Advancing Sustainable Housing in Latin America: A Critical Review of Energy Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Policy

Claudia-Eréndira Vázquez-Torres, Leticia Ozawa-Meida, David Bienvenido-Huertas () and A. Bassam
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Claudia-Eréndira Vázquez-Torres: Laboratorio de Modelado y Optimización de Procesos Energéticos y Ambientales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Merida 97302, Mexico
Leticia Ozawa-Meida: Institute for Sustainable Futures, School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
David Bienvenido-Huertas: Department of Building Construction, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain
A. Bassam: Laboratorio de Modelado y Optimización de Procesos Energéticos y Ambientales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Merida 97302, Mexico

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-29

Abstract: While interest in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in Latin American housing has been growing over the past decade, the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted its critical importance due to increased residential occupancy time, exposure to indoor pollutants, and their implications for health. Recognising the climatic, cultural, infrastructural, and socio-economic diversity of the region, this study presents a bibliometric review of research and policy advances with the aim of examining progress towards effective pathways for sustainable housing, focusing on the integrated vision of energy efficiency, IEQ, and regulations as the key thematic axes. This review, conducted using the Scopus database, synthesises findings, methodological practices, and policy developments from 2013 to 2023. Based on the qualitative thematic analysis of studies included in the narrative synthesis, the results reveal that energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality frameworks in the region are still insufficient and fragmented, hindering improvements in residential energy efficiency and thermal comfort, particularly in low-income housing. This study underscores the urgent need for updated public policies with the explicit incorporation of IEQ and health indicators, stronger enforcement of energy efficiency and building regulations, and the improved dissemination of IEQ benefits to promote sustainable governance. Further research on evaluating the long-term impacts of implemented policies and interventions in public health is also essential to address ongoing social, political, and environmental challenges in the region.

Keywords: energy policies; environmental health; housing regulations; indoor environmental quality; Latin America governance; sustainable governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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