Facing the Urban housing crisis

Why, after all the conferences on the subject, does there still seem no end to the problem of housing the poor in the towns and cities of so many developing countries? Discussing this question, the Director of the CSTB in France — who is currently President of the CIB — suggests that one reason is that the crucial political dimension is usually overlooked. Also, the technical solutions offered often ignore the realities of the situation, and confuse the roles of traditional practices and modern industrialized methods.