Low-cost housing in megacities of the developing world a challenge for the 21st century

Abstract EN

This paper discusses low-cost housing in the context of megacities, taking into account the increasing population, scarcity of land, financing, and technological aspects.

It takes a global view of the housing problem focusing on the developing countries, examines case histories based on available data and offers recommendations about how low-cost housing can be financed and built economically.

Low-cost housing must be given priority by the developing countries to offer their citizens self-sufficiency, pride and well-being.

Finding a successful strategy to address this festering issue is a challenge for policy-makers, planners, architects, engineers, sociologists and economists.

Only through a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach by all concerned, an optimum solution to low-cost housing problem can be achieved that will make large cities sustainable and livable for people of all economic classes.

Recommendations for the successful low-cost housing are presented in terms of initial building cost, sustainable design aspects, affordable methods for construction, and choice of materials, as well as over the building’s life-cycle.