ICA Housing Co-operatives Habitat II:Innovative Approaches to Co-operative Solutions of Housing Problems of the Poor-Case studies from member-organisations

Abstract

In many countries housing co-operatives are an important factor in shelter politics. Government recognise them as relevant partners in order to overcome obstacles in housing supplies. This is especially due to their great achievements in the past, but also to their response the challenges of the future. Therefore shelter politics involve housing co-operatives as partners. In 1996 the Second UN Conference on Human Settlements held in Istanbul and known as HABITAT II it was decided that all possible efforts should be made to improve the housing situation and the living conditions of the growing number of poor families, living in substandard, illegal and semi-legal shelter, without security of tenure, with low, uncertain and irregular income, poor health due to malnutrition and lack of access to clean water and bad hygienic conditions due to absence of even a minimum of infrastructure.