Thesis (M. Arch.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2007. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ralph Johnson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-68).

This thesis readdresses the notion 'Tong Fang' through the lens of supply- side perspective. As a conceptually 'new' object which has raised widespread concerns since the early 2010s, Tong Fang has only been narrowly examined as the mainstream discussions predominantly confine their very concerns to simply the relationship between the material housing structure and the relevant dwellers. The wider socio-political implications are ignored as the social relations, forces and processes that are indispensable in comprehending the existence of Tong Fang are utterly unaddressed. In particular, the underlying reasons of why such housing structure, represented by its tininess, excessive rental charge and other infer ior environment qualities, could be rampantly produced in Hong Kong is still unsatisfactorily addressed. To explore these overlooked aspects, this study alternatively analyses the production of Tong Fang in Hong Kong and essentially articulates the spatial form to the corresponding processes. Harvey's theory 'Class Monopoly Rent' is employed as the major conceptual tool to analyze the contemporary production of Tong Fang in which the lucrative profitability, resulted from the circumstance which Tong Fang has been constituted as almost the only private affordable dwelling in the housing market structure in recent decades, appears to be the fundamental drive. Through viewing how the potential of CMR has been generated and how it has been appropriated through Tong Fang construction, the necessitated processes and relations are able to be disclosed. Moreover, Harvey's another contribution 'Relational Space' is also invoked to substantiate the exploration of the concrete social processes and relations lying behind Tong Fang as spatial products. All in all, by scrutinizing the production of Tong Fang in Hong Kong, this thesis is expected to enrich our understanding to this contemporary urban blight.

Orientador: Doris C. C. K. Kowaltowski / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-05T13:51:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Watrin_VanessadaRosa_M.pdf: 5056574 bytes, checksum: 9c3e492b4f0de5a03e722ddb3715f321 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003 / Resumo: A presente pesquisa se concentra na área da habitação de interesse social e busca trazer contribuições para o conforto térmico de moradias autoconstruídas, a partir da experiência da arquitetura tradicional. O objetivo principal é investigar o que é considerado como tradição e qual é a noção de conforto térmico, em relação à moradia, que os autoconstrutores da cidade de Campinas-SP possuem. A arquitetura autoconstruída é uma forma de moradia muito presente na população de baixa renda e já chega a ser o modo predominante de se morar no Brasil, por isso a qualidade de vida que estas moradias proporcionam à população é de extrema importância. Como as condições climáticas locais não são rigorosas, não encontramos nas casas autoconstruídas uma presença sistemática de elementos arquitetônicos tradicionais positivos, demonstrando que a população de autoconstrutores não tem uma preocupação com, ou não prioriza as questões climáticas. Contudo, é de nosso interesse que o conhecimento acumulado pela arquitetura tradicional seja transmitido para os autoconstrutores, já que a arquitetura vernacular tradicional é internacionalmente conhecida por ter uma consciência profunda do clima e por garantir níveis satisfatórios de qualidade ambiental às construções / Abstract: The current research concentrates on low-income housing and tries to contribute knowledge on self-built houses and their thermal comfort, based on traditional architecture of the region. The main goal was to determine what self-builders consider to be tradition; how they relate this concept to house building and whether traditional methods contribute toward comfort. The self-built house can be said to be the most common solution to the housing deficit of lowincome families in Brazil. Results of the study showed that no systematic presence of positive traditional architectural elements was found in self-built houses. The local non-rigorous climate conditions also do not stimulate specific building techniques and designs. The simple self-built house of today was identified as the traditional house, demonstrating a lack of knowledge related to the historical development of the house in Brazil. The study found, on the whole, that good building practice is not transmitted from generation to generation, simple traditional construction techniques persist. For traditional positive elements to regain their place in house design consciousness must be stimulated amongst the self-builder population through technical aid and examples. This quest is based on the accumulated knowledge on traditional architecture and the well-known environmental comfort qualities of vernacular architecture worldwide / Mestrado / Edificações / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

