Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills

for Timor-Lestes Development:

An Opportunity for Dialogue
Dili - July 2011

Housing Issues

Pedro Damio Henriques Vanda Narciso

pdamiao@uevora.pt vandanarciso@gmail.com
Concept of housing
What we mean when we used the term housing?
What function a house performs?
What attributes should have a good house?

Housing as investment
Housing as private family home ...

Housing as HUMAN RIGHT

 Housing as Human Right

right of all to a secure place to live in peace and dignity

(CESCR)

Substance of the right to adequate housing

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
SECURE LAND TENURE
AFFORDABLE
HABITABILITY (housing conditions)
AVAILABILITY
ACCESSIBLE to all (including vulnerable groups)
PROXIMITY to services
CULTURAL ADEQUACY
Housing

Housing satisfies people's fundamental need for shelter;

It is a place where individuals can enjoy privacy, sleep,

eat and keep possessions.

The land housing category provides space for urban

and rural housing with different shapes, dimensions and
materials;

Timor-Leste traditional housing architecture is very rich

in terms of design and materials and provides individuals
with a key means for expressing their identity = cultural
service.
 Main profiles of Timor-
Leste traditional houses.
Source: Cinatti et al.
1987
Roof details
Traditional housing
Traditional Housing
Traditional housing is very important in terms of Memory and
Cultural Legacy and has a strong contribution to the construction of
the Identity;

Should be preserve and improved in stead of destroy and pure

substition;

Public and semi-public policies should promote the modernization

of traditional houses, adapting it to the needs and confort of the
21st;

Otherwise, the traditional house will become soon only Folk!

Housing
and well-being
Two main aspects: whether or not occupants own
their home and housing conditions.

The majority of the rural population own their house

and have secure tenure of it, even if it is in an informal
way once a land law is not yet in force.
Housing conditions are generally very poor

piped water private toilet electricity

% % supply %
Rural areas 40 14 10
Urban areas 50 58 74
Housing conditions in Letefoho
Small sample of coffee producers (86)

60,5%, Bambum house

84,9% of the houses have cho de terra (not paved)
The source of the energy to cook for all of them is woodfire
The lighting at night: 79,1% lampio a petrleo, 19,8% solar panel
and 1 house has access to electricity;
Sorces of water: 81,4%, watershed, 11,6% water from fontenrio
and 7,0% have pipide water
In all cases the water do not have any tretament
There is no treatment for domestic waste 80,2% just put them
on soil and 19,8% burn it
5,8% have TV and 89,5% have rdio
Housing and well-being

The housing use of land contributes to the basic

material for a good life through the provision of living
space, ranging from isolated houses to large urban
areas.

Housing is closely linked to the security and to the

Basic material for good life

Housing is also linked with the health component since

poor housing conditions have a direct relationship with
health problems such as mental illness, accidents, and
respiratory diseases.

Housing is closely linked to the good social relations.

Housing, Rights and
Millenium Development Goals
The issues of adequate housing cut across several
Goals (i.e. to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger,
promote gender equality and empower women, develop
a global partnership for development);

Goal 7. Ensure environmental sustainability

Right to live in a healthy and safe environment;
Right to water access;
Right to housing;
Right to live in dignity.
What to do to contribute to the
realisation of the right to adequate
Housing?
How to improve the housing conditions?

What can each of us (Gov., Civil society, Citizens ) to

do?

What kind of social housing programme are more

appropriate to Timor-Leste, if any?

How to move forward?

Common impediments hinder progress towards
improving housing for poor and low-income
households

Low levels of economic growth

Absent or inappropriate housing policies.
Imbalances in assistance: Urban X Rural: actual or
perceived.
Insecure land title or occupancy rights.
Lack of access to housing finance
High building costs and shortages of materials
Civil conflict and violence
Disasters: frequent natural disasters and lack of planning
to lessen impacts and speed recovery
 Pattern uses MEA services Well being Economic value Type of good Management Rights

Private
Basic material for Direct use Private; common;
Forests Provisioning Public and Food, Livelihoods
good life; Health Market value public
common

Ecological
Regulating; Basic material for Public;
Forests bequest Common; public Livelihoods
supporting good life , Security common
Non Market value

Private;
Basic material for Direct use
Coastal areas Provisioning common Common; public Food, Livelihoods
good life Market value
Public

Direct use;
Private;
Forest and Security; good social Cultural
Cultural common Common; public Cultural
coastal areas relations Market value and
Public
Non Market value
Basic material for
Subsistence good life; security; Direct use Private; common;
Provisioning Private Food , Livelihood
agriculture good social relations; Market value public
health
Security; good social Cultural;
Cultural;
relations; health, ecological;
Sacred Regulating; Common Common Cultural
Basic material for Bequest
provision
good life Non Market value

Basic material for Direct use

Traditional Cultural
good life; Health, Market value and Private Private Housing and Cultural
housing Provisioning
Security Non Market value