Internationally it is agreed that housing is a basic human need. The right to housing is enshrined in the Bill of rights in the Constitution of South Africa (section 26), which endorses the right of citizens to have access to adequate housing (RSA, 1996). The state has an obligation to ensure that its citizens have access to adequate housing. Government in South Africa is committed to the establishment of a society based on social justice, where the quality of life of all citizens will be improved and their potential maximized. Government's commitment to fulfilling the right to housing for all its citizens is evident in the housing policies it has formulated, the most recent being the Breaking New Ground strategy. South Africa is experiencing a shortage of affordable housing. Low-middle income earners are struggling to own a house in the urban area. The market is failing to respond to the demand for affordable housing. A number of constraints are said to be contributing to this market failure: lack of effective implementation strategies, poor promotion of tenure, inadequate supply of affordable land and infrastructure, inadequacy of financial systems and poor utilisation of local building materials and technologies (Erguden,2001). The central argument in this dissertation is that land is a key issue hindering the supply of affordable housing by the private sector. This dissertation demonstrates that there is a case for state intervention to support the private sector to supply affordable housing. The state needs to do what the market does not (see Keivani et al, 2005 :2). Local government is seen as a key player in facilitating the expansion of affordable housing by directly providing land. The dissertation addresses the obstacles that prevent Local government from making land available as part of an effort to ensure the supply of affordable housing. Research is presented that indicates that local authorities are given iv bigger roles to play in housing policies, but less power and resources to implement. This implies that for the private sector to deliver affordable housing, amongst others there is a need for innovative land management approaches on the part of Local government for social justice to prevail.

Affordable housing is currently a hot topic amongst communities across Canada. The housing crisis commenced shortly after 1993 when the government withheld funding for new projects. Since 2001, a new Canada-provincial affordable housing program has been put in place. The provision of affordable housing not only offers shelter to a household but can act as a catalyst for the city, downtown or neighbourhood to revitalize and fix its existing conditions. This thesis explores many aspects of affordable housing from the evolution and typologies to perceptions and opportunities. This topic is complex because there is no one right answer. Parts of the equation, exterior forces, are always changing like family formations and lifestyles. The biggest challenge is the perceptions formed around the topic, some of which are not even true. Case studies of projects from around the world to the recent affordable housing projects located in St. Catharines help inform the design principles and strategies. The principles and strategies can encourage designers to create better affordable housing that will benefit everyone involved. The design principles incorporate all scales, ranging from the city to the individual unit, necessary to provide successful affordable housing. Although this thesis application is located in downtown St. Catharines, the design principles can be applied universally to provide affordable housing for everyone. I hope this thesis also acts as an educational tool to help inform the population about affordable housing and the people who live there.

Affordable housing is currently a hot topic amongst communities across Canada. The housing crisis commenced shortly after 1993 when the government withheld funding for new projects. Since 2001, a new Canada-provincial affordable housing program has been put in place. The provision of affordable housing not only offers shelter to a household but can act as a catalyst for the city, downtown or neighbourhood to revitalize and fix its existing conditions. This thesis explores many aspects of affordable housing from the evolution and typologies to perceptions and opportunities. This topic is complex because there is no one right answer. Parts of the equation, exterior forces, are always changing like family formations and lifestyles. The biggest challenge is the perceptions formed around the topic, some of which are not even true. Case studies of projects from around the world to the recent affordable housing projects located in St. Catharines help inform the design principles and strategies. The principles and strategies can encourage designers to create better affordable housing that will benefit everyone involved. The design principles incorporate all scales, ranging from the city to the individual unit, necessary to provide successful affordable housing. Although this thesis application is located in downtown St. Catharines, the design principles can be applied universally to provide affordable housing for everyone. I hope this thesis also acts as an educational tool to help inform the population about affordable housing and the people who live there.

