Do you live in a proper place? By “proper”, means your house is quite large and is close to public facilities. If so, you are luckier than most people all around the world. This is because not all can get appropriate access to good shelter. As such, the issue of citizen housing remains present in the majority of the world.
Having a comfortable house is among the factors that contribute to one’s good life. A house can guarantee better physical health thanks to the clean air and water. In addition, owning a positive neighbourhood will boost the quality standard of living. This article will talk about citizen housing in general and the rights of all people to get a place where their hearts can reside comfortably.
What is citizen housing?
Citizen housing means a group of lodgings that are inhabited by some individuals or families in certain areas. Besides physical houses, the residential complex also has public facilities, such as parks, parking lots, churches, and health offices. Hence, the housing is not only for staying but also for mingling with the others.
Another vital factor in citizen housing is safety. It’s almost impossible to live well in a specific complex if criminal cases often occur. Most likely, the dwellers in that place will move somewhere where they don’t have to overthink about the safety of their families. Creating safe residences requires collaboration between the residents and the government as the regulator.
Living in housing
Staying in housing means sharing a vast space with other people, mostly known as neighbours. Nowadays, this doesn’t necessarily refer to the traditional physical house with a roof on top of each of the houses. Apartments, condominiums, and temporary shelters can all be called housing. Those dwelling types are mostly common in big cities where space becomes a huge factor.
Citizen housing is one of the basics of human rights. Every country has its own regulations to ensure all of its citizens live in decent lodgings and in harmony with their neighbours. The social bonds among the residents determine the condition of their well-being. Positive surroundings can boost the mental and physical health of the dwellers. On the contrary, bad neighbours can cause a headache.
Problems and solutions on citizen housing
It is easier said than done when talking about providing suitable shelters for all citizens in any given country. Both developing and rich countries are facing problems with citizen housing due to the gradual decrease of the available vacant lands. As more and more people move to cities, the price of decent houses is getting out of reach for most people.
Citizen housing is such a crucial issue that every nation has its own ministry or special task force to address it. They launch policies that are different to those of other countries. Meanwhile, the following lists the challenges arising from the aspect and the typical solutions as your insights.
Limited land
The number one problem in citizen housing is the lack of space. The population is continuously increasing. New babies are born every day all over the world, but the land keeps decreasing. As hinted above, this matter mostly happens in cities as the places offer more opportunities for earning more money than in rural areas.
Thus, people flock to the towns and then fight for whatever vacant spaces are available to live in. The solution for this matter is providing apartments, including special prices for elderly or low-income earners. However, this doesn’t always solve the problem because not all can afford to rent or even purchase an apartment unit.
Skyrocketing buying price
It’s such a rarity that residential prices go down. Pricing is one of the citizen housing issues that comes from the unmatched demand and supply. Shortage of land can’t answer the growing demand from the public. The price soars because only a small amount of people can buy it.
For this matter, countries typically set a low benchmark of interest rates. This policy expects banks to charge more affordable interest rates for customers borrowing money to purchase houses. Some banks opt not to set specific down payment for the potential buyers and then shortly install the payment.
Expensive rent cost
Space rental is very common, including in the UK. The scheme hopes to overcome the problems in citizen housing, especially for the low-income category. Even then, rental costs in cities keep adjusting to the rising land prices. Those with unchanged monthly income find it so hard to keep up with the inflation.
As a result, many choose to share their rented spaces. This is to divide the costs while still affording to live in sites near their offices. The scheme gives a business idea for apartment developers who later promote two-bedroom units. Such an option is a good one for two people or a family of two or three.
Poor living condition
Overcrowded citizen housing is another problem that arises from shared living space. When too many people occupy a tight area, they can’t breathe enough fresh air. Too much noise in the same space may cause some feelings of discomfort. Such issues can’t be taken for granted because they can lower physical and emotional health.
Housing developers and governments come up with the idea of providing more green spaces. The citizens can make use of the public gardens or sports facilities to recharge their minds for free. Some apartments have hanging gardens or rooftop ones to enable the customers to chill without leaving the buildings.
Lack of investment in social housing
Social housing refers to state-owned or non-profit foundations that rent houses at cheaper fees compared to commercial rental. This can actually help many people who can’t afford to pay private rentals. These social landlords don’t really chase higher profits for the scheme. The idea hasn’t fully materialised yet because not many countries invest properly in this citizen housing option.
In the UK, the shortage of socially rented homes causes a housing crisis. A lot of individuals have to live in less secure shelters with high fees that consume a large portion of their earnings. Homeless children are not something new nowadays. The public thus demands that the government add more budget to social housing.
Study deeper on citizen housing with CCM
The topic of citizen housing is such an interesting study, both in terms of extra insights and academic competency. This deals with the importance of proper living conditions for every citizen. The theme will keep resurfacing; hence, it is worthy of being a serious study subject.
At the College of Contract Management, citizen housing is among the issues that take serious place in the fields of buildings, architecture and site management. The experts of this e-learning platform invite the students, including you, to understand the core of this matter and how it impacts the design and such things.
You can check other courses that touch upon the topic by contacting them. Under the guidance of the teachers, you can put the lessons into practice. Current issues regarding this will surely not be missed during the classes. Come and join the training courses, and then start applying the knowledge.
