Enviro Board Corporation

State of Housing in Latin America and Caribbean Cities

Joshua Mosshart — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 04:13:24 +0000

In the past twenty years, the housing situation of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean has improved. Governments have taken important steps to implement the right to decent housing, but there are still serious deficiencies to guaranteeing adequate housing for everyone.

Housing is not only a roof to shelter under, it is also a place to live in and raise a family. For many, it is their most important asset in monetary and, sometimes, emotional terms; the biggest investment of a lifetime and often the place where resources are generated to support the household. Housing is also the basic unit of urban growth. It defines neighbourhoods, demands on mobility, services and, in a large part, our relationship with the city and the environment.

A multidisciplinary approach is needed to address urban housing needs due to the strong linkages between housing and social sciences, economics and the environment.

It is difficult to determine exactly how many houses would be required to meet population needs, as the definitions of standards of habitability vary culturally. The deficit depends not only on the number of existing units and inhabitants, it is also linked to population growth, the phase of urban transition, reductions in the household sizes, housing retention practices by markets, and policies on land access and housing for the poor.

To determine the quantitative deficit, the number of secondary households that coexist in the same dwelling is also required, as well as the number of units so precarious that they need replacing.

There are no official figures on the quantitative housing deficit for the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean. In some cases, the censuses provide insufficient information and the updated versions are not available for comparison with data from the 2010 census round.

Studies on several countries in the region show the quantitative housing deficit exceeding 50 per cent for all households in Honduras and Nicaragua, and is close to, or above, 30 per cent in Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Paraguay and Venezuela.

The figures give a clear indication of the degree of cohabitation in the region, which has cultural roots, but which is also a strategic response to economic survival, job insecurity, poverty and the expense of housing, particularly for women and young people.

Beyond the current housing stock, the evolution of the deficit, which increased from an estimated 38 million units in 1990 to between 42 and 51 million in 20116, is worrying. Without a profound change in this trend, housing shortages will continue to be one of the biggest challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean in the coming years.

Major Housing Shortages

The housing shortage problem is not just about insufficient numbers, but also the present condition of a high proportion of units in terms of space, construction materials and access to public services. Many are concentrated in socially and spatially segregated areas, named in different ways, according to the country in question, like slums, shanty towns, shacks, favelas or misery belts.

A slum household is, according to UN-Habitat, a group of individuals living under one roof in an urban area, deprived of one or more of the conditions set out in Text Box 3.1, including housing made of durable materials, with sufficient space, access to good water sources and sanitary facilities, and without risk of eviction.

This definition is part of the Millennium Development Goals, which aim, among others, to significantly improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020.

Source: UN-Habitat 2012

“Energy Productivity”

Joshua Mosshart — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 04:00:21 +0000

Buildings use over 80 percent of electricity and 40 percent of all energy globally. They consume over 50 percent of energy globally if construction materials are considered.

Improving the efficiency (and productivity) of our energy systems is the most cost-effective way to meet increasing energy needs. McKinsey and Company estimate that robust investment in energy efficiency would cost about half as much as an investment in energy supply infrastructure to meet the same demand. Furthermore, increasing energy productivity through measures like building efficiency has the potential to slow the growth of energy demand in developing countries by more than half by 2020.

Efficiency frees up valuable capital for other strategic investments in economic development. Reduced electricity use in efficient buildings can slow the need to invest in electricity supply, helping liberating funds for other national objectives.

Also, reduced electricity use in efficient buildings can be a strategy to help improve overall electric grid reliability. For example, increasing the amount of local renewable energy in the electric grid is an important complement to energy efficiency.

Efficiency would also reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices. Reduced dependence on fossil fuels (the source of most energy and electricity) directly improves the balance of trade of fossil-fuel importing countries, helping to protect those countries from international fluctuations in energy prices.

When countries are unable to meet rising demand, energy crises can occur. Whether they are caused by severe weather events, aging supply infrastructure, or market failures, electricity shortages happen when consumption outpaces available supply and are a risk for countries whose economic growth is not matched by energy conservation or new generation.

