Assessing factors militating against affordable housing delivery in developing countries

Abstract

The increase in population in the urban centers and the inability of these individual migrants to have access to shelter have made the need for housing a continuous subject of discourse. The housing deficit in most developing countries has been an issue of concern despite all efforts to make housing affordable, available, and accessible. The study examined the factors militating against housing affordability in developing countries using Nigeria as a case study. The study employed purposive quota sampling of low-income earners in Lagos, Nigeria. Through questionnaire administration, one hundred and thirteen respondents were sampled. The exploratory factors analyse findings identified seven major factors militating against affordable housing delivery as: 'external influence'; 'problem with utilisation of conventional materials and technologies'; 'financial constraints'; 'problems of affordable land and security of tenure'; 'absent of innovative framework and housing regulations'; 'un-predictable return on investment'; and 'poor infrastructural management service'. The study recommends that a successful implementation of affordable housing delivery hinged on an innovative housing framework and affordable supply chain (innovative design, cohousing, community support and health service scheme, social inclusion, and affordability) that will stimulate the provision and distribution of affordable housing in developing countries. The study concluded that there is a need for the government to improve its infrastructure provision for the easy take-off of affordable housing delivery.