Sustainable Housing for Sustainable Cities
In a rapidly changing and urbanising world, the provision of adequate and affordable housing remains a key priority for all governments. However, the concept of housing requires a new understanding to effectively and synergistically address the pressing issues of slums prevention, the urban divide, economic and human development, and climate change.
No longer regarded as simply a roof over one’s head, housing today plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable development – as envisaged by the idea of sustainable housing. Sustainable housing is, however, yet to gain its due prominence in developing countries.
It is rare that the social, cultural, environmental and economic facets of housing are addressed there in an integrated policy. In many developing contexts, the so-called pro-poor housing programmes often provide accommodation of poor standards, in remote locations, with little consideration to the residents’ lifestyle and livelihood strategies. In others, rapid housing developments create amplified carbon footprint and further negative impacts on the environment.
Yet in most developing cities, decent and safe housing remains a dream for the majority of the population, while government considers affordable housing as merely a social burden. Sustainable Housing for Sustainable Cities outlines key concepts and considerations underpinning the idea of sustainable housing and provides a comprehensive framework for designing sustainable housing policies and practical actions.
Although sustainable housing is often considered from a predominantly “green” perspective (resource saving, greenhouse gas reduction), this report advocates a more holistic approach, which recognises the multiple functions of housing – as both a physical and social system – and which seeks to enhance and harmonise the environmental, social, cultural, and economic dimensions of housing sustainability.
Thus, along with the solutions for the built environment (resource and energy efficiency, environmental, ecological and health safety, resilience to natural disasters), sustainable housing policies should deal with the affordability, social justice, cultural and economic impacts of housing, and contribute to making healthy residential neighbourhoods and sustainable cities.
It is only through sustainable solutions that the tensions between urban growth, climate change, poverty alleviation, affordable housing provision, and access to quality residential services, clean energy and environmental conditions can be mitigated, while the potential of housing for improved economic prosperity and social development can be further unlocked.
Well-designed, inclusive and participatory housing policies and programmes have much to offer to this end. Housing is one of those basic social conditions that determine the quality of life and welfare of people and places.
Where homes are located, how well designed and built, and how well they are weaved into the environmental, social, cultural and economic fabric of communities are factors that, in a very real way, influence the daily lives of people, their health, security and wellbeing, and which, given the long life of dwellings as physical structures, affect both the present and future generations. Housing is therefore central to sustainable development.
Housing is also part of the relationships between society and the environment. On the one hand, housing construction and operation consume large amounts of natural resources (land, energy, water, building materials), while producing waste, air and water pollution.
On the other hand, housing itself is exposed to a variety of environmental impacts and hazards, including those associated with natural disasters and climate change (see Box 2). These aspects are also significant considerations for sustainable development. © UN-Habitat. T his complex web of inter-relationships between sustainability and housing is addressed by the policies for sustainable housing. These policies consider a spectrum of underlying conditions to achieve sustainability in housing development (along the four dimensions of sustainability – environmental, social, cultural and economic), such as: impacts on the environment and climate change; durability and resilience of homes; economic activities in housing and their links with the wider economy; cultural and social fabric of communities and impacts of housing on poverty alleviation, social development, and the quality of life.