The social housing burden: comparing households at the periphery and the centre of cities in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico

Nora Ruth Libertun de Duren

International Journal of Housing Policy, 2018, vol. 18, issue 2, 177-203

Abstract: This article considers how housing location impacts the housing burden of low-income residents. Specifically, it assesses the impact of distance to city centre on: (1) market price of the housing unit, (2) households’ commuting expenses; and (3) households’ access to social networks. It bases its findings on 150 surveys of households living in subsidised housing units in the cities of Goiania, Brazil; Barranquilla, Colombia; and Puebla, Mexico. Distance to centre has a significant impact on all dimensions considered: the average market price for a peripheral housing unit is about 40% less than for a central one. Workers who live in the periphery spend twice the money and three times the time in commuting than those who live in central locations. Three-quarters of centrally located households visit relatives once a month or more, while only a third of peripherally located households do so. In addition, households residing in the periphery expressed their concern about being concentrated in homogeneously low-income areas. These impacts are a concern inasmuch as these housing units are solely built for improving the material conditions of low-income households, who are a captive market with very limited housing options.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1080/19491247.2017.1298366

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