The housing deficit in Latin America is equivalent to just over half of all current homes. However, the severity of the housing problem varies greatly within the region: between countries, within countries and within cities.
Latin American countries tend to have worse housing conditions than the rest of the continent, and living conditions are typically worse in rural areas. Also, the form of the housing problem varies from place to place. For example, levels of home ownership and availability of services vary considerably from city to city. Despite the serious problems facing the region, and despite the consensus that refugee conditions are generally deteriorating, there are some signs of hope. The home ownership rate has increased dramatically in most cities over the last four decades. An example of the progress made can be seen in Latin America and the Caribbean, the achievement of remarkable progress for millions to overcome the poverty line in the last decade. To a large extent, this decline in poverty was made possible by the economic growth that has flourished in the region.
– In Mexico, it is considered that 57.5% of inhabited dwellings have been produced or self-built.
– In terms of production, housing created by a community and with regional elements is 39% cheaper.
– Likewise, they generate 64% less CO2 emissions in the transfer of endemic materials.
The World Bank-GFDRR report “Investing in Urban Resilience” recommends that municipal governments promote local policies that foster resilience. For Latin America and the Caribbean, actions to transform urban risk into resilience is a big step towards building safer cities. The effort of the World Bank and other development partners to integrate disaster risk management in programs and projects to improve precarious neighborhoods that favor more affordable housing for all is also added. What has allowed the housing model to work, as imperfectly as it is, is a society that has adopted certain decent codes of behavior. These include a fairly honest and efficient civil service, a tax system that has fewer loopholes than most, a political system that maintains some degree of continuity both within and between administrations, and a reasonable system for identifying those living in poverty.