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INCREMENTAL HOUSING MODELS FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Housing constitutes a fundamental human right and serves as a cornerstone of social stability, economic development, and overall well-being. The United Nations recognizes adequate shelter as essential for dignity, health, and security. However, in many developing countries such as Nigeria, rapid urbanization, population growth, and persistent poverty have exacerbated housing shortages, leaving millions of low-income families in precarious living conditions. Global projections suggest that by 2025, approximately 1.6 billion people will face challenges related to affordable housing, with a significant concentration in sub-Saharan Africa where urbanization rates rank among the highest globally. Nigeria’s housing crisis remains particularly acute, with an estimated deficit of 17-20 million units disproportionately affecting low-income households who frequently resort to informal settlements lacking basic services and tenure security. Incremental housing emerges as a pragmatic response to these challenges, enabling families to build and improve their homes gradually over time in alignment with their financial capacities and evolving needs.

Incremental housing, sometimes termed progressive or self-help building, involves the provision of basic core structures or serviced plots that residents can expand incrementally as resources permit. This approach emphasizes self-construction and phased development, allowing low-income groups to progressively improve their dwellings, often through microfinance loans tailored to specific construction phases. Abubakar (2021) argues that such models align with the livelihood strategies of the urban poor by reducing upfront costs and permitting flexible expenditure, thereby addressing affordability barriers in contexts where formal housing markets fail to serve low-income earners. Unlike traditional top-down approaches that deliver complete housing units at once often financially inaccessible to low-income households incremental housing empowers families to participate in the building process, reducing initial costs while fostering community involvement and adaptability. Hamid and Indriani (2022) illustrate this through Indonesia’s Bantuan Stimulan Perumahan Swadaya program, where non-repayable grants for materials and technical assistance supported self-construction, benefiting approximately 900,000 low-income households between 2020 and 2023 by promoting cultural adaptability and long-term asset accumulation. In Nigeria, where the housing deficit exceeds 20 million units, this approach presents significant potential in addressing the needs of low-income families who form a substantial segment of the urban poor.

Recent scholars underscores the relevance of incremental models in Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states, including Nigeria, where informal settlements proliferate due to rapid urbanization and limited formal financing. Sümer (2024) highlights strategies such as subsidized serviced plots, exemplified by Türkiye’s “Land-First, Then Housing” model, which facilitates affordable and culturally adaptable self-build solutions, offering transferable lessons for OIC nations confronting comparable socio-economic challenges. Within Nigeria, self-help arrangements dominate informal settlements amid governance instability and prohibitive costs. Idoko and Ezeodili (2021) cite initiatives like the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation’s 750-unit Coal City View Estate and collaborative projects delivering 1,000 affordable units as incremental steps toward meeting urban housing demands through participatory and phased development. Alias et al. (2025) advocate for multi-tiered approaches in low-income housing, integrating community-based savings and incremental ownership to bridge affordability gaps. These perspectives align with broader recommendations from UN-Habitat (2023a) and CAHF (2024a), which endorse incremental housing as a means to combat tenure insecurity and climate vulnerability in low-income urban contexts.

This thesis investigates incremental housing models designed for low-income families, drawing on global case studies while emphasizing their applicability in Nigeria. It assesses how such models might mitigate housing deficits, elevate living standards, and contribute to sustainable urban development. With Nigeria’s population projected to approach 400 million by 2050 over half residing in urban areas innovative housing strategies like incremental models become imperative to curb the proliferation of slums and informal settlements. Angel and Lamson-Hall (2020) posit that urban densification strategies, including infill and redevelopment, could expand affordable floor space if incremental growth were permitted in existing areas, particularly in Nigeria’s rapidly expanding cities where peripheral sprawl intensifies service deficits for low-income residents. Enwurum et al. (2020) advocate for market-oriented, polycentric governance to address Nigeria’s 17 million unit deficit through participatory frameworks incorporating self-help principles. Olowe (2020) further stresses the urgency of scalable incremental solutions, given Nigeria’s population trajectory toward 800 million by 2100, to accommodate urban growth without exacerbating poverty and inequality.

The origins of incremental housing can be traced to the post-World War II period, when rapid urbanization in the Global South necessitated a shift from state-led mass housing to self-help strategies. During the 1960s and 1970s, international institutions such as the World Bank promoted “sites and services” programs, wherein governments supplied basic infrastructure roads, water, and sanitation on designated plots, enabling residents to construct dwellings incrementally. This approach acknowledged that low-income households frequently build their homes progressively, utilizing savings, informal labor, and locally sourced materials, thereby alleviating financial pressures on both families and public budgets.

