Housing Inequalities: A Recent Systematic Review of Global Challenges and Solutions in Addressing Poverty
Abstract
Housing inequalities remain a persistent global challenge, significantly exacerbating poverty and limiting access to fundamental human rights. This systematic literature review explores the recent global challenges and solutions in addressing housing inequalities, focusing on their intersections with poverty. Utilizing the PRISMA methodology, we conducted an advanced search using Scopus and Web of Science databases to ensure comprehensive and high-quality coverage of relevant literature. After screening and eligibility assessments, 35 primary studies were identified and analyzed. The findings were divided into three themes which are (1) housing and structural inequalities, (2) housing as a social and economic Tool, (3) housing and accessibility Challenges. In order to lessen housing disparities and poverty, this review highlights the significance of inclusive housing policies, community-led projects, and creative funding methods. Furthermore, it became clear that sustainable techniques and interdisciplinary partnerships were essential to attaining fair housing results. In addition to pointing out important knowledge gaps, this review also urges further study on regional differences and how housing disparity is impacted by climate change. This study offers practical insights for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers seeking to develop sustainable and equitable housing solutions by combining global viewpoints.
Downloads
References
Abouzahra, A., Sabraoui, A., & Afdel, K. (2020). Model composition in Model Driven Engineering: A systematic literature review. Information and Software Technology, 125(May), 106316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2020.106316
Aubry, T., Bloch, G., Brcic, V., Saad, A., Magwood, O., Abdalla, T., Alkhateeb, Q., Xie, E., Mathew, C., Hannigan, T., Costello, C., Thavorn, K., Stergiopoulos, V., Tugwell, P., & Pottie, K. (2020). Effectiveness of permanent supportive housing and income assistance interventions for homeless individuals in high-income countries: a systematic review. The Lancet Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30055-4
Bailey, N., Livingston, M., & Chi, B. (2025). Housing and welfare reform, and the suburbanization of poverty in UK cities 2011-20. HOUSING STUDIES, 40(1), 185–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2023.2266398
Bang, D. W., & Kwon, H. S. (2022). Policy Impact Analysis of Housing Policies Using Housing Cycles. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221113844
Bassuk, E. L., DeCandia, C. J., Tsertsvadze, A., & Richard, M. K. (2014). The effectiveness of housing interventions and housing and service interventions on ending family homelessness: a systematic review. In The American journal of orthopsychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000020
Berawi, M. A., & Miraj, P. (2023). Towards poverty alleviation for the base of pyramid: Social business model in urban low-cost housings. Business, Management and Economics Engineering, 21(1), 169–189. https://doi.org/10.3846/bmee.2023.18822
Blanch, K. (2023). Housing, Poverty, and Health Outcomes. Delaware Journal of Public Health, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2023.06.020
Brattbakk, I., & Sorvoll, J. (2024). They must live somewhere! The geographical dimension of residualized social rented housing in urban Norway. JOURNAL OF HOUSING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, 39(3), 1443–1464. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-024-10121-w
Canigová, K., & Souralová, A. (2024). Coping with housing precarity: Roma women’s responses to housing insecurity in the Czech Republic. HOUSING STUDIES. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2024.2418837
Charitonidou, M. (2022). Housing Programs for the Poor in Addis Ababa: Urban Commons as a Bridge between Spatial and Social. Journal of Urban History, 48(6), 1345–1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144221989975
Cheshmehzangi, A. (2018). The changing urban landscape of Chinese cities: Positive and negative impacts of urban design controls on contemporary urban housing. Sustainability (Switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU10082839
Clarke, A., Morris, S., & Williams, P. (2014). THE ROLE OF HOUSING ORGANISATIONS IN REDUCING POVERTY. https://consensus.app/papers/the-role-of-housing-organisations-in-reducing-poverty-clarke-morris/e262a79c59ec5bf890fffc5231d5e3e2/
Cociña, C. (2018). Housing as urbanism: the role of housing policies in reducing inequalities. Lessons from Puente Alto, Chile. Housing Studies, 36, 1490–1512. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2018.1543797
Cross, S., Bywaters, P., Brown, P., & Featherstone, B. (2022). Housing, Homelessness and Children’s Social Care: Towards an Urgent Research Agenda. British Journal of Social Work, 52(4), 1988–2007. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab130
