Exploring Housing Supply and Designing Policies for Low-Incomes; Providing New Policy Frameworks for the Current Situation in Iran

Problem statement: 

In reaction to the deficiency of policymaking, housing planning and urban development, housing poverty and the formation of slums are increasing and low-income housing has become one of the main challenges in the urban planning system. In the meantime, the separation of centralized and mostly government-based housing policies from local policies and urban development plans is a fundamental issue in this regard, which has led to many problems in accessing affordable housing for low-income groups. The increasing trend of informal settlements and the acceleration of housing poverty also indicate that the housing policy in Iran does not respond to the current demand for low-income housing.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the pathology of previous policies for the provision and design of housing in Iran and the offer of a new policy framework according to Iran’s conditions.

In this research, based on the quality approach and the various tools such as content analysis of documents, plans, and existing statistics, we have evaluated policies for the provision and design of low-income housing in the world and Iran. With the pathology of the current condition, new policy frameworks according to the situation of Iran are presented. Solving the issue of low-income housing needs to the local policies, rather than the same pattern and policy and centralized government-based intervention. The local policies are formed by the participation of residents and the urban development process and are influenced by the socio-cultural and economical characteristics of local communities.

The results of this research reveal the need for national housing policymaking integration with local politics and urban plans. Since housing demand is directly related to the urban economy and the provision of employment opportunities, it is necessary to consider the various dimensions of urban planning and housing provision and design programs concerning each other.