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5.3 Housing and Standard of Living

4 min readjanuary 28, 2023

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

B

Brittany Schwikert

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

B

Brittany Schwikert

Natural phenomena have huge impacts in people's standard of living. On top of that, the lack of infrastructure is also destabilizing, and many families in Latin America who experience the impacts of natural disasters are forced to migrate due to these conditions. In the section below, we will explore how the lack of access to technology is destroying people's ability to have stable housing in some Latin American nations.

Housing

The quality of housing (calidad de la ) 🏘️ available can have a significant effect on one's own quality of life, both mentally and physically. Different critical factors in the measurements of housing quality include, but are not limited to: air quality (calidad de aire), presence of mold (), safety (), proximity to work (), access to water (), and meeting a family’s budget (). Those living in poor-quality homes are at a greater risk for developing chronic disease () 🤒 and injuries (heridos) 🤕, as well as poor mental health () 😢.

*Information gathered from HealthyPeople.gov and Inter-American Development Bank

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-WzPdTjguNn95.png?alt=media&token=50dacae7-b884-49e7-8a97-c0681b75f857

Brick houses in Barcelona, Spain 

Image from Unsplash

Housing in Latin America 

Latin America’s population continues to grow and expand, yet the availability of housing has failed to keep up with surges in population 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 📈🧑‍🤝‍🧑. Few apartments and/or homes are available, and those that are available often contain deficiencies.  According to one set of estimates, deficiencies were found in over half of the current housing. Those deficiencies could include lack of running water, crumbling infrastructure, or presence of mold. 

However, the level of gravity with housing issues varies from country to country, and certainly between regions and cities as well. On a whole, poor countries tend to have worse housing conditions than wealthier countries, and living conditions tend to fare better in cities 🌃 than in rural areas 🌄. One factor that accounts for these differences is the level of home ownership and what services are available within cities (roofing agencies, plumbing, electricity repair, etc.). As with most social inequities, living conditions also vary greatly by gender, age, and social class. 

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-hKjw8EK32MmN.png?alt=media&token=019e22c8-0550-4ede-bf0e-ceb2caa23358

Bógota, Colombia 

Image from Unsplash

Lack of Policies

One of the biggest gaps in housing issues across Latin America is the lack of fair and equitable policies that could help impoverished families own a home, or even have access to renting one.  Researcher Alan Gilbert suggests that since housing exists as an “intermediate position” between other social and economic policies, it’s largely overlooked and ignored. In other words, all the money that the government has is more easily spent on economic and social policies, but those don’t often take into consideration housing crises that plague many of Latin America’s urban areas. 

*Information gathered from Inter-American Development Bank

Financial Insecurity

The main factor in lack of stable housing in Latin America is due to financial reasons 💰. Central governments are tasked with distributing funds for housing, and while they may be able to create new homes, they often then lack additional funds to provide consistent upkeep and other urban services. It’s challenging for governments to create appropriate and safe housing for all its citizens at a low cost, and many of the low income neighborhoods that need the most renovation are often overlooked. 

In Latin America, cities have continued to expand in size, yet available and equitable housing has failed to keep up at the same pace. As a result, many vulnerable populations are without shelter, exposed to the natural elements, and continuously on the move. 

*Information gathered from IHC Global and Inter-American Development Bank

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-VvjpsVirLsh3.png?alt=media&token=e334ecd8-b1a3-47c0-8c1b-0407ff392b0c

Cienfuegos, Cuba

 Image from Unsplash

Case study - Hurricane Maria

In 2017, Puerto Rico was struck by the catastrophic Hurricane Maria, in which caused great destruction, floodings, and landslides. One notable impact of this disaster was the power outage, which was not fixed for months after the incident.