Crump, J. (2002). Deconcentration by Demolition: Public Housing, Poverty, and Urban Policy. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 20, 581–596. https://doi.org/10.1068/d306
Curley, A. M. (2005). Theories of urban poverty and implications for public housing policy. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3073
De Geest, F., & De Nys-Ketels, S. (2019). Everyday resistance: exposing the complexities of participatory slum-upgrading projects in Nagpur. Housing Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2018.1562056
Diaf, I., Lifa, A., & Benlakhlef, B. (2023). A New Type of Housing Integrated into the Algerian Urban Landscape. Journal of Settlements and Spatial Planning. https://doi.org/10.24193/JSSP.2023.1.01
Fernandes, A. (2017). Housing Policies for the Urban Poor: The Importance of an Interdisciplinary Approach. A View from São Tomé. 219–233. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53477-0_14
Filandri, M., & Tucci, V. (2024). Rental Housing Affordability for Young People in Italy. Politiche Sociali, 11(1), 63–88. https://doi.org/10.7389/114002
Garnham, L., Rolfe, S., Anderson, I., Seaman, P., Godwin, J., & Donaldson, C. (2022). Intervening in the cycle of poverty, poor housing and poor health: the role of housing providers in enhancing tenants’ mental wellbeing. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-021-09852-x
Goetz, E. (2000). The Politics of Poverty Deconcentration and Housing Demolition. Journal of Urban Affairs, 22, 157–173. https://doi.org/10.1111/0735-2166.00048
González, I. E., & Rocha, M. G. D. L. (2024). Poverty and housing in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 1980 to 2020. Revista Mexicana de Sociologia, 86(4), 935–961. https://doi.org/10.22201/iis.01882503p.2024.4.62667
Hess, C., Walter, R. J., Kennedy, I., Acolin, A., Ramiller, A., & Crowder, K. (2023). Segmented Information, Segregated Outcomes: Housing Affordability and Neighborhood Representation on a Voucher-Focused Online Housing Platform and Three Mainstream Alternatives. Housing Policy Debate, 33(6), 1511–1535. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2022.2133548
James, L., Daniel, L., Bentley, R., & Baker, E. (2024). Housing niches: new directions for housing and urban policy. International Journal of Housing Policy. https://doi.org/10.1080/19491247.2023.2254466
Joshi, N., Gerlak, A. K., Hannah, C., Lopus, S., Krell, N., & Evans, T. (2023). Water insecurity, housing tenure, and the role of informal water services in Nairobi’s slum settlements. WORLD DEVELOPMENT, 164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106165
Kim, S., Ryu, S., Kim, Y. S., & Lee, M. H. (2023). How housing welfare policies impact housing cost burdens: An analysis of housing welfare policy efficacy and household characteristics. Habitat International. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102923
Kitchenham, B. (2007). Guidelines for performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering. Technical Report, Ver. 2.3 EBSE Technical Report. EBSE.
Laguecir, A., & Hudson, B. A. (2024). Too poor to get social housing: Accounting and structural stigmatisation of the poor. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2024.102757
Lamarra, T., Bruhn, A., & Miller, M. (2023). Stochastic modelling of the home equity access scheme. Australian Journal of Management, 48(3), 652–677. https://doi.org/10.1177/03128962221120954
Latimer, E. A., Rabouin, D., Cao, Z., Ly, A., Powell, G., Adair, C. E., Sareen, J., Somers, J. M., Stergiopoulos, V., Pinto, A. D., Moodie, E. E. M., & Veldhuizen, S. R. (2019). Cost-effectiveness of housing first intervention with intensive case management compared with treatment as usual for homeless adults with mental illness: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9782
Li, A., Toll, M., & Bentley, R. (2023). Health and housing consequences of climate-related disasters: a matched case-control study using population-based longitudinal data in Australia. The Lancet Planetary Health, 7(6), e490–e500. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00089-X
Lim, G. (1987). Housing Policies for the Urban Poor in Developing Countries. Journal of The American Planning Association, 53, 176–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944368708976650
Lockwood, C., Munn, Z., & Porritt, K. (2015). Qualitative research synthesis: Methodological guidance for systematic reviewers utilizing meta-aggregation. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 13(3), 179–187. https://doi.org/10.1097/XEB.0000000000000062
Lopes, F., Figueiredo, L., Gil, J., & Trigueiro, E. (2024). Evaluating the impact of social housing policies: Measuring accessibility changes when individuals move to social housing projects. ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING B-URBAN ANALYTICS AND CITY SCIENCE, 51(7), 1513–1530. https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083231218774
Lucci, P., Bhatkal, T., & Khan, A. (2018). Are we underestimating urban poverty? World Development. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.10.022
