Sectoral theme paper by

Lisa Thompson-Smeddle
and Paul Hendler
• Politically located

• Defined sustainable housing

• Work in progress

- Sustainability indicators still to be developed

- Technologies and delivery mechanisms still

to be linked to indicators
• Implementation of current housing strategies can
marginalise the poor

• Political empowerment through independent

grassroots urban social movements is a
precondition for ecologically, socially, economically
and financially sustainable housing

• Strategic proposals should enable community

empowerment

• Institutional delivery mechanisms: co-evolutionary

process between empowered users/ beneficiaries,
government and private sector
• Long-term economic value ≥ total financial,
environmental, social liabilities secured by the asset

• State and households able to afford operational and

environmental costs

• Location, design and security should reflect perceived

value of market

• Households should demonstrate understanding of

above

• (Implication: what delivery/housing management

mechanisms best achieves above/ What balance
between private ownership/alternative tenures?)
• Develop limits for maximum household consumption of
electricity from non-renewable (e.g. coal) sources

• Develop indicators for separation of recycling of wet

and solid household waste

• Defining permissable useage for potable water

• Define the frequency of occurrence of decentralised

sanitation systems

• Identifying carbon neutral building materials for housing

• Long-term economic value: annual yield vs
market value
• Include estimate for social and environmental
liabilities on balance sheet
• Estimates of % of operational costs to be
afforded by state/households
• Life cycle costs (externalities: health, pollution,
etc)
• Consumer education about above?
• Energy supply and demand management
- Orientation/placement of windows
- Solar blinds
- Thermal mass
- Ceilings
- Insulation
- Solar water heaters
- Locally produced/distributed (ESCOs)
• Energy efficiency and efficient building materials

- Low environment impact

- Thermally efficient
- Occupant needs
- Financial viability
- Recyclability
- Energy required in manufacturing
- Building maintenance costs
- CFL light bulbs
- Thermally efficient design
- Energy efficient appliances (e.g. gas stoves, low electric
fridges, etc)
• Water/sanitation supply/demand management
- On site sewerage systems
- Grey water and water recycling
- Rain water harvesting
- Low flush and low flow plumbing components
• Recycling of wastes and emissions
- Separation and recycling of solid waste
- Water recycling
- Carbon neutral building materials
• Trade off between ownership and alternative tenure
in terms of which is more likely to protect long-term
asset value for the poor:

- Incremental formal housing

- Subsidised housing (giveaways)
- Social housing
- Communal/transitional housing
- Formalised home ownership (Gap)
- Private rental market (formal and informal)
- Employer housing
- Various funding and delivery contractual mechanisms
along a spectrum of public/private involvement