Role, Relevance and importance of Housing as a Critical Determinant of Making Human Living More Qualitative and Productive

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? *Jit Kumar Gupta

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????**[email protected]

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Preamble;

Housing ?is valued universally and globally, for providing safety, security, identity, space for social interaction? for families to live, learn and grow together. Housing is also considered major determinant of quality of life besides major propeller of industrial and economic development. Large number of crimes happening in society can also be attributed to the manner in which majority of people are made to live and work in adverse conditions in urban areas. Considering the multiple implications/connotations of housing,- providing appropriate /affordable housing for all, has been considered vital and crucial for any society, community and nation to grow and prosper, rationally and realistically. Considering the critical role and importance for housing in social, economic, physical and environmental development, United Nations, has also mandated ??providing,’ housing for all’, as the basic agenda of growth and development for all member nations.

?However, despite occupying critical role in human living and national development , ?providing adequate housing ?to all? remains a major issue/challenge, both in terms of ??quality and quantity. Dynamic nature of housing demand makes provision of housing for all, the most ?difficult and challenging ?for all agencies involved in providing shelter, for the reason housing need and demand? ?never remains ?static and ?also never defined. It is always evolving, devolving, never finite and never finished. Considering multiple implications of housing in terms of land, resources, finances, materials, technologies, manpower and management, providing housing remains the most challenging job for individuals, communities and nations.

Shelter being a basic human necessity, there’s nothing ?more critical and fundamental in human living than having a pucca roof over a person’s head. As per Menon, in his foreword to” Making Affordable Housing A Reality in Cities”- A world in which only a few can afford housing is not sustainable. Everyone deserves a safe place to live: it can transform the quality of life of individuals and families. Today, however, most cities around the world are facing major challenges in providing safe and adequate housing for their people, especially cities that are growing rapidly and where the affordable housing options are limited’.

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Global Housing Scenario

?According to UN,? only 13% of the world’s cities had affordable housing (UN Habitat, 2016). In 2014, McKinsey estimated that 330 million urban households were living in substandard housing or were financially stretched by housing costs (McKinsey Global Institute, 2014). This number is projected to rise to nearly 440 million households, or 1.6 billion people, by 2025 – and 2.5 billion people by 2050. In Africa, over 50% of the population lives in substandard conditions; whereas in India and China, nearly a quarter of the population live in informal settlements (Florida, 2017). Studies have shown that cities in less developed countries are found to be significantly less affordable (28% less affordable) than cities in more developed countries.? (Kallergis, et al., 2018). Looking at the global canvas, providing affordable shelter to all its residents remains the greatest challenge/task for all? governments. Cities and state are increasingly realizing the need for rapid action and innovations to increase the supply of affordable housing for bridging the ever-rising gap between demand and supply.

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New Urban Agenda

?In 2016, Habitat III in Quito, adopted the New Urban Agenda, requiring states to promote “‘national, sub-national and local housing policies that support the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing for all by 2030. Agenda encourages ?the adoption of an integrated and inclusive approach to housing that interlinks education, employment, health , basic and social services, through collaboration among governments, civil society organizations, major interest groups and the private sector, both nationally, internationally and regionally. It is well recognised that well-being of both individuals and families, is substantially impacted when the need for satisfactory housing is not met. Access to adequate housing has long been viewed as a basic human right and is considered to be an integral factor for the enjoyment of other economic, social and cultural rights. According to the United Nations (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, satisfactory housing consists of:

·?????? legal security of tenure;

·?????? ?availability of accessible services, facilities and infrastructure;

·?????? ?habitability;

·?????? ?accessibility (e.g., access to employment, health services, schools, etc.);

·?????? ?cultural adequacy; and ?affordability.

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For a shelter-less person, getting a house is known to bring about a profound social change in his/her status, safety, security and welfare, endowing them with an identity and integrating them with? social milieu. As provider of social security, distinct identity and assured quality of life, securing ownership of an appropriate home has emerged as the lifetime ambition of every individual and family. Spending more than one-third of its life within four walls of the home, housing has emerged as the major determinant of quality of life, health ,hygiene and social development. Besides physical, social and health connotations, housing has major economic implications for both human beings, communities and nations. Being one of the key promoters of industrialization, with more than 290 industries involved in producing materials, goods and services, used in the construction,? housing has been found to be one of the largest contributors to the economy besides providing large employment to both skilled and unskilled manpower. Considering its multiple connotations and distinct advantages, providing housing has emerged as priority for both society and nation.

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UN ?Fact Sheet No.21;

As per UN , Fact Sheet No.21, The Human Right to Adequate Housing;- the right to adequate housing forms a cornerstone of the Global Shelter Strategy. The right to adequate housing is universally recognized by the community of nations. This can be seen from the fact that…

·?????? All nations without exception, have some form of obligation in the shelter sector, as exemplified by their creation of housing ministries or housing agencies;

·?????? ?by? allocation of funds to the housing sector; and

·?????? ?by? policies, programs and projects focussing on housing.

