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Is Brazil Truly a Latin American Social Housing Leader?
Extreme poverty levels have decreased by over 50 percent since 2003 as a result of several initiatives across Brazil. In the housing sector, the most notable effort was the 2009 launch of Minha Casa, Minha Vida (My House, My Life) – aimed at constructing new homes while simultaneously creating objectives to cease the presence of insalubrious living conditions that have long characterized the country. The program has subsequently become a template for progress in global BoP housing sector, but a closer look at the facts reveals another story…
- Categories
- Finance, Uncategorized
- Tags
- housing, infrastructure
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An Entrepreneur’s View: WorldHaus, A Prototype for Progress in Global Housing
After months of planning and securing the prototype location in the outskirts of Chennai, India, we were ready to build in late summer of 2011. We begin our first housing development next month and aim to build over 500 houses by the end of the year.
- Categories
- Finance, Uncategorized
- Tags
- housing, rural development
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Announcing Our New E-book: THE Big IDEA: Global Spread of Affordable Housing
Our affordable housing series from late 2011 was a special project, and we wanted to do something special to match it. So, along with our Content Partner Ashoka, we’re excited to announce the publication of our new e-book: The BIG IDEA: Global Spread of Affordable Housing.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
- Tags
- housing, social enterprise
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NexThought Monday, Guest Post: Facing the Challenges of BoP Housing in Brazil
Despite a commendable 50 percent reduction in extreme poverty levels since 2003, a cohesive low income housing strategy to eliminate an officially defined deficit of 6.7 million is severely lagging. We believe the Fez Tá Pronto Construction System presents a genuine and very necessary globally applicable paradigm shift.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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Best Ideas of 2011: Understanding Three Affordable Housing X-Factors
I spent most of 2011 in Pakistan working at Ansaar Management Company on affordable housing projects in the flood-affected areas. Reflecting on the year, there are three distinct lessons that stand out. I call them X-Factors; lessons that, if understood broadly, could make a significant difference in the way in which housing is provided for all.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
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Jane Goodall and Affordable Housing
Can we build affordable housing for all in our lifetime? The authors in this series say YES ? but. Old patterns in the housing value chain can’t continue as government action, public policy or business as usual. A new ?housing ecosystem? is needed to catalyze breakthroughs, support cross-sector collaborations and create sustainable solutions.
- Categories
- Investing, Uncategorized
- Tags
- housing
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Affordable Housing for All – In Our Lifetime
In order to fix broken affordable housing value chains, each player needed to move from a mindset where they were competing for a limited ?wallet share, to one in which multiple players ? each with different assets to make the wallet actually expand in size - came together in significant and increasing numbers to overcome major obstacles.
- Categories
- Finance, Uncategorized
- Tags
- housing
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Housing Series: Empowering an Urban Community After Disaster
Communities like Simon-Pel? present many challenges, all magnified by the 2010 earthquake. Habitat for Humanity Haiti used a community-based enumeration (survey) process aimed to help the community take stock of its resources, prioritize its needs and develop action plans. The surveys and focus groups are tools for building more than housing.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- housing