SELF-HELP TRANSFORMATIONS TO LOW-COST HOUSING - INITIAL IMPRESSIONS OF CAUSE, CONTEXT AND VALUE

As public housing ages and is sold to sitting tenants, opportunities arise for the residents to alter and extend (transform) it to suit their requirements more closely Through a review of a rather sparse literature, and a few very small case studies, this article offers initial impressions of this activity through which low-income households supply housing goods Despite its illegality, the phenomenon is seen to provide variety in dwelling size, use, and tenure. The characteristics of transformations, the reasons for them, probable contributory factors to their existence, and some advantages and disadvantages, are explored with reference to cases in countries as widespread as Chile, Egypt, Zambia, and Indonesia.