Public and Private Sectors Collaboration is Needed to Promote Affordable Housing in Papua New Guinea

The inadequate access to formal housing in the metropolitan cities of developing countries including Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a growing concern. Plagued by a chronic restricted supply of houses, skyrocketing house prices and rents, and an increase in informal squatter settlements have brought to the forefront the issues of housing affordability. However, the concept of affordability in the housing sector extends beyond the economic variables of prices and income. It also takes into consideration the social implications borne by poor sections of the society who are unable to afford to rent or purchase a house through a market driven approach.

Affordable housing has become a global concern and was recognized by the United Nations as one of the foundational pillars of sustainable economic development in its New Urban Agenda (Habitat, 2020). Despite this recognition, the fundamental human right for all to have access to adequate shelter with proper infrastructure and facilities continues to dissipate in the sub-standard living conditions of slums and informal settlements. Commonly inundated by congestion, overcrowding, poor quality houses, and lack of basic services which by and large has exacerbated poverty.

Also Read: A place to live in dignity for all: Making housing affordable