The island health and wellbeing was deeply impacted. Many puerto riqueños suffered greatly from mental health problems after the disaster, due to the stress caused and the utter devastation of the island. The population's physical health was also affected by the lack of access to clean water, leading to a spike in diseases such as leptospirosis. The recovery efforts are still ongoing, with many people trying to recuperate their homes and hoping to restore their livelihoods.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Fgettyimages-1192561276-e1578609511171-mikp3Rco725n.webp?alt=media&token=2ef7dec8-dbc8-40fe-8780-ce1ec88b65a7

Strive for Five Vocab 

  • - housing 

  • - quality of housing

  • - Air quality 

  • - presence of mold

  • - security

  • - proximity to work

  • - access to water

  • - Family budget

  • - chronic disease

  • - Injuries 

  •  - mental health 

Key Terms to Review (11)

Acceso al agua

: Access to water refers to the availability and ability of individuals or communities to obtain clean and safe water for drinking, cooking, and sanitation purposes.

Calidad de vivienda

: The overall condition and quality of a living space, including factors like safety, comfort, cleanliness, and functionality.

Calidad del aire

: The measure of how clean or polluted the air is in an area. It takes into account factors like air pollutants, allergens, humidity levels, and ventilation.

Enfermedad crónica

: A chronic illness refers to a long-term medical condition that persists over an extended period and often requires ongoing medical treatment and management.

Heridas

: Heridas se refiere a lesiones en la piel o tejidos del cuerpo causadas por cortes, raspaduras, quemaduras u otros tipos de trauma físico.

Presencia de moho

: The presence of mold refers to the existence of fungal growth in a particular area, which can be harmful to human health and cause damage to buildings.

Presupuesto familiar

: A family budget is a plan that outlines how income will be allocated among various expenses and savings goals within a household.

Proximidad al trabajo

: Proximity to work refers to how close someone lives in relation to their workplace. It affects commuting time and convenience.

Salud mental

: Salud mental se refiere al estado emocional, psicológico y social en el que una persona puede enfrentar los desafíos diarios, manejar el estrés y tener relaciones saludables con los demás.

Seguridad

: Security refers to measures taken to protect individuals, property, or information from potential harm or danger.

Vivienda

: A dwelling or place where people live, such as a house or apartment.

5.3 Housing and Standard of Living

4 min readjanuary 28, 2023

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

B

Brittany Schwikert

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

B

Brittany Schwikert

Natural phenomena have huge impacts in people's standard of living. On top of that, the lack of infrastructure is also destabilizing, and many families in Latin America who experience the impacts of natural disasters are forced to migrate due to these conditions. In the section below, we will explore how the lack of access to technology is destroying people's ability to have stable housing in some Latin American nations.

Housing

The quality of housing (calidad de la ) 🏘️ available can have a significant effect on one's own quality of life, both mentally and physically. Different critical factors in the measurements of housing quality include, but are not limited to: air quality (calidad de aire), presence of mold (), safety (), proximity to work (), access to water (), and meeting a family’s budget (). Those living in poor-quality homes are at a greater risk for developing chronic disease () 🤒 and injuries (heridos) 🤕, as well as poor mental health () 😢.

*Information gathered from HealthyPeople.gov and Inter-American Development Bank

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-WzPdTjguNn95.png?alt=media&token=50dacae7-b884-49e7-8a97-c0681b75f857

Brick houses in Barcelona, Spain 

Image from Unsplash

Housing in Latin America 

Latin America’s population continues to grow and expand, yet the availability of housing has failed to keep up with surges in population 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 📈🧑‍🤝‍🧑. Few apartments and/or homes are available, and those that are available often contain deficiencies.  According to one set of estimates, deficiencies were found in over half of the current housing. Those deficiencies could include lack of running water, crumbling infrastructure, or presence of mold. 

However, the level of gravity with housing issues varies from country to country, and certainly between regions and cities as well. On a whole, poor countries tend to have worse housing conditions than wealthier countries, and living conditions tend to fare better in cities 🌃 than in rural areas 🌄. One factor that accounts for these differences is the level of home ownership and what services are available within cities (roofing agencies, plumbing, electricity repair, etc.). As with most social inequities, living conditions also vary greatly by gender, age, and social class. 

