Outcomes of Community Participation in Housing Development : An Update Review

Abstract

Community participation has been identified as one of the most productive approach to empowering the ‘poorest and most vulnerable people’ in the move towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 11, with mandate to ‘provide opportunity for all people to housing that is safe, adequate, and affordable with basic services as well as to upgrade slums’. In this exploratory study, some 54 materials were reviewed comprising of books, journals, conference papers as well as published reports, on the subject matter of Community Participation. Based on their respective contents, the materials were first classified into different Areas of Study. Levels of participations were also established following conclusions and recommendations by the respective authors. Categorical outcomes were finally obtained from the reviewed materials as either positive or negative. It was however deduced that while bulk of publications on the subject matter of Community participation were in the area of Housing, at a collaborative Level of Partnership, just as over 70% of researchers reported positive outcomes of participatory projects. In conclusion, community participation in housing development is seen to be most effective at the highest level of empowerment, as the minor Discriminant Function, agree with the position of most scholars. It is therefore recommended that authorities of government as well as multi-national organisations should seek Partnership with local communities, not just for economic concerns, but with sincere motive of empowering the people for effective social production of their built environments.