No description available.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The ANC government came to power in 1994 and has had to come to grips with many economic, social and political challenges it inherited from the apartheid regime. A majority of the people were marginalized and subjected to poor standards of living in areas that were inadequately provided for in terms of basic services. One of the biggest challenges the new government is facing is the delivery of services especially housing. Poor policy implementation continues to complicate the existing problems. The study critically examined the extent to which poor policy implementation has affected the provision of housing in Khayelitsha with focus on the respective stakeholders. / South Africa

Magister Public Health - MPH / Many poor households in South Africa find themselves living in informal housing and only become proprietors of formal housing via the government subsidy scheme for core low-cost housing, thereby also realizing their constitutional right to housing. The subsidy is however limited and it largely determines materials, and construction methods used. Obtaining a formal low-cost dwelling means that basic services such as electricity, sanitation, water and waste collection, is available to the home owner. Formal low-cost housing settlements are commonly located in poor areas and recipients of the housing subsidy are commonly unemployed or have low-income jobs, and frequently originate from informal settlements where services, albeit limited and often communal, were provided at no cost. This study sought to assess the combined effect of relocating from an informal dwelling to a formal low-cost dwelling and receiving individual house-based basic services of electricity, water, sanitation and waste collection, on environmental- and household health. An ecological study design was used whereby data was collected at "baseline" while households were living in the informal settlement, and again at "2 years relocated" i.e. 2 years after moving in to the formal low-cost dwelling. The study population included all households residing in the Phumlani- and Pelican Park- Zeekoevlei Informal area in the year 2000, who were on the waiting list to receive low-cost core housing units in Phumlani Village and were due to be relocated there. Due to the rapid pace at which construction of new homes occurred not all households could be captured whilst living in the informal settlement, i.e. at "baseline". The actual sample subsequently consisted of 53 households at "baseline", and all, i.e. 124 households at "2 years relocated". Data was collected via a structured interview, whereby one respondent per household was interviewed by a trained fieldworker. Positive health improvements were reported by households in terms of personal and household health. Significant (p<0.05) positive improvements were found for households in formal lowcost housing at "2 years relocated" for exposures to: overcrowded living conditions (PR=1.159, 95%CI=1.153 – 3.328); indoor air pollution due to cooking and heating (PR=2.185, 95%CI=1.655 – 2.885); improper household waste management (PR=7.381, 95%CI=4.313 – 12.633 and inadequate sanitation (PR=0.365, 95%CI=0.255 – 0.523). The incidence of childhood diarrhoea episodes decreased significantly (PR=5.588, 95%CI=1.284 – 24.315) at "2 years relocated". Water access, availability and use also increased significantly (PR=0.212, 95%CI=0.125 – 0.358) 2 years after relocation. Factors that did not improve include levels of employment for which households were found to be worse off, with 16% of households having no person employed at "2 years relocated" as opposed to only 2% at ‘baseline”. Other factors remaining unchanged included incidences of respiratory, skin and eye infections amongst children ≤ 6 years old. Although exposure levels to indoor air pollution decreased for some households, this remained present for others as electricity in combination with bio-mass fuels are still being used for heating and cooking. Environmental health conditions for a variety of factors remained unchanged and there was a reversion back to living conditions and habits of the informal settlement. Littering, dumping of waste within the neighbourhood and a high pest presence, remained unchanged. Subsidised formal housing and associated basic services does have a positive impact on health. However, the amount of free basic services, specifically electricity, provided, in lieu of household energy requirements, does not satisfactorily cover all household needs. Factors such as unemployment and low-incomes hamper the household’s ability to maintain the electricity supply as is needed and for this reason alternatives to reliance on electricity should be included in the design and construction of the low-cost house. The manifestation of poor environmental health conditions indicates that provision of low-cost housing by itself is not sufficient to ensure good environmental health. Therefore hygiene promotion should be included as part of the total beneficiary package.

