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Green Cities Require Green Housing: Advancing the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Housing and Slum Upgrading in Cities in Developing Countries

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The Economy of Green Cities

Part of the book series: Local Sustainability ((LOCAL,volume 3))

Abstract

Cities throughout the developing world are in the midst of a housing crisis. Urbanization, population growth, rising economic development, the large stock of inadequate existing housing, and the need to rebuild after conflict and disasters necessitates the provision of affordable housing, the upgrading of slums, and retrofitting the existing housing on an unprecedented scale. This chapter explores these trends with a particular focus on the opportunities and challenges the green economy poses to affordable housing. Reviewing the current situation reveals that while there are many affordable housing and slum upgrading policies, programs, and projects, green economy dimensions are not sufficiently harnessed to maximize the economic and environmental opportunities that housing can provide to countries, cities, and households. The analysis highlights that there is an enormous environmental and economic potential for the greening of the housing sector in developing countries. Indeed, much of the housing stock is yet to be built and this presents a huge opportunity to build green today, reduce urban vulnerability and poverty, contribute to economic growth, and make significant environmental and economic savings in the future.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In 1990 the percentage of the urban population in slums was 46.1. In 2010 it was 32.7%. In 1990 the absolute number of slum dwellers was 650 million but it 2010 it had risen to over 800 million. United Nations (2011a).

  2. 2.

    Existing technology and current building design knowledge are sufficient to attain these levels of reduction. In the US residential building sector extensive studies have shown that existing technology and human resources can be successfully deployed today to create homes that are near net zero energy consumers, while remaining affordable (Parker 2009). As well, in Europe growing knowledge and new policy measures are harnessing this potential through zero carbon housing mandates to be attained by 2016 in the UK and a broader energy efficiency target of a 20% increase in efficiency by 2020 in the EU which focuses on energy efficiency labelling for buildings and other policies.

  3. 3.

    The criteria is cultural adequacy: “housing is not adequate if it does not respect and take into account the expression of cultural identity.” The other six criteria are: security of tenure; availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure; affordability; habitability; accessibility; and location.

  4. 4.

    In particular Chapter Six: ‘Housing – relating urban basic needs to urban sustainable development’, pp. 124–136.

  5. 5.

    See also: TOR CAIXA. Sistema de Aquecimento Solar de Água – MCMV. http://downloads.caixa.gov.br/_arquivos/desenvolvimento_urbano/gestao_ambiental/tr_sas_mcmv2.pdf and Ministry of Environment 27 July 2011: http://www.mma.gov.br/sitio/index.php?ido=ascom.noticiaMMA&idEstrutura=8&codigo=6858

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UN-Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya

    Matthew A. French & Christophe Lalande

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  1. Matthew A. French
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  2. Christophe Lalande
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Correspondence to Matthew A. French .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, World Secretariat, Kaiser Friedrich Strasse 7, Bonn, 53113, Germany

    Richard Simpson

  2. ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, World Secretariat, Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 7, Bonn, 53113, Germany

    Monika Zimmermann

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French, M.A., Lalande, C. (2013). Green Cities Require Green Housing: Advancing the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Housing and Slum Upgrading in Cities in Developing Countries. In: Simpson, R., Zimmermann, M. (eds) The Economy of Green Cities. Local Sustainability, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1969-9_24

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