De modo general, la existencia de una política de vivienda se fundamenta en la identificación de un determinado conjunto de situaciones concretas que afectan a individuos, grupos y poblaciones y que pueden ser descritas, en un sentido específico, como expresión o indicador de la presencia de necesidades habitacionales insatisfechas. Por supuesto, la observación de tales necesidades se relaciona con distintos tipos de diagnósticos, entre los que se incluye la carencia absoluta de vivienda, pero también diferentes modalidades inadecuadas o deficitarias de acceso a vivienda, entre las que se cuenta la disponibilidad insegura o no exclusiva de vivienda, así como también el acceso a viviendas que no cumplen con estándares mínimos o socialmente deseados de calidad. Reconociendo esta pluralidad de situaciones, es correcto señalar que la problemática habitacional no se reduce exclusivamente a un asunto de cantidad de viviendas, sino que implica aportar al desarrollo de condiciones que habiliten el acceso seguro, oportuno, exclusivo y equitativo a viviendas adecuadas para todos aquellos grupos e individuos que manifiestan algún tipo de necesidad.

Social Investment Funds have been a favoured instrument of International Finance Institutes for more than twenty years. Originally used as a tool to mitigate against the affects of structural readjustment policies on the poor; Social Investment Funds have emerged as a successful mechanism to fast-track community-based projects on the ground.

This report provides an overview of the Social Investment Funds and their projects which have been implemented in Asia, Latin and Central America, Eastern Europe and Africa since the 1980s.

This evaluation of social housing finance in Europe is placed in the context of the purpose of social housing, the sources of funds and the institutions that are used for provision. The effectiveness of social housing finance systems and the transferability of European approaches to other countries, particularly the developing world, are discussed. 

The analysis shows that an examination of the appropriate standards for decent housing and the barriers to market sector institutions meeting housing needs can usefully be investigated before alternative new institutions are created. If existing institutions are judged to be capable of delivery but financial incentives are inadequate, the focus should be on the best form of incentives. The use of a contractual form of provision is seen as a useful means of tying incentives to supply and potentially promoting good value for money.

It is argued that the European experience shows that housing finance that supports low income households is likely to involve a subsidy and that some form of subsidy and thus some form of transfer of resources into social housing will be needed if social housing is to have a social purpose that includes meeting housing needs as opposed to satisfying housing demand.

The Community Development Fund in Thailand has showed to be a very powerful development tool to address urban poverty and affordable housing at a national scale. The Community Development Fund model supports poor communities in organizing savings groups and improves their capacity to manage their fund or the loans for community development activities.

It is a mechanism that enables urban poor organizations to tap into resources directly by building up their own capacities and allows communities to decide and design various development activities. This publication documents the experience of the Community Development Fund through the evolution, operation and management of the Urban Community Development Office and later the Community Organizations Development Institute.

It illustrates the practices and performance of the projects funded by the Community Development Fund, through the case studies of the Baan Mankong Upgrading Program and the Ruam Samakee Project.

This Guide to Municipal Finance describes the current issues in municipal finance and the ways in which local governments finance services and infrastructure. It sets out a basic economic framework that is used to evaluate the different aspects of municipal finance and that can be used by readers to evaluate other options.

The Guide emphasizes that responsible, accountable, and efficient local governments need to raise their own revenues as much possible, adhere to an open and visible municipal budgetary process, and engage in transparent and prudent financial management.

This report examines one of the main innovations and trends in community-based housing finance initiatives - the Community Mortgage Programme in Philippines. The Community Mortgage Programme in Philippines is an innovative financing scheme that aims to realize the dreams of housing ownership among the lowest income sector of the society and to help informal settlers to gain security of land tenure and housing tenure.

The programme was launched in 1988 and has evolved into a flagship programme of the Philippines government in low income housing. This report presents the details of the Community Mortgage Programme, assesses its performance as a housing finance programme for the poor and examines the implementation problems. It also discusses the replicability of the Community Mortgage Programme in other countries facing the similar housing problems.

This report examines urbanization rates in Tanzania and its impacts on housing provision.

It also reviews the different settlement upgrading projects carried out by the government, NGOs and other stakeholders that were aimed at improving the lives and working conditions of the majority of people living in informal settlements.