Prolonged shortages can cause significant detrimental economic and humanitarian impacts. Reduced electricity use in efficient buildings can be a strategy to help improve overall electric grid reliability and foster greater resiliency.

Decision-makers can help mitigate the negative impacts of electricity supply shortage by implementing energy efficiency measures, which will allow for economic growth and increase the stability of electricity supply.

Buildings lie at the heart of two major social development challenges – energy access and urbanization. Investments in efficiency lower the cost of achieving universal energy access. The rapid demographic changes of urbanization provide tremendous potential to implement best-in-class building practices today and avoid “locking in” decades of inefficiency.

Source: initiative of Johnston Controls.

Transforming Energy Efficient Buildings

Joshua Mosshart — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:34:15 +0000

Increasing energy productivity through measures like building efficiency has the potential to slow the growth of energy demand in developing countries by more than half by 2020. Each additional $1 spent on energy efficiency avoids more than $2, on average, in energy supply investments.

• Building efficiency codes and standards are regulatory tools that require a minimum level of energy efficiency in buildings, appliances, equipment or lighting. If they are well designed, they can cost-effectively decrease energy costs over each item’s lifetime.

• Energy efficiency improvement targets are goals that can be set for a country or city. Setting a target for an entire geography can motivate greater action, especially if there is an entity responsible for meeting that target. In addition, governments can set efficiency improvement targets for publicly owned buildings to build capacity and stimulate the building efficiency market.

• Policies and actions that increase awareness, information and market transparency can enable building owners, tenants and operators to make informed energy management decisions. Transparent, timely information can help in tracking performance against goals. These policies and actions include competitions, audits, rating and certification programs like LEED, disclosure of energy performance, and public awareness campaigns.

• Financial incentives can help energy efficiency projects overcome cost barriers. These include grants and rebates, tax incentives, government risk mitigation guarantees, revolving loan funds, tax-lien financing, and policies that enable energy performance contracting. Scaling up building efficiency will require new forms of engagement with the investor community to design scalable, replicable financing mechanisms with a special focus on emerging economies.

• Utility programs engage utilities in making their customers more energy efficient. These programs include energy efficiency spending requirements for utilities, on-bill financing, advanced metering, and pricing that more accurately reflects the cost of producing electricity.

• Human and technical capacity can be built through policies and actions both inside government through direct technical assistance and in the market through workforce training programs.

Source: Institute for Building Efficiency

Sustainable Urban Development Model

Joshua Mosshart — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:57:52 +0000

A Resilient City— Prepare cities for change, managing adversity, resilience and take action to reduce risk. Urbanization and development can only be sustainable if it is adaptable to future demands and risks, and is resilient to the consequences of climate change or natural disasters. Empowering cities and communities to plan for and effectively manage adversity is fundamental to the urban agenda.

A Green City — Build environmen- tally sound and carbon efficient cities. Buildings alone account for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, and the way we plan and design our cities now will have significant implications for how resilient, resource efficient and environmentally sound they are in the future. A green city means promoting sustainable development through a carbon efficient built environment.

A Safe and Healthy City —Make cities livable places. Cities hold the answers to challenges posed by urbanization, which are in turn inextricably linked to issues of and agendas concerning the economy, climate change, resource consumption, food security and more. Cities need to be highly livable environments in order to capitalize on their tremendous potential as the drivers of sustainable solutions to our current and future challenges.

An Inclusive City — Build socially inclusive, accessible, pro-poor, equitable and gender sensitive cities. Socially equitable development is one of the three pillars of sustainability, and is vital to creating a shared, sustainable urban future. The challenges posed by the pace and scale of contemporary urbanization require us to invest in infrastructure, development and political processes that promote inclusivity, and a pro-poor, gender sensitive agenda. An inclusive city promotes equitable rights to the city and therefore allows all citizens to partake of the urban advantage.

A Planned City — Plan the cities of tomorrow for sustainable decision- making processes. Sustainable urbanization and development requires planning processes and political frameworks that harness the city’s assets and potential. Sustainable planning entails participatory decision making processes and particular attention to development that balances social, environmental and economic needs. Of equal importance, sustainable planning and a planned city are fundamental to achieving the characteristics of all other World Urban Campaign thematic areas.