The role of RDP housing cannot be underestimated and it plays a big role in South Africa. It assists those who are less fortunate to afford to buy houses. RDP housing delivery is not only expected to put a roof over people's heads but to change their lives in various ways. RDP housing delivery tackles issues related to social and economic enviroment. In terms of policy documents and surveys, research has shown that it is critical to incorporate RDP housing beneficiaries from planning right up to development stage. Public participation and the involvement of beneficiaries from the planning stage onward assists in determining the basic needs of the community that can be addresed through RDP housing development. This study is about the role of RDP housing in revitalising the socio-economic environment with a specific reference to Second Creek, which is under the jurisdiction of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.

The study examines the issue of living conditions in informal settlements, using the case study of Imizamo Yethu informal settlement in Cape Town. Affordability, lack of space, job related issues, a relatively small formal housing stock available in many urban centres, and deregulation, in terms of both access to land and finance, forced lower income groups to seek accommodation in informal settlements. Here people are exposed to unhealthy living conditions. The study reveals that living in informal settlements often poses significant health risks. Sanitation, food storage facilities and drinking water quality are often poor, with the result that inhabitants are exposed to a wide range of pathogens and houses may act as breeding grounds for insect vectors. In informal settlements people often live in temporary homes constructed with impermanent, basic materials. These inhabitants frequently have little option but to live on marginal land (flood plains or steep slopes, for example), with the consequence that they are the first to suffer the effects of cyclones and floods. In addition, a combination of overcrowding, the use of open fires and flammable buildings leads to danger from accidental fires, burns and scalding. The post-apartheid South African government has tried a number of housing initiatives to help alleviate the housing problem since 1994 when it came to power. These have included the Botshabelo Accord (1994), the Housing White Paper in 1995, the National Urban and Reconstruction Housing Agency in 1995, the Housing Subsidy Scheme in 1995, the Housing Act No. 107 of 1997 and the Policy on People’s Housing Process (1998). The government set itself a target of delivering one million houses within five years. By all indications the government did not fully comprehend the gravity of the problem in relation to available resources. In 2004, the Department of Housing declared its intention to eradicate informal settlements in South Africa by 2014. This followed the unprecedented housing backlog, proliferation of informal settlements, social exclusion and the inability of municipalities to provide basic infrastructure to urban poor households. However, despite these bold interventions by government, the study demonstrates that the provision of low-cost housing can be viewed as a wicked problem. Wicked problems are described to be “ill-defined, ambiguous, and associated with strong moral, political and professional issues”. The study, therefore, concludes that given the complexities surrounding the provision of low-cost housing in South Africa, the government’s ambitions to resolve housing backlogs by 2014 appear to be a far-fetched dream.

This dissertation studies the viability of one alternative building system as an option to conventional low-income housing. The need for research in this regard has been expressed by various government committees and commissions of inquiry, as well as by the private sector, to be of vital importance in facing the future housing challenge in southern Africa. The study is largely confined to black housing. The search for a form of shelter which combines traditional black low-technology and innovative Wes tern high-technology in a successful marriage, brings the geodesic dome to light. The conclusion reached is that in economic, technical and cultural terms, the dome compares favourably with conventional low-income housing. The social acceptance of the structure is a topic of research beyond the scope of this study.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Built Environment in Housing / This study unpacks the obstacles in the trajectory of parallel development implementation in Zimbabwe. Parallel development approach to housing allows housing construction to be carried out simultaneously with the provision of services (Government of Zimbabwe, 2012).Parallel development was implemented in Victoria Ranch with the aim to improve home ownership through affordability. The implementation of parallel development approach in Victoria Ranch produced a township without basic infrastructure and supporting services. Despite rapid house construction beneficiaries are unable to connect to services. This scenario affects the technical and social sustainability of the township. Thus this study interrogates the obstacles in the trajectory of the Victoria Ranch development. I employ a qualitative design which involved policy evaluation through a case study. I conducted fourteen semi-structured interviews with beneficiaries and officials from relevant ministries who are involved in the development of the Victoria Ranch. The interviewees were selected purposively. I also employed observation and transact walks. Following the study, this research report found that the project is affected by the politicisation of the project, lack of transparency, change of currency, lack of proper guidelines on policy implementation and less monitoring of the developers. / GR2018