PEOPLE’S PROCESS OF HOUSING

Lalith Lankatilleke
UN-HABITAT
 PEOPLE’S PROCESS OF HOUSING
• Originated in Sri Lanka in the Million Houses Programme in 1984

• Leadership provided by President Premadasa

• Lessons provided by the People

• Articulated by a group of dedicated Professionals

• Implemented by the NHDA

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 MILLION HOUSES PROGRAMME
• People at the Centre of the process of:

 Decision Making
 Action
 Responsibility

• Supported by the Authorities (NHDA and LGs)

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INNOVATIVE METHODS OF SUPPORT
• Housing Options and Loans Package (HOLP)

• Community Mobilization and Organization

• Community Surveys

• Community Action Planning (CAP)

• Community Contracting

• Community Monitoring

• Community Savings and Credit

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URBAN HOUSING SUB PROGRAMME
• Regularization of Informal Settlements

• Planning through CAP

• Tenure Rights

• Infrastructure through Community Contracting

• Most Importantly People’s Rights to Live in the City

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 MHP’S GLOBAL IMPACT
• UN-HABITAT promoted enabling housing policies throughout out the world

• Shelter for All by Year 2000 UN Resolution sponsored by HE. President

Premadasa adopted the enabling approach

• The world is still far behind achieving this target

• Could we a set new Global Target as Shelter for All by 2025 announced by Hon
Minister Sajith Premadasa?

• Sri Lankan professionals took the message to the world with remarkable success

• Reputed academic institutions like MIT, DPU researched and promoted The
People’s Process.
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 MHP’S GLOBAL IMPACT
• UN-HABITAT implements 85% of its work through Community Contracts

• Successful National Programmes based on the People’s Process:

 Namibia: Build Together National Housing Programme (1992 – to date)

 South Africa: National Housing Programme (1995 – to date)

 Bangladesh: Urban Poverty Alliviation Programme (2000 – to date)

 Thailand: Ban Mekong

 Pakistan: Post Earthquake Housing Reconstruction Programme (2006 – 2011)

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COMMUNITY ACTION PLANNING
SOUTH AFRICA 1995

Context
Nelson Mandela released in 1994
New democratic Govt. established in 1995
80% of cities were shack settlements
Housing for the majority was the main issue

“Constitutions and Policies don’t Build Houses: Deprofessionalizing Planning and Housing and
But People Do” Supporting a People’s Process in Africa:
South African Homeless Federation 1995 Lalith Lankatilleke 1995
SOUTH AFRICA 1995
Housing Subsidy Programme
• Contractors building tiny houses to replace the shacks
• Beneficiaries unhappy with the house provided by the contractors
• Introduced the People’s Process of Housing as an alternative
• Govt adopted the People’s Process in other development programmes

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 PEOPLE’S PROCESS
REALIZATION THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
PAKISTAN 2007
Post Earthquake Rural Housing Reconstruction Programme
• One of the most successful post disaster reconstruction programmes in the
world adopting the People’s Process
• Over 530,000 houses
• Over 530,000 werewere
houses rebuilt in 5inyears
rebuilt 5 years
• Of these 105,000 were built in traditional dhaji construction

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 WHAT HAPPENED IN SRI LANKA IN
THE LAST TWO DECADES?????
• Housing received low priority; piecemeal projects

• Private sector invested in high income housing

• Banks catering to upper middle income groups

• Rural poor investing their own resources for housing

• While the urban poor lived under the treat of eviction, thus not
investing in the improvement of their housing
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 2016: A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO LAUNCH A
PEOPLE’S HOUSING MOVEMENT

“We have to change the lives of people who are living in poverty besides luxury”
HE President Maithripala Sirisena 29 January 2016

“A Modern Economy is nothing without its people”

Hon. Prime Minister, Ranil Wickramasighe

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 CONTEXTUALIZING THE NEW OPPORTUNITY
• A government committed to restore the rights of marginalized people

• Four Pillars of the Megapolis Guiding Principles:

 Economic Growth and Prosperity

 Social Equity and Harmony
 Environmental Sustainability
 Individual Happiness

• Goal 4 of the Megapolis Plan: Smart Livable Places

• Chapter 6 of Megapolis Plan on Housing: Regeneration of Underserved Areas

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 LAUNCHING A
PEOPLE’S HOUSING MOVEMENT

Where do we start?

• The Platform for the People’s Housing Movement has been created

• Start with NHDA assets: technical skills, land and infrastructure

• Transform into a pro-people’s organization

• Establish strong partnerships with the state sector and the private sector

• Design the programme with people, local governments and the private sector
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 CURRENT PROBLEM
• Majority of urban poor lives on state land in poor and unsatisfactory
housing conditions

• People living without rights and rudimentary services

• Potentials of people cannot be realized due to the absence of a

programme to support people to improve their living conditions

• Potentials of land assets cannot be realized due lack of responsive

financial system

• Inadequate supply of affordable housing for urban lower middle

income families
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 RESOURCES AND COMMITTMENTS

• Social Capital from people’s energy to improve their lives

• Land that can generate the capital required

• Capital from local and international financial institutions

• Political commitment to bestow people’s rights

• Institutional commitment, technical know-how and enthusiasm

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 ACTIONS REQUIRED

1. Building Social Capital through mobilization of people

2. Sourcing Financial Capital from financial institutions

3. Optimizing the use of Land for people and urban regeneration

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 PRINCIPLES
• Recognize the rights of people to location where they have been living

• Ensure equity amongst all

• Placing people at the center of decision making and action

• Creating social mobility by allowing people to exercise choices regarding

where to live, how to use funds and how to source income

• Transparency in the utilization of all resources

• Planning to ensure mixed development across income groups, livelihood

opportunities and commercial and service sector activities

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RESOURCE & SUPPORT
PEOPLE
FRAMEWORK FOR Social capital
Mobilisation
Organisation
REGENERATION Savings

LAND MONEY
State x private sector
Financial institutions
Regeneration
State
Readjustment
Families
Mixed development
through planning

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PRIMARY PEOPLE

RESOURCE Motivation
Energy
Creativity
Bonding

SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATION
CAPITAL TO SOCIAL CAPITAL

Mobilisation
Organisation
Groups
Community Development Councils
Savings and credit
Planning
Action for their own development 22 - 27
SECONDARY LAND

RESOURCE
State
People
Private sector

OPTIMISATION
THROUGH Use value for people
PLANNING & Market value to raise capital

DESIGN
Readjustment
Mixed use of housing and
commercial for a ranging of
income groups, offices and
services 23 - 27
TERTIARY MONEY

RESOURCE Financial institutions

(local and international)
State
Families
REALISATION
THROUGH
FINANCIAL Affordability
Accessibility
MECHANISMS

Savings
Loans
Cross-subsidies
Rent
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 COMPONENTS OF THE
URBAN HOUSING PROGRAMME

① Urban Regeneration through planning land readjustment for mixed uses

② Upgrading underserved settlements with improved infrastructure, additional

living and commercial space

③ Incentivizing rental housing by the state, private sector and individual families

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SYNERGY OF RESOURCES

Human Corporate
Capital Capital

Social State
Capital Capital

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"

“No matter how many times a spider's web is torn down by wind and rain,
the spider repeatedly rebuilds its web with exquisite efficiency and
precision, for the spider has the freedom to build; no bureaucrats and
professionals standing in the way"
Lalith Lankatilleke

Thank You

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