geog…

structures or buildings developed to shelter people from elements

often seen as a basic need that everyone should have access to -can be built in a planned or unplanned fashion
using a variety of materials coming in all shapes and sizes
housing in cities can be classified according to height & density -high rise housing : housing with more than 6 storeys, uses lifts,
associated with high density living, accommodates many people in a given area
high rise,density housing is found nearer to the city centre vs low rise,density housing is found nearer to towards the fringe of the city
village, town, city, metropolis
high rise,density housing : comprises of apartments and shared facilities like playgrounds, exercise equipment & swimming pools
low rise,density housing : comprises of detatched houses, semi-detatched houses, terraces, shophouses
categorising housing : spatial distribution (how far a house is from the city centre), housing density, location (relative to other activities), type of materials used (brick/wood), houses built (small families, extended families, entire communities)
proper housing plans : impt for cities to develop sustainability
housing shortage : cities & urban populations growing faster than the pace of housing development

Formal Housing

: legally built housing : often provided for by gov housing programmes / private developers
housing provided by government of private developers with legal rights to occupy the land, high-quality building materials, residents in such developments can expect access to basic services
formal housing developments — usually undertaken by gov / private business vs individuals
legal right to occupy land : ability of individuals to freely obtain, use & possess land at their discretion as long as their activities do not impede other individuals rights
land rights — address ownership of land, providing security, increasing human capability
properties may be sold / leased to others / lived in
access to basic services : easy access to water & electricity & provision of sanitisation services (underground water pipes, sewage pipies, power lines…) —— improves quality of life for residents living there
high quality building materials : must conform to planning authorities guidelines & use high quality materials — concrete, metal, hardwood ; materials must withstand heavy rain + strong elements—strong winds, protect ppl from fires, last for long time, minimal maintainence
usually found on desirable land
gov / private developers : situate formal housing near greenery + amenities, away from pollution, supporting them with quality infrastructure like roads, pipied water, electricity + proper waste disposal

Informal Housing

informal housing : illegally/unlawfully built housing : built by individuals who are unable to access formal housing
usually built by individuals in an unplanned fashion
while they may apoear to line up neatly along roads & rivers, their development was not planned for
often constructed from scavenged materials—repurposed zinc sheets, recycled lumber ,(inferior building materials)
at risk of flooding, catching fire, collapsing
no legal right to occupy land : built out of necessity
occupies government land / private property which is undeveloped + unsecured
residents : illegal occupants of the land ; houses often cleared, residents evicted
lack of access to basic services : built by individuals not meant in areas for housing development, residents lack access to electricity, water, sanitation — residents illegally tap onto nearby electrical grids, siphoning water from nearby pipies, disposing of faeces into the ground or nearby rivers — increases the risk of injury + ill health due to electrocution, consumption of contaminated water & waterborne dieseases
usually found in areas of locally unwanted land use
situated near landfills, sewage treatment plants + large, polluting industries — only spaces left available, dwellers want save space, travel time, cost — living near their work place
neglected & lack infrastructure development

Factors affecting location of housing

land use planning : guidelines drawn up by planning authorities (practise zoning as a planning control tool to ensure that the built environment is well developed)
zoning : restricts the type of activities & land-use permitted on specific sites (shapes the layout of cities + enabling various types of development)h
formal housing — occupies zones + areas designed for housing development
informal housing — occurs regardless of land-use planning guides
location pf housing - affected by who it is developed by
private developers : individuals/companies that develop a property for profit [tend to pick sites that are commercially viable]
government : housing built by governments consider ppls needs over profit
land prices : increase, houses price increase (city land prices high, informal housing ^^ to accommodate rural-urban migrants or local urban poor
housing financial support : developers can lower cost of building house, encouraging more houses, preventing housing shortage (enables developers to sell houses at affordable prices-housing may be out of reach for many without these) [places without provision of housing provision schemes + lack of formal housing will have informal housing settlements—affordability of housing in such areas →low ]