scholarly journals Regulatory planning and affordable housing in Kigali City: policies, challenges and prospects

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Nkubito ◽  
Andrew Baiden-Amissah
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Zoning Regulations ◽  
Housing Costs

The availability of sufficient housing for all is often stated as a priority for enhancing the social needs of a society. Studies from elsewhere have suggested a correlation between zoning strictness and inflating housing costs, which also leads to the exclusion of social classes in cities. However, in Africa, these linkages have not been adequately assessed. With zoning being at the heart of the current planning system in Rwanda, this research aims at examining the linkages between zoning planning and housing affordability, in an emerging urban setting like Kigali City. The study employed a combination of systematic review of articles, policy documents, discourse, and cost analysis to assess the effects of the strictness of master plan and zoning requirements on housing costs, and the ease of access to housing particularly for low-income households. This paper finds a significant gap in affordable housing supply, a moderate impact of zoning regulations on housing production costs, and a clear policy determination to address the housing problem despite implementation constraints. This study thus suggests for a relaxation in zoning regulations for certain income thresholds, re-defining of affordability to match the local context, and the generation of housing affordability indexes to inform government’s urban housing strategies.Keywords: Regulatory Planning, Affordable Housing, Urban Poor Households, Kigali City

Millennial ‘YIMBYs’ and boomer ‘NIMBYs’: Generational views on housing affordability in the United States

2020 ◽  
pp. 003802612091612
Author(s):  
Max Holleran
Keyword(s):  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rental Housing ◽  
The United States ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Market Rate ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Housing Costs

This article examines housing activism in five American cities using interviews with millennial-age housing activists, seeking more apartment development, and baby boomers who are members of neighbourhood groups that oppose growth. Many of the groups supporting growth have banded together under the banner of the ‘Yes in My Backyard’ (YIMBY) movement which seeks fewer zoning laws and pushes for market-rate rental housing. In desirable cities with thriving job opportunities, housing costs are pricing out not only low-income renters but also the middle class. The millennial activists sampled blame baby boomers for the lack of affordable housing because of resistance to higher density construction in neighbourhoods with single-family homes (characterising these people as having a ‘Not in My Backyard’ [NIMBY] mindset). The research shows that boomers and millennials not only disagree over urban growth but also more fundamental questions of what makes a liveable city.

The Housing Triangulation: A Discourse on Quality, Affordability and Lifestyles in India

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-26
Author(s):  
Urmi Sengupta
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Housing Quality ◽  
Housing Sector ◽  
Structural Patterns ◽  
Class Bias ◽  
Housing Standards

Since 1991 with the advent of globalization and economic liberalisation, basic conceptual and discursive changes are taking place in housing sector in India. The new changes suggest how housing affordability, quality and lifestyles reality is shifting for various segments of the population. Such shift not only reflects structural patterns but also stimulates an ongoing transition process. The paper highlights a twin impetus that continue to shape the ongoing transition: expanding middle class and their wealth - a category with distinctive lifestyles, desires and habits and corresponding ‘market defining’ of affordable housing standards - to articulate function of housing as a conceptualization of social reality in modern India. The paper highlights the contradictions and paradoxes, and the manner in which the concept of affordability, quality and lifestyles are embedded in both discourse and practice in India. The housing ‘dream’ currently being packaged and fed through to the middle class population has an upper middle class bias and is set to alienate those at the lower end of the middle-and low-income population. In the context of growing agreement and inevitability of market provision of ‘affordable housing’, the unbridled ‘market-defining’ of housing quality and lifestyles must be checked.

scholarly journals Examining building age, rental housing and price filtering for affordability in Melbourne, Australia

Urban Studies ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 004209802092783
Author(s):  
Matthew Palm ◽  
Katrina Eve Raynor ◽  
Georgia Warren-Myers
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Rental Housing ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S

Governments worldwide have responded to housing affordability challenges with supply-side solutions. Proponents of these approaches often draw on the notion of ‘filtering effects’ to argue that new supply naturally trickles down to lower-income households over time, improving affordability. This study examines the characteristics of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing in Melbourne, Australia, analysing how dwelling age impacts rental cost. We specify a non-linear relationship between building age and rents through hedonic rent modelling, reflecting a premium for historic properties in inner Melbourne. We also conduct a cluster analysis of rental listings and measure affordability by cluster. Our results problematise the notion of filtering, finding that most contemporary affordable housing was initially built in the 1960s and 1970s as social housing or targeted at low-income households. We argue that filtering in this instance is not natural but is instead a reflection of historic government expenditure and past construction choices, or ‘filter up’.

