Double Standards, Single Purpose: Reforming Housing Regulations to Reduce Poverty

THE ISSUE OF standards is familiar to those working on low-income housing throughout the world. Should standards be high in order to raise the living conditions of the poor or are high standards counter-productive, merely excluding the poor who cannot hope to afford what is needed in order for housing to be legal? This book considers the experience in several countries, exploring the consequences of high standards (for example, in the Caribbean only the richest 15 per cent of the population can afford to building legally!) in order to better understand how building standards can contribute to poverty reduction. The opening sections examine the development of standards in order to provide the historical context to the reader. Whilst a major focus is on Africa, references are also made to issues in other continents, including Europe.
Particular emphasis is placed on describing and understanding processes that enable the reform of housing standards. Through the use of examples in Kenya and Zimbabwe, readers are introduced to both the difficulties and the potential of housing standards. The argument that develops through the book is that the process of revision is probably more important than the specific standards themselves. Hence, understanding how regulations can be amended and enforced is an important part of the regulatory process.
Specific attention is given to the need to reform building regulations in order to enable the use of indigenous and/or environmentally friendly building materials. Professional groups may be suspicious about the quality of such materials and reluctant to accept them. The authors discuss both the amendment of regulations and also the building of model houses in order to demonstrate the advantages of such technologies. Appendices provide further information for the specialist reader.