For many cities in developing countries, informal housing settlements are one of the biggest challenges resulting from rapid and uncontrolled urbanisation. This development is not always accompanied by the level of per-capita economic growth or housing investment that is observed elsewhere in the world, leading to an increase in informal housing on cheaper and more vulnerable peripheral urban edges.   

Housing is a complex and urgent issue. It has many interconnected parts and brings land rights, security of tenure, service delivery, community participation, financing, job creation, politics, design and planning to the fore.
In this short paper, Simon Ratcliffe draws attention to some of the key issues related to housing in developing countries.