of this nature.

Successful leadership in a rural, high-poverty school: the case of County Line Middle School

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans W. Klar ◽  
Curtis A. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School

Purpose – In this paper, the authors present a case study of successful school leadership at County Line Middle School. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices and beliefs were adapted to increase student achievement in this rural, high-poverty school in the southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – After purposefully selecting this school, the authors adapted interview protocols, questionnaires, and analysis frameworks from the International Successful School Principalship Project to develop a multi-perspective case study of principal leadership practices at the school. Findings – The findings illustrate the practices which led to students at this school, previously the lowest-performing in the district, achieving significantly higher on state standardized tests, getting along “like a family,” and regularly participating in service learning activities and charity events. A particularly interesting finding was how the principal confronted the school's negative self-image and adapted common leadership practices to implement a school-wide reform that suited its unique context. Research limitations/implications – While the findings of the study explicate the specific ways the principal adapted leadership strategies to enhance student learning, this study also highlights the need to understand how principals become familiar with their community's needs, cultures, norms, and values, and exercise leadership in accordance with them. Practical implications – The case offers an example of the need for context-responsive leadership in schools. In particular, it illustrates how this principal enacted leadership strategies that successfully negotiated what Woods (2006) referred to as the changing politics of the rural. To realize this success, the principal utilized his understanding of this low income, rural community to guide his leadership practices. Critically, part of this understanding included the ways the community was connected to and isolated from dominant sub-urban and urban societies, and how to build enthusiasm and capacity through appeals to local values. Originality/value – While it is widely acknowledged that school leaders need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, less research has focussed on understanding how this can be achieved. This case provides rich examples of how this was accomplished in a rural, high-poverty middle school.

Income Redistributive Effects of State and Local Fiscs: Connecticut, a Case Study

1973 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. T. Eapen ◽  
Ana N. Eapen
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Property Tax ◽  
Tax Structure ◽  
Tax Progressivity ◽  
Transfer Payments ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Redistributive Effects

Regardless of the alternative assumptions used to allocate taxes and benefits from expenditures of Connecticut state and local governments in 1967, this study shows that the incidence of taxes is regressive while that of expenditures is progressive. The regressivity of the tax structure is overwhelmingly due to the regressivity of the property tax. Progressivity of expenditures stems chiefly from transfer payments, housing, and hospitals which benefit primarily low-income families. On the basis of reasonable assumptions, it is shown that the state and local fiscs bring about, on the average a net redistribution of a mere two percent of income from families with annual incomes of $12,000 and above to those below that level.

scholarly journals Developing a route filtering system for street network development by integrating GIS and space syntax: a case study from tehran, Iran

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Rismanchian 1 ◽  
Simon Bell 1 ◽  
Safoora Mokhtarzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Space Syntax ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Street Network ◽  
Deprived Neighbourhoods ◽  
Natural Movement ◽  
Spatial Isolation ◽  
Low Income Families

Throughout the urban development process over the last seven decades in Tehran, Iran many self-generated neighbourhoods have developed, in which the majority of the residents are low-income families. The main spatial attribute of these deprived neighbourhoods in space syntax terms is spatial isolation from the surrounding, more affluent areas, which is accompanied by inadequate urban infrastructure and a lack of accessibility and permeability. This paper discusses a method of developing a route filtering system for identifying the most suitable streets for the creation of a pedestrian-friendly network, using an example of a deprived area, in order to integrate it with the surrounding urban fabric. The theory of ‘Natural Movement’ formed the basis of the research, the spatial pattern being analysed through Space Syntax using Depthmap software and GIS. The results showed that it is possible to identify the underlying spatial pattern using this approach and this could form a very cost effective basis for developing a pedestrian friendly street network, in order to release the deprived area from its spatial isolation. 

scholarly journals Production of Light Weight Blocks Using Rice Husk

2021 ◽  
pp. 24-30
Author(s):  
C. U. Okpoechi ◽  
C. A. Emma-Ochu ◽  
L. C. Ibemere ◽  
P. Ibe ◽  
E. O. Onwuka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rice Husk ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Waste Product ◽  
Housing Construction ◽  
Management Problem ◽  
Solid Core ◽  
Structural Walls ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Wide Range

Affordable housing has remained a major challenge in Nigeria, as housing costs have continued to rise beyond the reach of the low income population. This paper explores the use of waste products like rice husk as alternative materials for housing construction. Rice husk is abundant as a waste product in areas where rice is processed commercially in Southeast Nigeria. The aim of the study is to create rice husk blocks that are cheap, lightweight, and appropriate for use in low income housing construction. The study was conducted through experimentation in the Building Technology workshop of Federal Polytechnic Nekede. A series of trial mixes were done involving a wide range of materials and mix proportions. Rice husk, Portland cement, and cassava starch, were found to be the most appropriate components for the blocks. The blocks produced were of good appearance, and lightweight. Five samples of solid core blocks measuring 150x150x150mm were tested in Strength of Materials laboratory of the Federal University of Technology Owerri. The average compressive strength of the blocks was 0.26N/mm2, which is below the Nigerian Industrial Standard NIS 87:2007. The blocks produced were considered appropriate for use as non-load bearing partitions and not structural walls. The result of the study is promising because the rice husk blocks help address the waste management problem in affected areas, and could also be an important component of a potentially useful material. This paper recommends further research in the area of improving the strength of the blocks, to make them usable as structural components in low rise buildings.

