ABSTRACT

Millions of families in the cities of the so-called Third World live in adequate accommodation, and some even live in luxury. Unfortunately, the majority do not. Most of the poor tend to live in homes without adequate sanitation, with an irregular electricity supply, built of flimsy materials and without sufficient security. Millions of others live in more solid and serviced accommodation, but in overcrowded conditions. Apart from the households living in shacks or overcrowded ten - ements, and those lacking adequate services, millions more would claim to have a housing problem. They live in houses that do not match their hopes and needs: they have difficulty paying their rent or mortgage, they have a long journey to work, their home is too small, they wish to own a house rather than rent. The Third World housing problem, therefore, is enormous (Gilbert 1998; Potter and Lloyd-Evans 1998; UN-Habitat 2003a).