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?All citizens of all States, however poor as they may be, have a right;

·?????? to expect that their governments should be concerned about their shelter needs and

·?????? ?to accept a fundamental obligation to protect and improve houses and neighbourhoods, rather than damage or destroy them.

?Adequate housing is defined within the Global Strategy in terms of:

·?????? adequate privacy,

·?????? ?adequate space,

·?????? adequate security,

·?????? ?adequate lighting and ventilation,

·?????? ?adequate basic infrastructure and

·?????? ?adequate location with regard to work and basic facilities? all at a reasonable cost.

National Housing Policies-India;

Considering the role and relevance of housing in human living and development and? ?international mandate to focus on providing adequate housing for all,? housing sector is being given high priority and accordingly ranks high on the agenda of state and central governments. Accordingly, for achieving the objectives, ?number of steps have been taken by the Government of India which include and involve, putting in place National? Housing Policies to define the national agenda for accelerating the delivery of affordable housing in the country.

·?????? First Housing Policy was positioned ?on the national portal in the year 1988, after a gap of 41 years of gaining independence, which aimed at providing shelter to all, with the objective that every family must have a dwelling unit of appropriate quality and space, duly supported by basic amenities of life.

·?????? ?Second National Housing Policy, launched in the year 1994, focused on transition of public sector role from provider to facilitator. The policy also enlarged the scope of housing by making it?? integral part of neighbourhood. Both these policies focused on addressing the issue of housing in the urban and rural areas.

·?????? ?National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy 2007, was the first policy, which made urban housing as the agenda and the theme, emphasizing the need for providing and promoting housing on a large scale in urban areas with priority going to EWS and LIG categories.

·?????? June 25, 2015, marks a watershed in the history of urban housing with Prime Minister of India launching Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), to provide housing to all urbanites by the year 2022, when India completes 75 years of independence. The objective of the Yojna is to utilize the national policy framework, not only to provide just shelter for the urban poor and meet the Habitat goal of slum-less cities but also to provide healthy and enabling urban environment, to help, enable and empower marginalized section of society to come out of the poverty.

Issues in Sourcing Housing;

Looking at the entire context of making housing for all a distinct reality, it has been observed that all developing countries face enormous challenge of meeting housing demand in urban areas for? reasons of large-scale? migration, which continuously happen ?between rural and urban areas. Role of rural-urban migration has been found to be critical in widening the gap between demand and supply of the housing in urban India. Studies made have shown that migration constitutes ?fair proportion of urban population growth. In India, majority of migrants to urban areas from rural India, belong to lower economic strata of financial pyramid with poor capacity and ability to rent a house in urban areas, due to high prevailing rents, which makes securing appropriate shelter for majority? of urban residents both cumbersome and ?difficult. Considering the prevailing high rents in urban areas, it becomes impossible for the lowest-income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, and low-wage workers to pay rent and make ends meet, harming low-income people disproportionately. ?In addition, looking at the ever-rising land and building material prices besides large financial resources required for creating appropriate shelter through legal means, the poor urban residents and rural migrants have no option but to encroach upon available public and derelict land in the city to create temporary and makeshift arrangements due to poor financial capacity. This leads to mushrooming of slums, Jhuggi- Jhompris and shanty-towns in urban areas. This pattern of urban growth has high visibility in large urban centers with 54% of population living in slums in Mumbai whereas Kolkata’s share is placed at 33%. In India more than 60 million people were residents of slums ?and shanty towns in the year 2011. The proportion ?and magnitude of such migrants is increasing rapidly over a period of time? with their curve going north.

It needs to be understood and appreciated that ?makeshift shelter, lacking in the basic necessities of life and proper air, light and ventilation leads to poor health and hygiene, with poor quality of life emerging as the natural corollary of urban living for these migrants. With shelter made on the encroached public/private land, poor are said to be under perpetual fear of being displaced by the parastatal agencies with possible destruction of makeshift shelter. The fear of demolition acts as a major deterrent for poor to improve their shelter, with savings available at their disposal, leading to ever increasing housing shortage with gap between demand and supply getting wider and wider. Accordingly, providing adequate shelter for all, in ?the urban areas including urban ?migrants becomes all the more critical, for providing appropriate quality of life and ensuring? orderly development of urban areas, making urban centres more liveable, habitable productive and sustainable. No city and country on this planet earth? can? hope to become sustainable, if it fails to bridge the gap between demand and supply and? provide adequate , qualitative housing to all its residents, including poorest of the poor.

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Way Forward;

To conclude, role and importance of housing lies in the facts that Housing ;

·?????? Remains closely associated and positively linked ?to the process of overall socio-economic development.

·?????? ?Provides shelter and raises the quality of life.

·?????? ?Generates conditions which remain congenial to the achievement of social objectives such as health, sanitation and education.

·?????? ?Provides employment opportunities to the rural and urban people.

·?????? ?Provides, security, safety and raising the quality of life

·?????? ?Generates and creates supportive conditions which are considered human centric

·?????? ??Access to adequate and satisfactory housing has long been viewed as a basic human right and is considered to be an integral factor for the enjoyment of other economic, social and cultural rights.?