scholarly journals Recognising the barriers to securing affordable housing through the land use planning system in Sub-Saharan Africa: A perspective from Ghana

Urban Studies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (12) ◽  
pp. 2640-2659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix SK Agyemang ◽  
Nicky Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Global South ◽  
Real Estate Market ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Daunting Task

Housing low-income households is a daunting task for policy makers across the Global South, and especially for those in Africa where past attempts to deliver State-funded affordable housing projects yielded minimal results. Presenting Ghana as a case study, the purpose of this article is to consider the rationale for and barriers to securing affordable housing through the planning system, situated within an African context. The key factors that would inhibit effective policy implementation include, on the one hand, a lack of central government commitment, weak enforcement of planning regulations and low capacity of local planning authorities, and, on the other hand, the dominance of customary land ownership and the informal nature of housing delivery. That notwithstanding, undertaking a mapping exercise of large-scale formal residential developments built across Greater Accra in recent years, the article suggests that there is an opportunity cost in not attempting to extract some form of economic rent from the private sector. By having an already established nationalised development rights system alongside a rising formal real estate market, there is in effect scope for introducing planning obligations in the longer term. Whilst by necessity, it takes time to fully establish and enforce this form of land value capture legislation; nonetheless, if the principles can be established, transferable lessons exist across Africa and the Global South.

scholarly journals Low-income housing provision: between governmental interventions and informal settlements

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-50
Author(s):  
Hussaen Ali Hasan Kahachi ◽  
Alison Brown
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
City Planning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Housing Provision ◽  
Low Cost Housing

Low-cost housing, so-called affordable housing, is an important subject as it affects many aspects of people's well-being and city planning. The urban poor, who form a respectable percentage of cities' residents in many developing countries, are the most affected segment by the availability and affordability of housing. Governments often try their best to provide affordable housing through housing interventions and programs. However, many low-income people end up in informal settlements including slums and squatter settlements. This research analyzes state-led low-cost housing initiatives compared to informal affordable housing in developing countries. The importance of this research is mainly associated with understanding how governmental housing initiatives and laws affect the housing preferences of the urban poor. The research starts by providing a brief background about the subject and its importance from the literature. The research uses mixed methods approach and a case study of Greater Cairo Region following the massive migration during the period between the 1980s and the 2000s to provide an in-depth understanding of the situation. The research then analyzes/discusses some housing initiatives, and uses both quantitative/qualitative data in order to explain potential malpractice and issues. Finally, the research will highlight the key findings and provide some recommendations for change/improvement.

scholarly journals A PROPOSAL FOR AFFORDABLE WAQF HOUSING PROJECTS IN MALAYSIA: PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Azizan Che Embi ◽  
Salina Kassim ◽  
Roslily Ramlee ◽  
Wan Rohaida Wan Husain
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
Housing Price ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Housing Projects

Housing affordability is important to ensure houses are affordable to everyone across all income categories, whether they are in the low-income, middle-income (M40), or high-income group. Building housing projects on waqf land will help increase the supply of affordable houses, especially targeted at the M40 group, while also addressing the shortage of affordable housing for the M40 cohort. This study analyses public perceptions of house characteristics and relate these factors to affordable housing prices. The independent variables are location, infrastructure, facilities, size, design and quality. By applying a quantitative research design, the study aims to understand the relationship between various demanded housing characteristics vis-a-vis the price of the house. A sample of 261 usable responses was analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that house size is not statistically significant in influencing the housing price, while location, infrastructure and design of the house are positively significant factors. These findings are expected to provide important inputs to the relevant authorities on factors that are critical in influencing the prices of housing projects built on waqf land in Malaysia.

scholarly journals The Mirage of Housing Affordability: An Analysis of Affordable Housing Plans in New York City

SAGE Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401880921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bakry Elmedni
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
York City ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Major Player

In the opening of the 21st century, housing affordability was described by the U.S. Congress as the most urgent issue facing America. This article provides an analysis of how feasible Mayor de Blasio’s Five Borough Ten-Year Plan will be in providing adequate affordable housing to low-income residents in New York City (NYC). It examines three main topics: (a) the Plan’s focus on using the private sector to achieve public goals and whether this is likely to come with unintended consequences such as less focus on the needy and gentrification of struggling neighborhoods, (b) the role of the nonprofit sector, which has historically been a major player in housing policies in the NYC, and (c) how much influence or control a municipal government has on economic forces to avoid negative outcomes. The analysis reveals that while providing any number of affordable units is a positive thing, it is unreasonable to assume that this intervention alone can adequately address the housing affordability crisis in NYC. This article also exposes other emerging problems as the plan is being implemented. One major concern is that through tax credits and rezoning efforts to encourage private-sector development, the Plan may wind up benefiting housing developers and gentrifiers more than actually ameliorating the housing crisis in NYC. Housing affordability is a multifaceted issue which requires a multifaceted approach from federal and state governments working in tandem with local governments.

