ABSTRACT
Urbanization is a relatively recent phenomenon in Yemen, accounting for only just over 10 per cent of the roughly 8 million population. The urban growth rate is estimated by World Bank at more than two and a half times the national growth rate. The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing was established in 1979 to implement governmental policy and programmes with respect to urban development generally and housing in particular. One of the responsibilities of the Ministry is land-use and infrastructure planning. This extends from the scale of an individual site to that of a whole city and includes the planning, design and execution of buildings, services and facilities. In addition to planning for the design and implementation of urban infrastructure, the Ministry is involved in the supply of housing, transportation and other services and facilities. As a byproduct of its sites-and-services schemes, the Ministry has also become involved in selection of beneficiaries and administration of a loan scheme to provide.