A Productive City — Make cities more efficient and better places to ensure decent work. Economically equitable development is also one of the three pillars of sustainability, and a requisite component of any healthy, livable and sustainable city. Pursuing a sustainable development agenda means planning cities that promote and foster livelihoods for all citizens through economic opportunities.

Source: UN-Habitat

World Urban Campaign Key Principles

Joshua Mosshart — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:41:15 +0000

World Urban Campaign Goals

Joshua Mosshart — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:33:34 +0000

Long-Term Holistic Building Process

Joshua Mosshart — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 04:56:52 +0000

Sustainable housing means housing that takes into account the long-term environmental, social, cultural and economic balance of the housing stock and its occupants. Sustainable housing is connected to economic development of all income groups and to inclusive institutions. Sustainable housing should be affordable and the planning and building process should be harnesses to empower communities and build people’s skills and capacities.

A comprehensive approach is extremely important. Even if it uses the most environmentally sustainable materials and construction methods a house is not sustainable if it is not culturally and socially appropriate; affordable; located near to employment and services; and connected to a well functioning infrastructure and service network.

Sustainable urban planning (density, ecological transportation, etc.) good governance, as well as the micro- and macro- economy should be connected to housing strategies.

Integrated development goals aiming towards the environmental, economic, cultural, social and physical sustainability of settlements need to be connected to housing with considerations for indigenous methods, accessibility to the least empowered and disaster risk reduction.

Traditionally, it could be argued, sustainability has become a synonym for environmental matters in the developed countries, and economic matters in developing countries.

However, the different areas of sustainability should not be seen as separate entities but as interconnected layers of the same matter: greening buildings can for example improve the productivity and health of people supporting economic growth.

Seeing the opportunities of environmental sustainability to increase economic and social sustainability is especially crucial for rapidly growing developing countries.

Long-term holistic building process of building should be thought of from a sustainability point of view: planning, implementation, operation and maintenance, demolition, disposal and recycling of materials should be considered already when designing housing.

Architectural interventions such as location, orientation, size and form of the building and choice of material are as important as environmentally sustainable engineering.

Source: UN-HABITAT

Africa Affordable Housing Challenge

Joshua Mosshart — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:24:30 +0000

Although Africa is the most rural region in the world, it is urbanising fast and this will place immense strain on affordable housing provision in the coming decades.

Only four out of every ten Africans currently lives in an urban area, the lowest ratio in the world. However, over the coming fifteen years, cities in Africa will, every day, become home to at least another 40,000 people.

Growth in African countries is concentrated in cities and recent growth in major African cities was phenomenal: Between 2005 and 2010 Lagos grew by 1.8 million people, Kinshasa by 1.6 million and Luanda by 1.2 million. In terms of proportional growth, Abuja doubled in size (51.7 per cent), Ouagadougou grew by 43.7 per cent, and Luanda by 35.0 per cent in the same five-year period there are, however, vast differences in the level of urbanisation of African countries.

Only 11.0 per cent of the population in Burundi lives in cities, and only 13.3 per cent in Uganda whereas, in contrast, 86.0 per cent of the population of Gabon and 81.8 percent in western Sahara live in cities. Regardless of intra-country specificities, the rapid and sustained urbanisation that characterises the African continent is placing enormous strain on the provision and affordability of urban land and housing.

Source: UNHABITAT

‘Smart Cities’ and Urban Best Practice

Joshua Mosshart — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 15:37:09 +0000

The development of ‘Smart Cities’ will be characterized by the integration of sustainability planning and design, and research and development of feedback tools and information systems to assist in self-analyses of energy and water consumption, leading on to best practices that minimize consumption and close loops:

Eco-feedback is an evolving system of information feedback that allows individuals to influence their behaviour patterns in accordance with their own experiences …To make the best possible use of feedback, people need a good knowledge base.

For this, the most important thing is the collection and dissemination of best practices, giving people information about new options – about projects that have helped to make cities into better places. (Giradet).

Largest Economic Opportunity

Joshua Mosshart — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 05:16:36 +0000

“Going green is the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century”

Source: John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers (KPCB)