Does Location Matter? Performance Analysis of the Affordable Housing Programs with Respect to Transportation Affordability in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Metropolis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shima Hamidi ◽  
Jinat Jahan ◽  
Somayeh Moazzeni
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Public Transit ◽  
Transportation Cost ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Transportation Costs ◽  
Fort Worth ◽  
Housing Programs ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
Almost All

Transportation costs are the second largest expenditure for a family, thus have a substantial influence on housing affordability. In an auto-oriented region like DFW, the situation is exacerbated for low-income families due to limited transportation options. This study seeks to evaluate the efficiency of major affordable housing programs for low-income people in terms of transportation affordability. This study uses a rigorous methodology that involves a solid transportation cost modeling with disaggregated data available at property level for housing assistance programs in DFW. Our findings show that about 69% of the assisted units in DFW are unaffordable in terms of transportation costs. The majority of them are spending about 17% to 20% of their income on transportation. The most affordable program is Low-Income Housing Tax Credit with 58% affordability rate and the least affordable program is the Continuum of Care with 9% affordability rate when accounting for transportation costs. We also found that almost all affordable units (regarding the transportation costs) are located in main economic hubs of the region such as Dallas and Fort Worth which have better access to jobs and public transit. In contrary, almost all housing properties in the areas between Dallas and Fort Worth are unaffordable. These are areas adjacent to the University of Texas at Arlington with a high number of transit dependent population and in Arlington, the biggest midsize city with no public transit. Our findings urge HUD to consider modifying these programs by incorporating the location-efficiency factors to ensure true affordability.

An assessment of land use sources of barriers and the community-based housing model in the UK

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oladotun Ayoade ◽  
Vian Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Housing System ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Rate ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The aim of this study is to define land use policy sources of barriers to community-based housing options in practice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper accentuated the need to tackle land use sources of barrier to Community Land Trust (CLT) performance, through text analysis of semi-structured interview responses from key stakeholders. Findings – This study found out that there is a need to ameliorate stakeholder approach to community-based housing (CBH), which is hampered by restrictive land use sources of barriers that occur in an urban and rural context. These barriers were found to include both planning inadequacies and a systemic inefficient network of knowledge transfer practices between stakeholders. Recommendations include the need for drastic policy intervention through the political willingness to address Section 106 shortcomings in the choice of affordable housing supply models, and the inaccessibility of land below market rate in an endogenous prescriptive planning system. Practical implications – This paper highlights the subjective limitations of the CLT model in regards to grey areas between setting boundaries to what is an acceptable level of concessions to CBH and the socio-economic impact or benefits of a completely deregulated social housing system. These boundaries do vary from system to system, hence the need for UK housing institutions to address identified inherent barrier sources and their reconciliation with international best practices. Therefore, greater roles can be accorded to the CLT model in the UK affordable housing dynamics based on its confirmed strengths and merits. Originality/value – This paper adds to literature through the practical identification and interpretation of various key stakeholder perspectives on sources of CLT barriers and an idealised strategy to tackling them accordingly. This contributes to the housing affordability debate on the viability of CBH options, and how it could be invariably hampered by direct and indirect effects of planning and restrictive land use policies in practice.

scholarly journals Locatıon Housıng Affordabılıty as an Indıcator for Qualıty of Lıfe in Malaysıa

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Mohd Azren Hassan ◽  
Hazlina Hamdan ◽  
Jamalunlaili Abdullah ◽  
Yusfida Ayu Abddullah
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Housing Affordability

To have a quality of life is the ability to own a house. Housing affordability affects the quality of life concerning household well-being and economic security. The research sets to evaluate the location housing affordability for the low-income group base on housing and transportation expenditures in urban areas. 148 respondents have interviewed and by using an integrated Location Housing Affordability, it had indicated that location does influence housing affordability. The findings showed the urban area for the low-income group is seriously unaffordable. “Location" should be part of affordable housing because it affects housing affordability thus concerning the quality of life.

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