Housing the Poor in Asian Cities: Low-Income Housing

This guide describes several ways of addressing low-income housing at the
programme and project level. It focuses on well-tried methods of improving the
housing and living environments of people living in slums and squatter settlements,
and providing adequate housing for future generations of urban poor.
The first part presents concepts essential to understanding low-income housing,
and explores the reasons behind the serious lack of decent, affordable housing
— and hence the problem of urban slums. Key approaches to address the
housing needs of the urban poor are outlined next, by examining alternative
strategies for what to do about existing slums and how to avoid future slums
through the production of new housing. Finally, the guide examines the main
considerations needed to address the improvement of slums and production of
adequate and affordable low-income housing on a city-wide scale.
This guide is not aimed at specialists, but instead aims to help build the capacities
of national and local government officials and policy makers who need to
quickly enhance their understanding of low-income housing issues.