New plans for housing in urban Kenya, 1939–63

Until about 1939, guided by a policy of trusteeship, the colonial government in Kenya limited the number of Africans in urban areas. As elsewhere in East and Central Africa, employers and municipalities were supposed to provide only ‘bachelor’ housing for unaccompanied African men. After 1939, encouraged by London, the Kenyan government began to promote a policy of development which implied urbanization. The permanent presence of Africans in towns was accepted, as was the growing responsibility of municipalities for the provision of housing for families as well as for bachelors. Municipalities began to plan for new types of housing, with more community facilities in new types of neighbourhood layouts. From the early 1940s, a wave of construction created many thousands of new dwellings in all major urban areas, but only a minority were designed for families. Many women and children were accommodated in ‘bachelor’ housing where they were compensated through rental subsidies. Although Kenya’s housing initiatives in the late colonial period did not satisfy all of the rapidly growing urban needs, they were a substantial achievement.     

Local Innovation And Global Change: ‘Remaking The Welfare State’ In Sweden1

Swedish urban planning and housing policies have been seen as exemplars by many Australian policy makers. The mixture of state activism, strong local government, broad concepts of welfare policy and social housing, coupled with wide community acceptance of these ideals, has enabled major innovations in housing policy. This article describes the historical background and recent changes to these policies within Sweden's changing political framework. It also shows that global fiscal changes, coupled with Sweden's entry into the ‘federalising’ European Union, have changed the context of these policies. Swedish housing and urban policy is changing; Swedish local government has a strong role in the development and implementation of these changing policies. There are many interesting lessons for Australian urban policy in these changes.     

城市快速发展时期的社会住房建设:法国的教训与启发

在1950至1970年代的城市化快速发展时期,法国在城市边缘和郊区进行了以大型住区为主要形式的大规模社会住房建设,虽然有效缓解了战争破坏和人口增长带来的住房短缺,却因廉租性社会住房在城市特定地区的大量集聚,以及大型住区本身存在的选址远离中心、建筑形式单调、空间尺度夸张、建设质量低下、设施配套缺失等不足,在1960年代末和1970年代初引发了居住空间的社会分化现象,并在1980年代随城市社会经济结构转型而不断加剧,迫使法国城市不得不从社会、经济、环境、设施和住宅建设等多方面入手,通过实施一系列城市政策和项目计划,对其进行综合整治和更新改造,以抵制社会排斥,鼓励社会混合,促进城市整体和谐发展。文章通过梳理法国社会住房的发展历程,特别是城市快速发展时期社会住房的建设发展,总结其中的经验教训,旨在为当前处于快速发展时期的中国城市的社会住房建设提供有益的启发和借鉴。     

Towards more Social Cohesion in Large Post-Second World War Housing Estates? A Case Study in Utrecht,the Netherlands1

The last few years have seen many studies of large post-Second World War housing estates. At present they are often the most deprived areas of European cities. The turnover of the population on these estates is characteristically rapid, leading to considerable socio-economic and socio-cultural changes and a multi-ethnic neighbourhood. Such areas often have to contend with severe physical, social and economic problems and the consequent dissatisfaction of the residents. This combination of rapid and selective population turnover and increasing numbers of problems may well affect aspects of social cohesion within these neighbourhoods, particularly the social networks. This process is regrettable, because social cohesion is regarded in a positive light, something that enhances the quality of life. Stimulating social cohesion is therefore an important objective of many policies that focus on large post-Second World War housing estates. The authors have found it interesting to discover how important social cohesion is in the opinions and the lives of the inhabitants rather than the policy makers. In their opinion, urban policies focus on social cohesion while the inhabitants' views of its relevance are unknown. On the basis of this paper, certain aspects of social cohesion in large post-Second World War housing estates appear to be valued, but housing market behaviour, such as residential moves, is hardly affected by aspects of social cohesion. Other aspects, such as moving to a better house, are much more relevant. The results may put into doubt the stress placed in urban policies on social cohesion.     

