The changing roles of self-help in housing and urban policies, 1950-1996 - Experience in developing countries

Self-help in housing and urban policy development for developing countries has performed various roles in the period 1950 to 1996. The roles have changed partly because policies have changed, requiring different purposes in different contexts. Also, changes reflect some 'learning by doing' experience in self-help. Other characteristics in the experience of self-help include ideological controversy and some selected economic and conceptual misspecification and narrowness. From all this the question arises as to how far the experience with self-help has been socially useful. This paper reviews the experience and the lessons that have been learned.