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A Growing Problem
Poverty Statistics
What is Adequate Housing?
Actions Needed
• Infrastructure
• Investment
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WHAT IS ADEQUATE HOUSING?
Central to the "Right to the City" is the definition of the right to adequate housing, adopted by all United Nations member states in the Habitat Agenda. Member states affirmed their commitment "to the full and progressive realization of the right to adequate housing, as provided for in international instruments" and recognized in this context "an obligation by Governments to enable people to obtain quality housing and to protect and improve dwellings and neighborhoods."
 The Habitat Agenda defines "adequate housing" as "more than a roof over one's head. It also means adequate privacy; adequate space; physical accessibility; adequate security; security of tenure; structural stability and durability; adequate lighting, heating and ventilation; adequate basic infrastructure, such as water supply, sanitation and waste management facilities; suitable environmental quality and health-related factors; and adequate and accessible location with regard to work and basic facilities, all of which should be available at an affordable cost.
Adequate shelter should be determined while keeping in mind the prospect for gradual development. What qualifies as adequate shelter can vary from country to country since it depends on such criteria as cultural, social, environmental and economic factors. Gender and age-specific factors such as the exposure of women and children to toxic substances should also be considered in this context. GHF and UN Habitat set standards for each country that it enters.
Above: New houses in Managua, Nicaragua
Taken by MAC June 2009
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