·?????? Satisfactory housing consists of; legal security of tenure; availability of accessible services, facilities and infrastructure; habitability and access to employment, health services, schools etc. (United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights).

·?????? ?Acute shortage of affordable home for the low-income families, adversely impact their productivity, quality of life, economic growth and active participation in the welfare programs launched by various local, national and international agencies.

·?????? ?Safe, accessible and affordable housing remains major propeller for empowering poor and securing their active participation in national building for both physical, social and economic growth besides taking care of major urban ills related to infrastructure, services, healthcare and unplanned development.

·?????? ?Failure to settle the problems of land distribution and housing in the world’s cities threatens not only . . . the developing world — it also threatens world stability.

·?????? ?People with appropriate housing?are known to perform better and have higher order of??protection against health hazards and pandemics as compared to those without?housing.

·?????? ?Housing is known to reduce pressure on healthcare services by senior citizens, when having access to affordable housing with supportive services; as against those who don’t have access to housing with the same amenities.

·?????? ??Housing quality remains vital for the rational growth and orderly development of a society. Housing quality is closely linked to quality of prevailing physical conditions, quality of the social and physical environment in which the home is located besides quality of air, home safety, available space per occupant and housing design, which are considered vital for human growth and development

·?????? Housing critically linked to productivity, operational efficiency, economic development and?is known to significantly impact national and local economies in several ways besides making major contribution to annual GDP.

·?????? ?While good and adequate housing can?enhance economic performance and promote competitiveness, poor housing can lead to segregation, exclusion, poor environment and spatial concentrations of poverty.?

·?????? Housing ?considered/ treated as an economic commodity, with ?property acting as an asset accumulating passive wealth for the owner, ?invariably leads to emergence? ?of perpetual housing ?shortage; ?pushing? many individuals, to seek shelter in the informal markets.

·?????? ?Affordable housing is known for its capacity to provide safety, security, identity, space and opportunity to children in low-income households to, maintain their health and well-being; achieve financial goals and reducing costs to society by improving and succeeding academically.

·?????? ?Housing remains central?for healthy growth and development of children/family. Poor housing is known to leave its mark on mental health of the occupants for years to come.

·?????? ?Housing?besides providing shelter?and?raising quality?of?life is known to be closely associated with process?of?overall socio-economic?development, generating employment, promoting industries and creating conditions which remain supportive to the achievement?of?social objectives involving, sanitation?and?education.

·?????? Housing remains key to provide large scale employment opportunities to the rural?and?urban workforce, both skilled and unskilled.

·?????? ??Housing essentially provides quality and valuable space for family to be together, for interacting, playing, studying, for entertainment, learning about family culture and traditions besides learning behavioural pattern and for sleeping.

·?????? ??With more than 290 ?different types of industries? involved in producing components used in the construction of buildings, housing remains major promoter of industrialization in any country,

·?????? ??Investment in housing is known to have multiplier effect of; generating wealth, promoting economy and employment in any city/region.

·?????? ??Housing is universally valued by all nations for its capacity, role and importance in promoting the public good and to create a healthy, vibrant and productive society.

·?????? Housing is known to have great role in shaping any society, its quality, culture and economy.

·?????? ?Right to adequate housing forms a cornerstone of the Global Shelter Strategy.

·?????? ?Indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights find clear expression through the right to housing. Having access to adequate, safe and secure housing substantially strengthens the likelihood of people being able to enjoy certain additional rights. Housing is a foundation from which other legal entitlements can be achieved. (UNH)

●???Shelter offers the best option for ?survival ?in times of crisis or displacement. It? also ?holds key to restoring personal security, self-sufficiency and dignity.

●????Adequate housing is universally viewed as one of the most basic human needs. Adequate housing is known to be the index, used for assessing the growth, development and welfare of a society.

●??Adequacy of housing and living conditions remain closely linked to the degree to which the right to environmental hygiene and the right to the highest attainable level of mental and physical health can be enjoyed.

●????Housing is the single most important environmental factor associated with disease conditions and higher mortality and morbidity rates. (WHO)

●???Housing is the space where more than one-third of human life span is spent

During the current pandemics, Covid-19, the role and function of housing as a space for mere living, has undergone total change with the addition of functions like, working, care of body and spirit, education, healthcare etc. being done from the same space.

●???Housing remains the major planning, development and management component in a city, occupying largest proportion of the land and having largest count among buildings in the city, besides defining its personality/culture.

●???Demand for housing is never static. It remains dynamic, ever evolving and

devolving, impacted by large number of social, economic, cultural, physical, economic factors, peculiar to a place and society.?.

●????Housing accounts for the largest proportion of the investment in any city.

●????Majority of intra-city travel and trips originate from and terminate in housing.?????? ????Housing remains the focus of all human activities.

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Note; This paper has genesis in the book on ?Reader’s Volume on Affordable Housing ?prepared for the students of Institute of Town Planners

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