The Potential of Mutual-aid Housing Cooperatives to Meet the Housing Needs of Urban Poor

The focus of the research is to explore the potential of the housing cooperatives through mutual aid in Kathmandu, to tackle the growing need for affordable housing for the urban poor.

In the history of Nepal, the government has played a marginal role in the housing sector; not recognizing housing as one of the priority sectors of development. Private sectors have recently played an important role in housing delivery but their target is only the middle and high income group. Thus lower income groups are always left out. Though housing is one of the basic needs according to the constitution of Nepal, lower-income people are not able to enjoy the opportunity to have a quality house.

The present situation of Kathmandu and other urban areas of Nepal demands to find out some alternative solutions of housing targeted to the urban poor. There are various other mechanisms like social housing, low-cost housing, etc. dedicated to the lower-income population of society. Among the various alternatives, the research aims to further explore the sector of housing cooperatives considering that the concept of cooperatives in housing has been used in many other developing countries as one of the effective tools.

Also Read: Affordable Housing in the Urban Global South: Seeking Sustainable Solutions