Reprint of “An ‘unceasing war’ on land development on the urban fringe of Beijing: A case study of gated informal housing communities”

The existing literature about informal development in China's cities is dominated by studies of conventional informal housing in urban villages, while a new type of informal housing, gated informal housing communities, has rarely been studied. The paper aims to contribute to the existing literature by discussing why and how these gated informal housing communities were developed, looking at the case of Beijing. The results of the analysis show that institutional discrimination against rural areas with respect to land use rights, revenue redistribution, policymaking procedures and the hukou-related social welfare system the major drivers of development of informal communities. In particular, informal development is influenced by the ways land value is captured by, compensated for and allocated to the state government rather than rural villagers in the process of its transfer from rural to urban land. For future policy, more institutional innovation or reform is imperative in order to adequately deal with the emergence of gated informal housing communities. Institutionally inclusive land and housing policies, rather than intense top-down control, are needed in China.     

Regeneration of Dutch post-war urban districts: the role of housing associations

In the Netherlands the regeneration of post-war urban districts is closely intertwined with the role of housing associations. This is hardly surprising, given that the housing associations have such a large share of the market (usually over 50%; sometimes nearly 100%) in many early post-war urban districts. This has caused a growing concentration of low-income households in those urban areas and a selective migration by middle- and high-income households from the city to the suburb. Official government policy on housing and urban renewal is directed at a redifferentiation of the urban housing stock. Specifically, the policy promotes more owner-occupation, larger and higher-quality homes, and a greater percentage of homes with a garden. This implies the demolition of social housing estates and selling social housing. The position of housing associations in the regeneration of Dutch post-war urban districts is somewhat enigmatic. On the one hand, national government is expecting them to take initiative and invest in urban renewal; on the other, government is urging them to cut down their market share. How are housing associations coping with this paradoxical challenge? And what are the current national policies about the position of housing associations? Aedes (the umbrella organisation of Dutch housing associations) and the Dutch Ministry of Housing have agreed upon the so-called great transition of housing associations. Here we explain and critique this great transition, which will hamper the current regeneration of Dutch urban districts. As an alternative we present the new transition.     

CHINESE URBANIZATION,STATE POLICY,AND THE WORLD ECONOMY

ABSTRACT: The usual Third World pattern of urbanization does not apply to Chinese urban development. China has not experienced the overurbanization and imbalances that often accompany growth in cities elsewhere. China's unique urban pattern results from national policies aimed at shaping urban growth. When those policies were relaxed, there was a tendency for Chinese urban patterns to conform with those of other Third World nations. Periods of less control corresponded with periods of experimentation with elements of a market economy and China's entry in the world economy. The authors explore the debate between urban bias theory and world system theory by considering how global structures and processes interact with local or national policies.     

State,voluntary and private sector partnerships for slum upgrading and basic service delivery in Nairobi City,Kenya

Chronic shortages of low-income housing and basic services have bedeviled Third World cities for decades. Effective models for meeting these needs continue to be scarce. This paper argues that tri-sector partnerships involving the state (or public), voluntary, and private sectors, are a promising way of addressing the issues. While difficult to initiate and maintain, such partnerships have unique and mutually reinforcing strengths that could enable participants to increase effectiveness in meeting poor people’s urban housing and service needs. The paper uses a case study of an ongoing slum upgrading and service provision project in the Mathare 4A area of Nairobi, Kenya, to demonstrate the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of tri-sector partnerships. Primary data from 1996–1997 field study in Nairobi City and more recent secondary data are used.     

Housing conditions and rural development in Kenya

Little is known about the rural housing conditions in Sub‐Saharan Africa; the scant information about the housing situation in this macro‐region refers to the urban areas. This article describes present housing conditions in three rather different districts of Kenya against the background of government policy. The observed housing conditions are interpreted in relation to the processes of socio‐economic change in the districts. Subsequently, the factors responsible for the present housing situation in the rural areas are identified with emphasis on the household level Major determinants appear to be the resource position of households in terms of land, labour and livestock, and the stability of monetary incomes over time. Finally, a number of conclusions are drawn regarding the changes in rural housing conditions during the post‐independence period and the forces that influenced this process.     

The Limits and Potentials of the Housing Market Enabling Paradigm: An Evaluation of China's Housing Policies from 1998 to 2011

This paper examines the housing policies in China in the last 14 years in the context of the international debate on the World Bank's housing market enabling strategy to improve low-income housing provision in developing countries. A review of China's urban housing outcomes reveals housing price inflation and shortage of affordable housing in the fast expanding housing market. The paper analyzes policies to increase both demand for and supply of housing and argues that these policies have contributed to worsening affordability. This situation has been exacerbated by problems in the institutional framework managing the housing sector. The paper concludes that market enabling alone is not sufficient to achieve a satisfactory housing outcome for low- and middle-income groups in Chinese cities. It advocates more effective and direct public intervention for enhancing social housing provision and tightening market regulation to address both market and government failures to improve housing conditions for lower income groups.     

