Is the provision of housing still a major issue?
An evidence-based approach in a housing planning context could be seen as the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions for the delivery of adequate housing. In Barbados, it is postulated that this tool will be critical to the future formation of housing policy and the communities that are the physical result of those policies.
Based on the 2013 Census, Barbados has approximately 94 173 buildings in use in some form of housing accommodation. However, it is still fair to say that the island has some way still to go in meeting the demand for shelter based on high application rates with both the Government housing provider and private operators.
The issue is, therefore, how do we meet this demand in the context of issues such as limited land space, spiralling construction costs, the willingness or ability of persons to pay and the need to address various environmental issues. Planning where and how we live is vital and critical to the socio-economic fabric of Barbados and the wider Caribbean.
Bad housing makes for at risk communities which in turn allows for a national malaise to arise. Evidence based planning is not a new concept and has been around from biblical times. The issue facing Barbados is how to use the tool to produce plans that not only create adequate housing, but robust communities that are environmentally resilient.
It has been accepted that housing policy has a strong political input. On gaining power in 2008, the Democratic Labour Party set out to utilise the pledges in its manifesto as part of the strategies for housing policy. This policy was situated in a context of improving access to property ownership. This is a strong pillar given the emphasis over the years that Barbadians have placed on land and home ownership. In fact, the 2010 national census points out that of 62 496 occupied housing units, 44 177 (or 70 per cent) were on owned lands. Furthermore, the census also revealed that 74 per cent of the occupied units in the country were owned.
An examination of the evidence helps us understand where we are and what the future policy interventions should be, especially in terms of social housing provision.
In the context of the finite nature of the land resource, the environmental issues arising from vacant lots and the lag in economic benefits, the large creation of vacant lots is not sustainable.
A dwelling per hectare standard of at least 35 houses per hectare should be pursued for social housing or any other shelter provision projects.
Rental accommodation is an important part of housing provision. These solutions should focus on the urban areas as part of a broader urban regeneration effort.
Again higher density buildings should be utilised on derelict sites. The aim is to have easy access to services thereby keeping the cost of construction down.
An evidence based approach is vital to the provision of sustainable housing in Barbados. This approach helps set out a rational system based on results and rapid responses to a changing environment.
This approach can achieve significant political buy-in because it is pragmatic and can significantly improve the quality and quantity of housing available. If this approach is utilised the provision and delivery of housing in Barbados should be greatly enhanced.
Information taken from a National Housing Corporation presentation made at a Caribbean Urban Forum meeting.
