| Abstrakt: |
In many developing countries, one aspect of the government’s poverty reduction strategy is the provision of low-income housing units. Scholars and donor agencies have now agreed that poverty is multi-dimensional, and people living in poverty need a wide range of solutions targeting the individual, the community and the state. Since the 1990s, research on poverty alleviation has shown greater emphasis on community-driven development and strengthening the capacity of community-based organisations as an effective means of alleviating poverty. The paper examines whether the provision of low-income housing units serves as a more effective tool for poverty reduction when compared with a community-driven development approach. The community-driven approach is discussed from the perspective of the assets of the individual and the communities and how these assets can be improved for the sustainable growth and development of the individual and the wider community. Also, the community development approach to poverty alleviation assumes that residents of communities, who are the target population for poverty alleviation, should be active and equal partners in deciding on the distribution of resources to the community. On the other hand, the provision of low income/low-cost housing units typically focuses on the role of the market in the design, construction and overall delivery of the units to the targeted recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
