SDG 11 — Safe and affordable housing

Written by Chanchal, class 11 (India) & Priyanshi, class 12 (India)

This article is part of our 2020 Sustainable September Campaign. This article is written by student participants of the School of Active Citizenship Young Leaders Policy Lab (YLPL) programme. Read more about the campaign here!

Sustainable Development Goal 11 — Sustainable Cities & Communities
Target 1 — By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

Introduction
A world in which only a few can afford housing is not sustainable. Everyone deserves a safe place to live and it can transform the quality of life of individuals and families. Today, however, most cities around the world are facing major challenges in providing safe and adequate housing for their people, especially cities that are growing rapidly and where the affordable housing options are limited.

Even those who earn steady wages are unable to buy or rent affordable housing. Rents remain alarmingly high and out of line with incomes forcing many to pay more than 50% of their income each month on housing. Key workers such as teachers, police officers, firefighters and nurses cannot afford to live near the communities they serve, instead having to bear the costs — in time and money — of community.

What do we really know about the human condition amongst the urban poor? To what extent do conditions and living experiences vary?

While cities are the generators of the nation’s wealth and income, there are large sections of the poor in cities, especially slum dwellers who are bypassed in the process of growth. According to the census of 2011, nearly one in every six urban Indian residents lives in a slum. The backlog and current needs of the poor, including slum-dwellers will have to be addressed along with those from future urban growth so as to prevent the conditions that led to the mushrooming of slums and haphazardly grown cities in the past.

Housing conditions in slums are largely inadequate and problems include insecure tenure, overcrowding and lack of basic services. Tenure insecurity and urban poverty are two sides of the same coin. While it is empirically evident that it is mainly the poor rural migrants who are forced into informal, even illegal land settlements, it is also true that tenure insecurity itself powers the vicious cycle of poverty. The insecurity of tenure and the associated poverty reinforces social exclusion and leads to squatters and slum settlements.

The slums are not a place of despair. Its inhabitants are all working towards a better life

Millions of homeless people and those living in informal settlements across Asia are at heightened risk of contracting the coronavirus due to their dire living conditions.

The coronavirus has infected about 12.5 million people worldwide and killed more than 560,000 people according to a Reuters tally.

While the data does not show how many lived in slums, the high density of settlements and meagre facilities raises their vulnerability, said Cecilia Tacoli, a researcher at the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development.

“Given that new infectious diseases will likely continue to spread rapidly into and within cities, low-income settlements need more effective infrastructure,” she said.

Globally, about 1.8 billion people live in inadequate housing and homelessness, according to the United Nations.

While hand-washing is a basic precaution against the coronavirus, about 40% of the world’s population do not have facilities with water and soap at home, according to UNICEF here, the U.N.’s children’s fund.

Survey 2020 (India)
A survey found that around 87% of people living in urban areas consider that sanitation facilities are the major problem faced by people in urban slums and problems like lack of clean drinking water and security of tenure follows.

The main purpose of conducting this survey was to find the most affected problem faced by the people. Another significant problem found was the overcrowding. The most effective method to reduce the problem of overcrowding can be to educate people about the need of family planning and also to make effective and efficient use of the space available for living.

Slum rehabilitation projects have proven to be one of the most effective methods to improve and upgrade the conditions of the urban slums.

While the government has been busy building affordable housing and promoting the concept, one cannot afford to overlook the ginormous problem that lies ahead in the form of slums. What can be done to clean up cities while new and better homes are being built?

It is important to change the thought process of the people first. It has been seen that the urban population avoids staying in the same compound with the under-privileged. Also, slum-rehabilitation projects which have reservations for the economically weaker section have minimal amenities and facilities for them as compared to those offered to regular buyers.

One of the recent examples of such mindset is when the Delhi Development Authority announced to offer vacant homes at Rohini to slum dwellers under a rehabilitation scheme, other residents threatened to go to court over this.

Local governments should consider providing a legitimate solution to the poor. Most of the time, it is seen that the rehabilitation takes place at a location which is far away from the core areas and employability is zero. Instead of forced evictions, authorities should plan an in-situ upgrading approach. No one wants to live in homes which are insufficient for family needs and just have a concrete roof over their head.

Conclusion
To rehabilitate the marginalised, the government should offer them areas where they can stay within the community and not in isolated projects and societies. Offering safe and secure land titles should also be on the consideration list of the government to ensure that the settlement isn’t disturbed in the future. If the existing homes are being upgraded, municipal authorities should upgrade the provisions from time to time. Easy financing and leasing options at affordable interest rates for upgrading, building and extension of the existing shelter should be made available. It is important for the government to change the image and perception of cities. For instance, instead of perceiving Mumbai as Shanghai, a “Better Mumbai” can be used.

New methods of creating land supply should be tried. Freeing up the unused land lying with government institutions can be used to create affordable homes.

What we can do on an individual level:
1- Educate people living in slums about how to maintain hygiene and proper sanitisation

2- Call upon the government to provide basic necessities required by the people living in slums.

3- Be accepting in modifications to urban areas to accommodate newcomers.

Chanchal is a class 11 student, graduated from Jai Hing English School, Pune. She wants to serve her country and bring a change to people’s lives by eradicating the inequalities that exist across the region.

Priyanshi is a class 12 student at Amity International School, Gurgaon, Haryana. She is passionate about creating awareness amongst people and normalising LGBTQ+. She also believes that working towards sustainability in all spheres is the key to a liveable future.

NOTE:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely by the author(s) and do not represent that of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
Copyright © 2020.