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-hKjw8EK32MmN.png?alt=media&token=019e22c8-0550-4ede-bf0e-ceb2caa23358

Bógota, Colombia 

Image from Unsplash

Lack of Policies

One of the biggest gaps in housing issues across Latin America is the lack of fair and equitable policies that could help impoverished families own a home, or even have access to renting one.  Researcher Alan Gilbert suggests that since housing exists as an “intermediate position” between other social and economic policies, it’s largely overlooked and ignored. In other words, all the money that the government has is more easily spent on economic and social policies, but those don’t often take into consideration housing crises that plague many of Latin America’s urban areas. 

*Information gathered from Inter-American Development Bank

Financial Insecurity

The main factor in lack of stable housing in Latin America is due to financial reasons 💰. Central governments are tasked with distributing funds for housing, and while they may be able to create new homes, they often then lack additional funds to provide consistent upkeep and other urban services. It’s challenging for governments to create appropriate and safe housing for all its citizens at a low cost, and many of the low income neighborhoods that need the most renovation are often overlooked. 

In Latin America, cities have continued to expand in size, yet available and equitable housing has failed to keep up at the same pace. As a result, many vulnerable populations are without shelter, exposed to the natural elements, and continuously on the move. 

*Information gathered from IHC Global and Inter-American Development Bank

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-VvjpsVirLsh3.png?alt=media&token=e334ecd8-b1a3-47c0-8c1b-0407ff392b0c

Cienfuegos, Cuba

 Image from Unsplash

Case study - Hurricane Maria

In 2017, Puerto Rico was struck by the catastrophic Hurricane Maria, in which caused great destruction, floodings, and landslides. One notable impact of this disaster was the power outage, which was not fixed for months after the incident.

The island health and wellbeing was deeply impacted. Many puerto riqueños suffered greatly from mental health problems after the disaster, due to the stress caused and the utter devastation of the island. The population's physical health was also affected by the lack of access to clean water, leading to a spike in diseases such as leptospirosis. The recovery efforts are still ongoing, with many people trying to recuperate their homes and hoping to restore their livelihoods.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Fgettyimages-1192561276-e1578609511171-mikp3Rco725n.webp?alt=media&token=2ef7dec8-dbc8-40fe-8780-ce1ec88b65a7

Strive for Five Vocab 

  • - housing 

  • - quality of housing

  • - Air quality 

  • - presence of mold

  • - security

  • - proximity to work

  • - access to water

  • - Family budget

  • - chronic disease

  • - Injuries 

  •  - mental health 

Key Terms to Review (11)

Acceso al agua

: Access to water refers to the availability and ability of individuals or communities to obtain clean and safe water for drinking, cooking, and sanitation purposes.

Calidad de vivienda

: The overall condition and quality of a living space, including factors like safety, comfort, cleanliness, and functionality.

Calidad del aire

: The measure of how clean or polluted the air is in an area. It takes into account factors like air pollutants, allergens, humidity levels, and ventilation.

Enfermedad crónica

: A chronic illness refers to a long-term medical condition that persists over an extended period and often requires ongoing medical treatment and management.

Heridas

: Heridas se refiere a lesiones en la piel o tejidos del cuerpo causadas por cortes, raspaduras, quemaduras u otros tipos de trauma físico.

Presencia de moho

: The presence of mold refers to the existence of fungal growth in a particular area, which can be harmful to human health and cause damage to buildings.

Presupuesto familiar

: A family budget is a plan that outlines how income will be allocated among various expenses and savings goals within a household.

Proximidad al trabajo

: Proximity to work refers to how close someone lives in relation to their workplace. It affects commuting time and convenience.

Salud mental

: Salud mental se refiere al estado emocional, psicológico y social en el que una persona puede enfrentar los desafíos diarios, manejar el estrés y tener relaciones saludables con los demás.

Seguridad

: Security refers to measures taken to protect individuals, property, or information from potential harm or danger.

Vivienda

: A dwelling or place where people live, such as a house or apartment.


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© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.