Social cohesion,social mix,and urban policies in the Netherlands

Urban policy in the Netherlands has long been focused on improving disadvantaged urban districts. In the last 13 years policy has become particularly area-based. Here the spatial concentration of low-income households has been seen as a highly problematic issue. Because of this negative view of these concentrations, a housing mix in the problematic urban areas has been considered to be one of the most promising solutions. A housing mix would result in a social mix and more social cohesion within the district. Strikingly, numerous researchers point out that the social mix might not resolve the problems in those areas, while at the same time central and local government holds on to the idea of the mix. We give some background of urban policy in the Netherlands and focus on the relationship between social mix and social cohesion. After a brief review of the literature on this relationship, we give an account of recent Dutch urban policies, particularly on the role of social mix and social cohesion within them. This review yields some important inferences for future urban policies in the Netherlands and other West European countries.     

The anti-apartment movement in the U.S. and the role of land use regulations in creating housing segregation

In the U.S., typically, poor and minority households are concentrated in central cities, which are ringed by middle class suburbs which contain a majority of the population of the metropolitan area. The resulting segregation is largely the outcome of public policy and institutional arrangements, rather than the excesses of a free market. Land use regulations have played a central role in creating segregation among the types of housing that are affordable to different income groups. Single family only zoning is a central institution in suburban areas; often multifamily housing is limited to a very tiny portion of the land zoned for housing. Land use policies regarding housing are formulated on a municipal level, in which states have only a minimal role and the federal government has no role. Decentralization of revenue sources and fiscal support for local services, including education, provides incentives for local zoning policies which exclude groups which are viewed as more costly to service, while decentralization of zoning powers make these policies possible. This article describes 1) the basic contours of the housing stock and population distribution in metropolitan areas, 2) the evolution of the single family only policy, and 3) recent efforts to counteract housing segregation patterns, which have had little success. Kenneth K. Baar is a attorney in the Berkeley, California and has a Ph.D. in urban planning. From 1991 to 1993, he was a Fulbright professor at the Budapest University of Economic Sciences. In 1994–95 he was visiting professor in the Urban Planning Department at Columbia University in New York City.     

Urbanization within the Indonesian economy: a policy dilemma.

"Most Third World countries have serious problems relating to rapid urban growth but attempts to solve urban problems have generally failed. This paper looks at the urban issues of one country, Indonesia, and the attempts by the Indonesian government to control rural to urban migration. Contradictions between macroeconomic and urban policies, however, have undermined government programmes."     

The costs of urbanization: a case study of Pakistan

"A methodology is developed for estimating the aggregate costs of urbanization in Pakistan for 1983-2003. These costs are then compared with the future investment resource pool, and are found to be larger than the total pool. Alternative policy solutions to alleviate the problem are explored. Although some capital-saving strategies (such as major public works programs in rural areas and labor-intensive employment policies) would be helpful, it will be impossible to avoid a substantial rise in the proportion of the urban population without services from about one quarter to about one half of the total. The paper concludes with suggestions for refining the methodology in future studies."     

The Maturation of the Neo-liberal Housing Market in Urban China

Neo-liberalism has dominated policy formulation and implementation for three decades and been influential in reshaping urban housing provision in different countries. However, the nature and impact of neo-liberal housing policy developments are also affected by previous arrangements, the exact nature, timing and pace of policy change and by how governments and markets have responded to emerging global and local challenges. This paper examines neo-liberal urban housing reform and market development in China and focuses on market performance and government responses following initial reform. The era of neo-liberal housing policy has been associated with turbulence, market changes and unequal housing and asset distribution. Housing reform and regulation policies have changed frequently in response; and this maturation of the neo-liberal system has important implications for policy and the structure and operation of the market.     

