Tyranny of inappropriate policies: Sharing as housing strategy among middle/low income households in Abuja, Nigeria
文摘
The housing strategies adopted by urban households in a situation of housing shortage in a particular city will often reflect the peculiar circumstances of that city. This paper investigates one strategy – sharing of dwelling units – adopted by some middle/low income households in Abuja, Nigeria's new capital, in a situation of rapidly increasing population, high cost of living and inadequate housing provision. It is found that a combination of factors – the inability of most Abuja residents to secure residential accommodation from the dominant but limited public sector supply, cultural factors, the housing allowance policy of government and the fact that many relocatees to Abuja do not bring their families – have made a good number of households favourably disposed towards sharing, an option which keeps the amount spent on housing low but which, in most cases, completely excludes personal comfort. It is recommended that, since standard estimates of affordability often provide little guidance to policy makers, the appropriate strategy in search of sustainable solutions would be to make available a range of housing packages from which households in Abuja will choose, and to make adjustments to regulatory regimes so as not to constrain the production of housing.