ABSTRACT
Against the broader context of economic and political changes in Sri Lanka, this chapter seeks to investigate how the urban poor living in low-income settlements in Kandy negotiate their housing needs. The areas of negotiation in respect of housing quality, quantity, tenure and basic infrastructure are investigated in conjunction with the range of policy and legislative structures enabling or constraining their access to better housing. This micro-level qualitative study of Mahayyawa low-income settlement in Kandy also focuses on the varying ability of the urban poor to solve their housing problems. It is foregrounded on a discussion of the broader changes that are occurring in the housing sector in Sri Lanka and the roles of the state and the private sector in housing provision.