德国住房保障体系及其对我国的启示

快速城市化和工业化成功推动了中国城市发展,同时也导致了严重的住房供需矛盾,低收入阶层住房得不到有效保障。纵观西方国家保障性住房的发展历程,各国政府综合运用了多种政策工具对市场进行干预,形成了有效的住房保障发展模式。其中,德国的住房保障体系建设堪称典范,其发展经验受到广泛借鉴。本文对德国住房保障体系的政策演变、资金筹措和监督体系等方面进行了分析,最后结合中国住房保障体系的发展现状提出了相关建议。     

日本的城市环境问题及其改善过程——政策和规划视角研究

日本是亚洲最先城市化的国家,目前已有86%的人口生活在城市行政区范围内。在城市化的进程中,日本曾出现过各种各样的环境问题,经过半个多世纪的努力,现在的城市生活环境不仅得到根本改善,而且在资源循环利用和低碳社会建设等方面也做出引人注目的成绩。本文从日本城市规划制度和环境政策演变角度,分阶段介绍自1950年以来的城市环境问题、环境法律和有关城市规划建设的政策,逐步展开日本改善城市生活环境、保护地球自然环境的过程,尤其注重从生态城市到低碳社会转型发展的最近政策动向。     

From Inner City to Inner Suburb? Addressing Housing Aspirations in Low Demand Areas in NewcastleGateshead,UK

The thrust of current UK government policy on housing design and location is to get more of the population to live in more urban, higher density, better quality developments on reused brownfield land. Such thinking has been influenced by wider European trends and in particular New Urbanism theories from the US. It has been argued, however, particularly from the perspective of mass house builders, that UK policies run counter to what the house buying public actually want and aspire to. Further, can such policies really succeed in urban areas where there is low demand for housing and large numbers of existing properties lie empty and abandoned? This paper begins to address some of these issues by reviewing existing literature in the field and through discussing the results of an empirical project undertaken for NewcastleGateshead Pathfinder Housing Market Renewal Partnership, looking at the nature of some of the qualitative drivers behind people's housing choice and what these might mean for future policy directions.     

Market versus public provision of local goods: An analysis of amenity capitalization within the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile

The liberalization of the Chilean economy since 1974 has generated important modifications on its urban development policies. However, little attention has been paid to estimate how urban amenities are capitalized in housing prices under this new scenario. In this paper, we explore this relationship through a hedonic pricing model and 27 urban amenities for the Chilean main urban agglomeration, the Metropolitan Region of Santiago (MR). We recognize that the capitalization of urban amenities into housing prices is spatially heterogeneous, therefore we study this relationship by using the geographically weighted regression (GWR). The main results suggest that urban amenities play an important role in determining housing prices with a significant spatial heterogeneity, where notably differences between public and private local services are found. Particularly, private services such as schools, shopping centers, healthcare centers or restaurants have positive capitalizations on housing prices. In contrast, public schools, public hospitals and public kindergartens have negative valuations in housing prices, suggesting that living closer to these services reduces housing values. Our results provide policy makers with valuable elements when designing urban policies in terms of the importance of heterogeneous valuations of urban amenities across neighborhoods, how to allocate resources more efficiently to foster the quality of life on new urban residents and the need of considering the economic segregation triggered by heterogeneous preferences to amenities across space.     

The compact city: Theory versus practice—The case of Cambridge

Urban compaction has become a policy direction which has been followed in a number of European countries throughout the 1990s. Although this policy direction may have both theoretical and political appeal, there is concern over the likelihood of being able to concentrate the majority of future development within existing urban areas. Most analysis would suggest that urban decentralisation is set to continue. Reversing these established patterns, as well as past policies which have encouraged dispersal, is likely to be a tall order. The aim of this article is to provide a closer examination of a particular city-region to assess whether national policy, which promotes compact cities, is feasible at the local level. The Cambridge subregion, within the UK, has been chosen as it has a tradition of policies which have encouraged dispersal and are in direct contrast to Government's new policy direction. Past spatial planning policies within the sub-region have left a legacy of dispersed settlement patterns, separating homes from workplace and encouraging inward commuting into Cambridge. The effects of this past policy stance are so ingrained that it will be hard to reverse such trends and accommodate additional development, particularly housing, within Cambridge's existing boundaries. Nicola Morrison (Dr) is research associate and affiliated lecturer in the Property Research Unit, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge. Her research interests are focused on housing and land use planning issues within the UK context.