The challenge of low-income housing quality in Latin American cities: lessons from two decades of housing policies in Bogotá

Abstract

In the 1990s the public entities promoting low-cost housing projects in Colombia disappeared. Instead, the state went on to subsidize the acquisition of new homes built by the private sector with a price cap. In Bogotá, more than 20 years later, after an initial boom in low-cost housing construction by the private sector, production and quality of units has been declining while the number of informal units increase. This paper tries to find the reasons for these limited effects of the change in housing policies. For this, we reviewed quantitative data from different reports of the city and independent organizations over the last 20 years. We found that different governments had contradictory objectives for the sector, such as encouraging the production of formal and informal housing at the same time. In addition, they have set unattainable goals and are now more focused on projects that improve public space in informal settlements than on improving the housing supply.

Keywords:

• Affordable housing
• Bogotá
• demand-side subsidies
• housing policy
• housing deficit
• informality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Data from the results of the Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2018. (Available at https://www.dane.gov.co/index.php/estadisticas-por-tema/demografia-y-poblacion/censo-nacional-de-poblacion-y-vivenda-2018, [Accessed September 2020]).

2 BCV was founded in 1997 as an alliance between the private sector, the media and one of the city’s Universities (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) to improve accountability of local administrations and promote transparency in the results of management. Their ultimate aim is to improve information available to citizens for the election of their local governments. This model has been very successful and has been replicated, first in the main cities of Colombia, and recently in other cities in Latin America. All BCV reports are available at http://www.bogotacomovamos.org/

3 In 2019, one SMLV corresponded to approximately $250 USD.

4 PPs are planning tools akin to the Planned Unit Development (PUD) used in the United States. Their goal is the fair distribution of infrastructure costs and benefits from land valuation between the city and private developers.

5 This information was obtained from the Plan de Desarrollo Distrital 2016–2019 ‘Bogotá Mejor Para Todos’ (p. 569), and data provided by the IDIGER to BCV in 2019.

6 Data provided by the SDHT, Subdirección de Barrios to BCV in 2018.

7 Calculations were made based on SDP, Programación y Seguimiento a la Inversión, available at http://www.sdp.gov.co/gestion-a-la-inversion/programacion-y-seguimiento-a-la-inversion/seguimiento, (Accessed September 2020).

8 Calculations were made based on HDB’s Annual Reports, available at https://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/about-us/news-and-publications/annual-reports (Accessed September 2020).

9 Data from The World Bank available at https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=SG (Accessed September 2020).

10 Data from Invest in Bogotá available at https://en.investinbogota.org/why-bogota/general-facts-and-figures-bogota (Accessed September 2020).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Juan G. Yunda

Juan G. Yunda, Assistant Professor at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota. He holds a PhD in Community and Regional Planning from The University of Texas at Austin, a BA in Architecture from the National University of Colombia and an MSc in Urban Design and Urban Planning from the Bauhaus-Weimar University, and the Tongji University. He is a member of the research group Calidad y Habitabilidad en la Vivienda, and co-editor of the scientific journal Cuadernos de Vivienda y Urbanismo.

Olga Ceballos-Ramos

Olga Ceballos-Ramos, Associate Professor at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota. She holds an MSc in Urbanism and a BA in Architecture and from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She is currently chair of the research group Calidad y Habitabilidad en la Vivienda and Associate Researcher I in Colciencias. She is Main Editor and founder of the scientific journal Cuadernos de Vivienda y Urbanismo.

Milena Rincón-Castellanos

Milena Rincón-Castellanos, Assistant Professor at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota. She is conducting the doctoral program of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. She holds a BA in Architecture and an MSc in Geography from the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia. She is a member of the research group Calidad y Habitabilidad en la Vivienda.