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.

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

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.

This report is an exploration of the theoretical and applied aspects of green affordable housing. First, it presents an in-depth examination of the current status of green affordable housing by exploring the synergy between green rating systems which guide and certify developments and the financial and policy mechanisms which either support or curtail them. Second, this report will analyze diverse case studies from around the country in order to examine how green affordable housing is developed in various real-world contexts. Two-tiers of case studies are presented: secondary and primary. Secondary case studies receive a brief overview while the primary case study examines in-depth an ongoing development in Austin, Texas. The primary case is also an example of current innovative movements and provides a glimpse into what the future of green affordable housing might look like. And lastly, conclusions are drawn from the research that itemize best practices in green affordable housing. The report concludes that green affordable housing is not an easy development practice and thus, recommendations are provided to ease some of the existing barriers to further development. This report also concludes that while costbenefit analyses and arguments for energy-efficiency are salient, concerns for public and environmental health need equal weight in the argument and advocacy for green affordable housing. I argue that green affordable housing should be developed with an integrated design process specific to local context, with a local visioning process that cultivates community connections. And most importantly, education for housing providers and tenants regarding on-going operations and maintenance is a crucial part of that integrated design process. / text

This study examines the readiness of suburban towns in Austin for the potential development of affordable and low-income housing through their comprehensive plans and land use policies. The study consists of four sections: an overview of the greater Austin MSA and the developing poverty in the suburban areas, a literature review of the effects of local land use policies on affordable housing production and development, the establishment of a “best practices” metric for local land use policies amenable to affordable housing production, and application of the metric to four localities in the Austin MSA, including Elgin, Dripping Springs, Kyle, and Georgetown. The findings reveal primarily low scores overall for the four localities, and expose the challenges suburban jurisdictions in a high-growth MSA in Texas face when addressing the needs of increasing low-income residents, and display best practices that localities with successful methods use to address those needs. / text

A constellation of challenges, including changing family types and shrinking household size, housing affordability, and ecological impact, can be addressed through a different approach to private dwelling. These are widespread challenges, but the challenges of affordability and changing demographics are acutely present in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, making it a fertile site to explore these issues. The thesis design addresses this constellation of challenges by adding layers of shared space to individual dwellings. The design draws from cohousing: common houses with shared facilities, parking at the periphery, massing the buildings around pedestrian circulation, and creating shared outdoor spaces. Cohousing is hybridized with a “big house” idea which puts dwellings for three to five families in a single building, where the main rooms are shared by all. Through these features the design encourages a sense of community, while taking advantage of shared facilities to improve affordability and reduce environmental impact.

I researched the strategies that city officials and housing developers used to address NIMBY concerns about low income housing developments. I conducted interview research with planning commission members, their staffs, and housing developers from two cities. I wanted to understand what strategies the interviewees employed to address NIMBY concerns, if best practices were used during the planning process, how well those practices were followed, how effective those approaches used were in a real world setting, and inquire about alternative methods. The findings indicated that population density and median income were the relevant factors regarding NIMBY related issues. Also, traffic concerns, classism, and ageism were found to be prevalent NIMBY concerns. The strategies used included early engagement of residents, studies being conducted to identify credible issues, and the use of the judicial system. The methods outlined were the best practices used, and were effective in addressing NIMBY concerns. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts / Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy / MA / Thesis

Honduras faces the highest levels of economic inequality in Latin America, 66% of the population live in poverty, 8.1% is the unemployment rate and 1.1 million the housing deficit. One million affordable housing units need to be built to cover the shortfall, which is concentrated mainly in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and Choloma. Building at least half a million new homes and improving about 600,000 that do not meet the minimum conditions of habitability is what is needed in Honduras, particularly in the cities of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa is required. In Honduras, the government has the goal to massify new low-income affordable housing developments around cities, with an estimated 12,000 new households to be constructed across Honduras by the end of 2018. But as in most developing countries, sustainable design is not taken into consideration when it comes to affordable housing developments, yet low income-families are highly affected from increasing energy prices and environmentally related health issues. These large-scale projects could minimize local and global environmental impacts and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants, if sustainable guiding standards are embraced during design, construction, and maintenance. The rising cost of utilities are affecting low-income families in “affordable” housing developments, the energy expenses force them to make hard choices between basic needs or going back to informal settlements. For this reason, reducing operating and maintenance cost should be a priority for low-income housing design Passive design is any technology or strategy that increase energy-efficiency and thermal comfort by taking advantage of the climate, without the need for expensive mechanical systems. The study analyses different passive design strategies that are applicable for affordable housing developments. Such strategies are orientation, shading, natural ventilation, daylight, and open spaces. The aim is to address energy efficiency and thermal comfort by evaluating and suggesting solutions that improve the quality of life of low-income families in affordable housing developments. The application of passive design strategies showed a 44% reduction in electric utilities, a base case and a proposed design was modeled in eQuest, energy modeling software. The results show a significant reduction towards low-income families’ housing expenses.

Housing Partnerships (HPs) are collaborative arrangements that assist communities in the delivery of affordable housing by combining the strengths of the public and private sectors. They emerged in several states, counties, and cities in the eighties as innovative solutions to the challenges in affordable housing resulting from changing dynamics of delivery and production. My study examines HPs with particular emphasis upon the identification of those factors associated with the successful performance of their mission of affordable housing. I will use the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) framework in this study. The identification of performance factors facilitates a better understanding of how HPs can be successful in achieving their mission. The identification of performance factors is significant in the context of the current economic environment because HPs can be viewed as innovative institutional mechanisms in the provision of affordable housing. The present study uses a mixed methods research approach, drawing on data from the IRS Form 990 tax returns, a survey of the chief executives of HPs, and other secondary sources. The data analysis is framed according to the four perspectives of BSC: the financial, customer, internal business, and learning and growth. Financially, revenue diversification affects the financial health of HPs and overall performance. Although HPs depend on private and government funding, they also depend on service fees to carry out their mission. From a customer perspective, the HPs mainly serve low and moderate income households, although some serve specific groups such as seniors, homeless, veterans, and victims of domestic violence. From an internal business perspective, HPs’ programs are oriented toward affordable housing needs, undertaking not only traditional activities such as construction, loan provision, etc., but also advocacy and educational programs. From an employee and learning growth perspective, the HPs are small in staff size, but undertake a range of activities with the help of volunteers. Every part of the HP is developed to maximize resources, knowledge, and skills in order to assist communities in the delivery of affordable housing and related needs. Overall, housing partnerships have played a key role in affordable housing despite the housing market downturn since 2006. Their expenses on affordable housing activities increased despite the decrease in their revenues.

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