Listening Through the Walls: How Qualitative Research Reveals the Human Impact of Better Housing

Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mora, Maria José Rubiano, Daniela Mejía-Tejada and Paola Velásquez
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Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mora: Centro de Investigaciones Económicas y Financieras (CIEF), Escuela de Economía y Finanzas Universidad EAFIT
Maria José Rubiano: Universidad de Antioquia
Daniela Mejía-Tejada: Universidad EAFIT
Paola Velásquez: Universidad EAFIT
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mora ()

Documentos de Trabajo de Valor Público from Universidad EAFIT

Abstract: Urban housing inadequacy remains a silent driver of ill-health, stress, and fractured family relations in Latin America. We evaluate Hogares Saludables—a social innovation by Cementos Argos—across Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla (2023–2024), combining a randomized controlled trial (N=1,200) with a qualitative module we term Home Biographies, which integrates Most Significant Change, photo-elicitation, and body mapping. This mixed-methods design moves beyond “what works” to show how and why physical upgrades to floors, kitchens, and bathrooms reconfigure daily practices, dignity, and agency. We document short-run gains in mental well-being, household harmony, and perceived safety; reductions in women’s unpaid domestic burden; and strengthened social capital through community participation and skills training. Improvements recalibrate residents’ temporal imaginaries—re-signifying past sacrifice and expanding credible futures—thus linking material change to symbolic belonging. We translate these insights into actionable guidance for scaling: align technical choices with lived preferences, embed participatory communication, and leverage on-site training to minimize dropout. By centering beneficiary voice within rigorous causal inference, this study contributes an evaluative blueprint for SDG-aligned housing programs and invites housing scholars to treat home not only as infrastructure, but as a platform for relational and temporal transformation.

Keywords: Qualitative research; Housing improvements; Qualitative housing deficit; The Most Significant Change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D13 I31 O15 R21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-hre and nep-uep
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