Affordability and Housing Preferences for New Urban Housing Projects

A fundamental change in the planning and delivery of new housing projects has taken place in the last years, with the focus shifting towards adding value to projects based on a better understanding of housing preferences. In the Latin American region the importance of improving the quality of life in new social housing projects has become in the last years a major concern, due to the poor quality of the products offered and the low acceptance by the population. The approach of this book is based in a new paradigm of research, the trans-disciplinary approach for investigating housing affordability, covering and crossing the fields of different disciplines and including the participation of different actors in the housing process. This research focuses in the development of a simulation tool, for modelling costs, prices, quality and housing preferences for providing more successful and affordable new housing projects. This book should be especially helpful for professionals in the fields of housing and urban development, sociologists, economists, housing and urban planners, concerned industries, business, governmental and non-governmental organizations.