Analysis of the criteria for adequate housing for affordable housing to low-income population

Abstract

There are many settlements in the country inhabited mostly by low-income families. The objective of this work is to point out the forms of housing provision accessible to the low-income population and to investigate whether the housing obtained can be considered adequate according to the concept presented by the United Nations (UN). To achieve its objective, this research uses a narrative bibliographic review as methodology. It presents the concepts of adequate housing as well as the conceptualization of housing provision, dealing with the forms of informal provision, through self-construction and irregular occupation of urban land. It also considers the formal provision by the government, highlighting the Minha Casa Minha Vida Program (PMCMV). In the results and discussions, the forms of housing provision accessible to the low-income population are analyzed in relation to the factors that adequate housing should offer. It can be concluded that the positive highlights of the informal housing provision reside in the factors related to the housing unit itself, such as cultural adequacy and affordability, however, this housing mode does not meet more critical criteria such as habitability, infrastructure and security of tenure. On the other hand, the formal provision, represented by the PMCMV, despite having flaws mainly related to the housing unit, meets the most critical criteria, representing an increase in safety and health of the residents.