Necessary Perspectives in the Formulation of Housing Policy: I. Magnitude of the Problem

Abstract

In Africa, Asia and Latin America, about half of the population lives in overcrowded conditions in dilapidated or rudimentary housing and lack of the most essential health standards.Avoiding the deterioration of existing housing inventory and building enough units to accommodate the annual population increase would require the construction of nearly eight and a half million homes in these countries by 1965, and ten and a half million by 1970.The Ad Hoc Group of Experts on Housing and Urban Development of the Unity Nations, determined in 1962 that the population of these three continents would almost double between 1961 and 1975.To deal with the shortage of housing in urban areas and with the additional demand, effect of population growth, it would be necessary to quadruple the current inventory of housing in fifteen years.This estimate did not include provisions for the replacement of homes to deteriorate during that period.