ABSTRACT
Millions of families in the cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America live in adequate accommodation and a few even live in luxury. Unfortunately, most of the poor do not. They live in homes built of f limsy materials, with an irregular supply of electricity and water, and lacking sanitation. Millions of others live in more solid and serviced accommodation but in overcrowded conditions. 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 housing problem in the South, therefore, is enormous (UN-Habitat, 2003a; Davis, 2006).
