HOUSING AND COMMUNITY PLANNING

THS302

“CURRENT HOUSING ISSUES”

LEARNING OUTCOME
At the end of the session, students will be able to;
i. Explain the mainstream problems of housing.
ii. Draw out the local housing issues in Bhutan
iii. Detail out the causes of the housing issues in Bhutan.
Equity and efficiency parameters of housing
Introduction – General trend globally
According to the United Nations Habitat (2010), 30 % of the world’s
urban population lives in slum, where people suffer from one or more of
the following basic deficiencies in their housing:

olack of access to improved water;

olack of access to improved sewage facilities;
oliving in overcrowded conditions;
oor living in buildings that are structurally unsound;
oliving in a situation with no security of tenure (that is, without legal rights
to be where they are, as renters or as owners.
Introduction – General trend globally

The same report said that 35% of the world’s rural population
lives in unacceptable conditions.

Overall more than two billion people are in desperate need

of better housing.
 Introduction – Cities vs Rural
Housing problem is peculiar to both rich and poor nations as well as developed and
developing countries, yet more prominent in urban areas.

This is due to rapid economic development, rapid rural-urban migration in search of better
economic opportunities, thereby, increasing pressure on the infrastructure such as housing.

Certain problems are associated worldwide which include:

oShortage of housing (Quantitatively and qualitatively)
oHomelessness
oGovernance
oAccess to building land
oHigh cost/less affordability
oHigh interest rate of home loans/access to finance.
Housing issues in Bhutan

The issues in housing development in Bhutan are broadly

classified under adequacy, affordability and livability

1. Inadequacies
2. Issues of affordability
3. Issues of livability
 Housing issues in Bhutan - Inadequacies
1. Inadequacies/shortage
There are concerns of inadequacy of housing units and structures to meet the ever
increasing demands for housing. However, the problem of adequacy is severely limited
by the lack of data for accurate number of housing structures and units.

The issues pertaining to adequacy of housing can be discussed as:

I. Shrinking carrying capacity of the cities of Thimphu and Phuntsholing

II. Incomplete data on number of housing structures and units.
III. Housing need assessment not carried out.
IV. Socio-economic risks of large number of Bhutanese residing in neighboring
Jaigoan
Housing issues in Bhutan - Inadequacies
Housing issues in Bhutan – Inadequacies
Shrinking carrying capacity of Phuntsholing
Housing issues in Bhutan – Inadequacies
Incomplete data on housing
Housing issues in Bhutan – Inadequacies
Housing need assessment not carried out
Housing issues in Bhutan – Inadequacies
Socio-economic risk of people residing in Jaigoan
Housing issues in Bhutan – Inadequacies
Socio-economic risk of people residing in Jaigoan
 Housing issues in Bhutan - Affordability

2. Issues on Affordability
The issues pertaining to affordability can be discussed as:

I. Rental expenditure unaffordable to majority of

populations of Thimphu and Phuntsholing
II. Irregular increase of rents in Thimphu and Phuntsholing.
Housing issues in Bhutan – Affordability
Rental expenditure unaffordable
Housing issues in Bhutan – Affordability
Irregular increase of rent of Thimphu
Housing issues in Bhutan – Affordability
Irregular increase of rent of Phuntsholing
 Housing issues in Bhutan - Livability
3. Issues on Livability
The issues pertaining to livability can be discussed as:

I. Informal settlements impeding livability and aesthetic of the city

II. Lack of proper toilet facility in informal settlements.
III. Dearth of adequate living space and decent standard of
accommodation.
IV. Inadequate drinking water supply in informal settlements.
V. Low quality material used for wall, roof and floor construction in
informal settlement.
VI. Lack of sewerage at informal settlement sites.
Housing issues in Bhutan – Livability
Informal settlements
Housing issues in Bhutan – Livability
Informal settlements
Housing issues in Bhutan - Causes

1. Rapid urbanization
2. Limited land for development

1. Housing finance
2. Construction of houses
3. Legal and policy framework
Housing issues in Bhutan - Causes

1. Rapid urbanization
Undesirable impact of increase in rural-urban migration on
housing development
 Housing issues in Bhutan - Causes

2. Limited land for development

I. High and inconsistent valuation of land
 Housing issues in Bhutan - Causes

3. Housing finance
I. Lack of dedicated housing financial institution
II. High interest rates for home and housing loans
 Housing issues in Bhutan - Causes

4. Construction of houses
I. Inadequate strategic focus on construction industry
II. Inadequate focus on domestic production of
construction materials
 Housing issues in Bhutan - Causes

5. Legal and policy framework

I. Inadequacy of legal basis for housing development
II. Limited relevance of national housing development policy
2002
III. Lack of a strategic focus on housing development in the
policy level
IV. Lack of central agency responsible for coordinating housing
development activities of the various entities.
V. Legal and institutional preparedness for ownership of houses