Sustainable housing financing model to reduce South Africa housing deficit

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir Olanrewaju Ganiyu ◽  
Julius Ayodeji Fapohunda ◽  
Rainer Haldenwang
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
South African Government ◽  
The South ◽  
African Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mortgage Payment

Purpose This study aims to identify and establish effective housing financing concepts to be adopted by government in achieving its mandate of providing sustainable affordable housing for the poor to decrease the building of shacks, as well as proposing solutions to the housing deficit in South Africa. A rise in demand and shortage in supply of housing calls for the need to address issues of affordable housing in South Africa, and developing countries in general, to ensure a stable and promising future for poor families. Design/methodology/approach Literature has revealed that the South African government, at all levels, accorded high priority to the provision of low-cost housing. Thus, government has adopted subsidy payment as a method of financing affordable housing to ensure that houses are allocated free to the beneficiaries. This also addresses the historically race-based inequalities of the past, but unfortunately, this has not been fully realised. This study uses a sequential mixed method approach, where private housing developers and general building contractors were the research participants. The qualitative data were analysed using a case-by-case analysis, and quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive statistical technique on SPSS. Findings The results of the qualitative analysis reveal a gross abuse of the housing subsidies system by the beneficiaries of government-funded housing in South Africa. This is evident from illegal sale of the houses below market value. This has led to a continual building of shacks and an increased number of people on the housing waiting list instead of a decrease in the housing deficit. The results from quantitative analysis affirm the use of “Mortgage Payment Subsidies, Mortgage Payment Deductions, Down-Payment Grant and Mortgage Interest Deductions” as viable alternatives to subsidy payment currently in use to finance affordable housing projects by the South African Government. Practical implications At the moment, the focus of the South African National Government is continual provision of free housing to the historically disadvantage citizens, but the housing financing method being used encourages unapproved transfer of ownership in the affordable housing sector. This study thus recommends the use of an all-inclusive housing financing method that requires a monetary contribution from the beneficiaries to enable them take control of the process. Originality/value The relational interface model proposed in this study will reduce pressure on government budgetary provision for housing and guarantee quick return of private developers’ investment in housing. Government must, as a matter of urgency, launch a continuous awareness programme to educate the low-income population on the value and the long-term benefits of the housing.

Shaping community support for vigilantism: a Nigerian case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adewumi I. Badiora
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Crime Prevention ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Help ◽  
State Police

PurposeIn Nigeria, vigilantism appears to be a common response to dissatisfaction about the state police in the recent time. Using survey data of residents in Lagos, Nigeria, the purpose of this paper, therefore, is to explore whether what is already known about perceptions of procedural (in) justice of state police also applies to self-help security groups in Nigeria. This is with a view to influencing community support for and satisfaction with non-state policing in the country.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a case study approach. Lagos, Nigeria was stratified into the high, medium and low densities. Systematic sampling technique was used in selecting 1 out of every 20 buildings (5 percent) in each area. Household representative person on each floor of the selected building who had contact with vigilante corps in the last 12 months were targeted. Of 768 copies of questionnaires administered, a sample of 386 was effectively returned (representing 50 percent response rate). Six categories of variables were analyzed. These are procedural justice, distributive justice, vigilante corps’ performance, legitimacy, residents’ satisfaction with vigilante corps activities and socio-economic characteristics.FindingsResults reveal that respondents are not primarily instrumental in their support for vigilantisms. Instead, their support is associated with their basic communal values. More than effectiveness in controlling crime, vigilantisms receive community support provided they use procedural justice in dealings with the public. Respondents who perceive vigilantisms use procedural justice also view them as legitimate, and as well satisfy with their activities and services. Besides, results show that support for and satisfaction with vigilantisms are associated with environmental, social and economic characteristics of the residents in the community they serve. The thesis supported in this research paper is that public support for and satisfaction with vigilantisms can be influenced significantly through policing strategies that builds legitimacy.Originality/valueVigilantism pervades contemporary policing strategies. It is supported by national crime prevention policies, according to the logic that the use of community self-help security strategies could contribute to sustainable crime prevention. This study extends research on legitimacy, with an empirical focus on Nigerian vigilantism. Understanding factors that shape public support for vigilantism may enhance safer communities.

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