ABSTRACT
In most countries, recognition of the principle of subsidiarity and the devolution of authority in the housing sector is an essential starting point. However, 'municipalisation' and the co-existence, not to mention the integration, of alternative policy approaches are likely to pose some fundamental political/ideological contradictions. It invariably calls for radical changes in the management of urban development and the administration of urban infrastructure and service delivery that in many towns and cities require complex and often contentious processes to ensure inter-agency cooperation or collaboration. City Development Strategies and comprehensive urban development plans offer democratic, participatory ways into the new agenda for inclusive housing and urban development. The early decades of the twenty-first century have seen the dramatic and tragic impacts of global climate change, particularly on low-income group settlements. Building research has established norms and standards for earthquake-proof construction that are available internationally and are incorporated in building codes and regulations in earthquake-prone regions universally.
