The shortage of adequate housing in cities is an issue around the globe, particularly among developing countries that are rapidly urbanising. The UN estimates that more than one billion people live in slums or informal settlements, 80% of them in Africa and Asia. Globally, three billion people will require adequate and affordable housing by 2030.
Governments, particularly in developing countries, are responding with mass housing programmes built with state money or in partnerships with private developers. The mass housing projects implemented in Europe after the second world war have been emulated in many African, Latin American and Asian countries.