A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. / While it is known that over 266,000 Arizonans enrolled in health coverage through the federal Marketplace and Medicaid from October 2013 through May 2014, little analysis has been performed to examine whether enrollment by diverse racial and ethnic groups sufficiently reduced disparities in coverage. We obtained publicly available data from the Census Bureau comparing rates of uninsured by race/ethnicity from 2013 to 2014 in Arizona from the American Community Survey. The uninsured rate in Arizona for the total civilian no institutionalized population dropped from 17% in 2013 to 13.6% in 2014. The uninsured rate in Arizona for whites declined from 15.7% to 12.2%, for African Americans declined from 17.4% to 11.1%, for American Indian/Alaskan Natives declined from 26.9% to 24.1%, for Asian Americans declined from 15.1% to 11.0% and for Hispanic/Latino declined from 27.5% to 22.2%. We conducted interviews with nine community organizations in order to identify barriers that must be addressed moving forward to lessen insurance coverage disparities among various minority groups. Technological literacy and functionality, lack of funding, lack of personnel, physical vastness of many populations, language, and cultural differences were commonly identified as barriers to enrollment. Mistrust of government and confusion regarding the specific provisions within the ACA pertaining to Native individuals were also cited.

The population of Arizona has increased rapidly in the past two decades and faces an extreme shortage of urban affordable housing to accommodate for this population growth. There are several challenges facing the implementation of affordable housing in Downtown Phoenix including low-density development, high land costs, transportation issues, the current property tax structure, and infrastructure and environmental concerns. The City of Phoenix lacks the necessary policies and programs to encourage sustainable high-density development within the urban area. There are a large number of vacant parcels in the City which have either been passed over by previous development projects, or land which remains to be used from the demolition of older buildings. With the growing need for affordable housing, it is necessary to explore the opportunity to use the vacant land within the City of Phoenix for high-density infill development to include affordable housing. How can affordable housing contribute to making Phoenix a more sustainable city? High-density development creates affordability by increasing the number of housing units available in a given area. High-density is a necessary element in the transformation towards a more sustainable city not only by increasing affordability but also in connection with access to transportation and employment and efficient use of existing infrastructure. The opportunity for an increase in affordable housing within the larger sustainable development goals of urban Phoenix creates the need for an exploration of the relationship between high-density infill housing development and sustainability. / text

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone

This project has been proposed by the UCT Knowledge Partnership Project. This institution is aimed at providing assistance to under-privileged communities in the Western Cape. A pre-school fence material which is low cost is to be investigated. The following criterions were set to be met for the material: -The material is to have no fuel usage value such as wood, which can be burnt for space heating -The material is to have no scrap metal value such as steel and wire fencing material as this easily gets stolen. -The material is not to block visibility which harbors criminal activity in the area. Fences such as concrete slabs and brick block visibility. The materials considered in this project are: -Various plastic polymer materials -Plastic Lumber composite material -Recycled Plastic -Rubber reinforced concrete Plastic lumber and recycled plastic HDPE were considered for use in the fence material. After considering the available fence components and loading on the fence, 100 x 100 mm cross section plastic lumber and recycled plastic section were chosen to be used. The fence design was based on existing patents which were modified. A design showing the meter of the fence was designed and is shown in the document.

This is a review of recent literature on best practices for implementing inclusionary zoning. Existing policies for creating affordable housing in the United States are briefly discussed. Common components of inclusionary zoning ordinances are then detailed, and legal and economic considerations are explained. Finally, the success of inclusionary zoning, its application to large cities, and expert policy recommendations are addressed, before concluding.

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS; PLWHA) are at increased risk of insufficient medical care due to lack of insurance. Inadequate medical care for PLWHA contributes to increases in HIV transmission rates. The U.S. Surveillance Report noted that in 2015, over 1.2 million people were living with HIV infection, and there were approximately 50,000 new infections every year. The report further stated that about 675,000 people have died from HIV-related illnesses since its discovery in 1981. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014 was intended to provide Americans, including people at risk of or living with HIV, options for health insurance coverage and better access to health care. It was also designed to allow people with existing health conditions such as HIV to reach for optimal health, irrespective of the severity of their condition. Andersen's behavioral model and economic theory provided the theoretical framework and conceptual foundation for this study's assessment of the impact of the ACA on the HIV care continuum. This quantitative study used secondary data with a retrospective correlational design. Data from the Health Resources Service Administration and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed. Overall, chi-square tests indicated a steady increase in the number of PLWHA who achieved viral suppression (Ï?2 (1) = 105, p < .001) between 2010 and 2015. Future research should include the general American population to assess the impact of the ACA. This study could lead to positive social change as PLWHA are made more aware of the benefits of comprehensive health care coverage and increase healthcare utilization, leading to improved health for those infected and less transmission of the virus.

acase@tulane.edu / 1 / Yongkang Zhang