Globally, incremental housing has demonstrated efficacy across diverse contexts. In Chile, the Elemental group’s Quinta Monroy initiative in Iquique furnished partially completed homes that residents could expand, converting informal settlements into organized communities. Parallel efforts in India, exemplified by Charles Correa’s Belapur Incremental Housing in Navi Mumbai, facilitated adaptable, low-cost expansions aligned with residents’ needs, accommodating approximately 600 households through vernacular construction techniques. The Elemental Monterrey project in Mexico similarly provided expandable core units, permitting low-income families to modify dwellings over time. These cases underscore how incremental models enhance affordability, harness household labor, and elevate housing standards without dependence on extensive public subsidies.

Nigeria’s housing landscape exhibits pronounced deficits and disparities. With a population surpassing 217 million in 2022, urban zones accommodate over 54% of Nigerians, exacerbating resource strain and fostering overcrowded informal settlements where more than half the population endures substandard conditions. The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria approximates a shortfall of 28 million units, disproportionately affecting low-income earners predominantly civil servants, informal sector workers, and rural migrants. Historical interventions, including the 1972 National Housing Programme targeting low-income groups, have proved inadequate due to insufficient funding, corruption, and urban-centric allocation biases. In Abia State, particularly within cities like Aba, accelerated urbanization has intensified housing challenges, as prohibitive land costs and restricted financial access impede households from securing adequate shelter.

Critical factors perpetuating Nigeria’s housing crisis encompass rapid urbanization at 4.3% annual growth, pervasive poverty impacting over 40% of citizens, tenure insecurities under the 1978 Land Use Act, escalating construction material expenses (notably cement and steel), and underdeveloped mortgage systems featuring interest rates as steep as 17.5%. These dynamics sustain informal settlements, amplify health hazards, and constrain economic mobility. Incremental housing, bolstered by microfinance and participatory approaches, could mitigate these issues by capitalizing on households’ gradual savings and labor inputs, as evidenced by international precedents.

Key challenges persist despite Nigeria’s macroeconomic expansion, as low-income families confront severe housing scarcities, precipitating congested slums, deficient living environments, and heightened social vulnerabilities. The prohibitive expense of completed units frequently surpassing 60% of disposable income excludes most citizens from formal markets, compelling dependence on informal settlements devoid of essential services. Conventional government policies prioritizing finished dwellings have proven inefficient, plagued by bureaucratic inertia, graft, and misaligned targeting of impoverished demographics. In urban hubs such as Aba, Abia State, these problems compound through migratory influxes, joblessness, and ecological deterioration, fostering public health crises, entrenched deprivation, and insecurity. While incremental housing paradigms have achieved global success, their adoption in Nigeria remains constrained by regulatory obstacles, scarce microcredit, and insufficient infrastructural support.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite Nigeria’s economic growth, low-income families continue to face acute housing shortages, resulting in overcrowded slums, substandard living conditions, and social vulnerabilities. The high cost of complete housing units often exceeding 60% of disposable income excludes the majority from formal markets, forcing reliance on informal settlements lacking basic amenities. Traditional government policies, focused on finished homes, have been inefficient due to bureaucratic delays, corruption, and inadequate targeting of low-income groups.

In urban centers like Aba, Abia State, these issues are amplified by migration, unemployment, and environmental degradation, leading to health problems, perpetuated poverty, and insecurity. Incremental housing models, while successful globally, remain underutilized in Nigeria due to regulatory barriers, limited microfinance, and lack of supportive infrastructure. This gap hinders sustainable solutions, necessitating a study to adapt and promote these models for local contexts.

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The general objective is to investigate incremental housing models as a strategy for providing affordable shelter to low-income families in Nigeria.

Specific objectives include:

1. To analyze the global examples of incremental housing.
2. To examine housing challenges faced by low-income families in Nigeria.
3. To assess the feasibility of implementing incremental models in Nigerian urban areas.
4. To propose a tailored framework for incremental housing policies in Nigeria.

1.5 Research Questions

1. What are the benefits of incremental housing models worldwide?
2. What specific housing challenges do low-income families in Nigeria encounter?
3. How can incremental housing address these challenges in the Nigerian context?
4. What policy recommendations can enhance the adoption of incremental models?

1.6 Significance of the Study

This study contributes to academic discourse on sustainable housing by highlighting incremental models’ potential in developing economies. Practically, it offers policymakers insights for reforming Nigeria’s housing sector, potentially reducing the deficit and improving quality of life for low-income families. It also empowers communities by advocating participatory approaches, fostering economic inclusion and urban resilience.

1.7 Scope and Limitations

The study focuses on urban low-income families in Nigeria, with emphasis on southern regions like Abia State. It relies on secondary data from literature and case studies, limiting primary empirical depth. Time and resource constraints may restrict comprehensive fieldwork, though mitigated by robust analysis.

1.8 Definition of Key Terms

• Incremental Housing: A building process where homes are constructed gradually, starting with core elements and expanding as finances allow.
• Low-Income Families: Households earning below the national minimum wage, often in informal sectors, struggling with basic needs.
• Housing Deficit: The gap between housing demand and supply, measured in unmet units.