The shortage of housing in big cities can cause severe consequences. Only government action can solve this problem. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

 The shortage of housing in big cities can cause severe consequences. Only government action can solve this problem.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The shortage of housing in big cities can cause severe consequences.

 

I agree 

• The state has the jurisdiction to bring laws to change the use of land within boundaries of cities. 

• They also enjoy the privilege of taking decisions about expansion of the residential areas to suburbs 

• They have the resources - monetary and logistical - to see such programs through 

I disagree 

• Citizens can also play a part in this; converting their single storeyed houses into multiple floors by taking permissions. 

• They can form forums and form public opinion to force authorities to   spring into action 

• The corporate - builders and other organization - can also take part in this, and develop residential areas. 

 

There is a common perception that only policy makers are having the capability of finding solutions to the crisis caused by paucity(shortage) of residential units in urban locales. This notion, however, is challenged by several quarters.

Undeniably,  governments are vested with the powers to enact laws to afford benefits to citizens. On a similar note, they can create provisions to affect changes in bye-laws governing the land use. For example, in cities like Delhi, when the authorities realized that inhabitants were facing a steep scarcity of residential units, and prices and rents of property were spiraling out of control, they sprang into the action and responded by dismantling old low-rise housing units and converting certain commercial areas with derelict buildings into the residential ones. Such undertakings helped in mitigating the issue upto a certain level.

Similarly, regimes also enjoy the jurisdiction of developing residential areas on the outer fringes and in suburbs that can help ease the burden of population on urban areas. This task requires involvement of multitude of infrastructural development and expertise that can exclusively be arranged by the state. Sub-cities like Gurugram, Dubai, Goyang and Montpellier, to name a few, are some of the successful examples of initiatives taken by the local governing bodies.

Nevertheless, although not supported by a strong rationale, some suggest that this task is not the lone responsibility of politicians, even citizens can play a role by forming forums to foster public opinion and force urban planners to create policies that can aid in arranging more and more accommodations for urbanites.  

To recap, controversies apart, only the state machinery has the competence to provide efficient and bespoke solutions for this monumental challenge as  piecemeal efforts and initiatives are likely to culminate into a chaos. ‘