What is housing shortage?

"What is housing shortage?" is the first sub-chapter of Chapter 3, Housing.

Housing Shortage occurs when there is insufficient housing to accommodate the population in an area.

Slums
Slums and Squatter Settlements are densely populated urban areas where residents live in poor quality housing.

Squatter Settlements may have developed without permission from the relevant authorities. As a result, these areas are neglected and often do not receive adequate provision of basic services

Trivia
The difference between slums and squatter settlements is that Slums settle on public land with permission from the government while squatter settlements are settle on unoccupied land without right or title.

Vulnerabilities
{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="3" |

Lack of safe shelter
zinc
 * 1.
 * Not protected from weather elements
 * People without shelters are not protected from bad weather elements such as strong winds and low temperatures
 * 2.
 * Houses in slums have weak foundations
 * Their houses have unstable walls and roofs made of poor quality materials like
 * Houses in slums have weak foundations
 * Their houses have unstable walls and roofs made of poor quality materials like

cardboard

Such houses collapse easily during a natural disaster, such as a flood or earthquake. ! colspan="3" |
 * 3.
 * Vulnerable to fire
 * Construction materials used in slums, such as wood, zinc and cardboard catch fire easily. Houses are not fireproofed and are densely packed together, making the slum prone to a fire outbreak. During a fire, residents of the slums risk losing their property and personal belongings
 * 4.
 * Inaccessible
 * The houses in a slum are built in a dense and disorderly manner. There are narrow paths with limited access for vehicles. During emergencies such as fires or earthquakes, the residents may not be able to evacuate quickly and rescue efforts are also hampered.
 * Inaccessible
 * The houses in a slum are built in a dense and disorderly manner. There are narrow paths with limited access for vehicles. During emergencies such as fires or earthquakes, the residents may not be able to evacuate quickly and rescue efforts are also hampered.

Insufficient basic services

 * 1.
 * lack access to basic services
 * People often lack access to basic services such as electricity, clean water, proper sanitation and waste disposal. This is often due to a lack of infrastructure (power lines, water pipes, toilets and waste management facilities)
 * 2.
 * lack of proper sanitation
 * In a Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya, one toilet is shared by up to 1300 residents. Waste accumulates in the streets and rivers because of the lack of waste disposal facilities
 * 3.
 * Access to water
 * Access to water is irregular because the water piped into the slum is often diverted away by individual residents or private water companies to be sold for profit (refer to Figure 3.6(c)).
 * }
 * Access to water
 * Access to water is irregular because the water piped into the slum is often diverted away by individual residents or private water companies to be sold for profit (refer to Figure 3.6(c)).
 * }

Also see What are the consequences of housing shortage in cities