Marcinkiewicz, E., & Chybalski, F. (2024). Income-poor, asset-rich? The role of homeownership in shaping the welfare position of the elderly. International Journal of Social Welfare, 33(2), 531–545. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12623
Massey, D., & Kanaiaupuni, S. (1993). Public housing and the concentration of poverty. Social Science Quarterly, 74, 109–122. https://consensus.app/papers/public-housing-and-the-concentration-of-poverty-massey-kanaiaupuni/2bde668ea64a52af8df65e1892b4a137/
McClure, K. (2008). Deconcentrating Poverty With Housing Programs. Journal of the American Planning Association, 74, 90–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944360701730165
Meireis, T., & Johrendt, L. (2024). The garden city as a commons: Social-ethical perspectives on the new housing question. Verbum et Ecclesia, 45(2). https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v45i2.3191
Mekonen, E. K. (2022). The effect of residential house rent on Urban households poverty status in Ethiopia: evidence from Wolkite town. Cogent Economics and Finance. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2125659
Mock, R., Willis-Jackson, M., Wang, R., de Benedictis-Kessner, J., Bilmes, L., & Iammartino, B. (2023). Can Inclusionary Zoning Be an Effective Housing Policy in Greater Boston? Evidence from Lynn and Revere. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4343923
Odoyi, E. J., & Riekkinen, K. (2022). Housing Policy: An Analysis of Public Housing Policy Strategies for Low-Income Earners in Nigeria. Sustainability (Switzerland). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042258
Owens, A. (2015). Housing Policy and Urban Inequality: Did the Transformation of Assisted Housing Reduce Poverty Concentration? Social Forces, 94, 325–348. https://doi.org/10.1093/SF/SOV069
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The prisma 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Medicina Fluminensis, 57(4), 444–465. https://doi.org/10.21860/medflum2021_264903
Pérez, V., Hernández-Solano, A., Teruel, G., & Reyes, M. (2022). The changing role of employment and alternative income sources among the urban poor: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463138.2022.2082444
Rosen, E., & Garboden, P. M. E. (2022). Landlord Paternalism: Housing the Poor with a Velvet Glove. Social Problems, 69(2), 470–491. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spaa037
Sheppard, C. L., Hemphill, J., Austen, A., & Hitzig, S. L. (2023). Designing and Implementing a New Seniors Services Coordinator Role for Low-Income Housing: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 66(1), 83–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2022.2118920
Soare, T., Adriaenssens, S., & Hermans, K. (2024). Housing quality and homelessness among people who beg. HOUSING STUDIES. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2024.2347310
Sridhar, K. S. (2015). Is Urban Poverty More Challenging than Rural Poverty? A Review. Environment and Urbanization ASIA. https://doi.org/10.1177/0975425315589159
Sururi, A., Rusli, B., Widianingsih, I., & Ismanto, S. U. (2022). Housing Policy for Low-Income Communities in Indonesia and Its Reforms: An Overview. Public Policy and Administration. https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.21.1.30151
Tach, L., & Emory, A. (2017). Public Housing Redevelopment, Neighborhood Change, and the Restructuring of Urban Inequality1. American Journal of Sociology, 123, 686–739. https://doi.org/10.1086/695468
Tually, S., Tedmanson, D., Habibis, D., McKinley, K., Akbar, S., Chong, A., Deuter, K., & Goodwin-Smith, I. (2022). Urban Indigenous homelessness: much more than housing. AHURI Final Report, 383. https://doi.org/10.18408/ahuri3222701
Turner, M. (1998). Moving out of poverty: Expanding mobility and choice through tenant‐based housing assistance. Housing Policy Debate, 9, 373–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.1998.9521299
Turok, I. (2016). Housing and the urban premium. Habitat International, 54, 234–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.HABITATINT.2015.11.019
Varas, C., & Loreto, C. (2017). Housing as Urbanism: The role of Housing Policies in Reducing Urban Inequalities. A study of post 2006 Housing Programmes in Puente Alto, Chile. https://consensus.app/papers/housing-as-urbanism-the-role-of-housing-policies-in-varas-loreto/07a7e2a69cd45a32b434eb2e52049053/
Virág, T. (2024). Maintaining spatial and social order: the role of housing development in governing urban margins. City, 28(3–4), 380–399. https://doi.org/10.1080/13604813.2024.2352679
Wakely, P. (2020). Partnership: a strategic paradigm for the production & management of affordable housing & sustainable urban development. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463138.2019.1647016
Wang, R., & Balachandran, S. (2023). Inclusionary housing in the United States: dynamics of local policy and outcomes in diverse markets. Housing Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2021.1929863
Xhignesse, G., & Verbist, G. (2022). An assessment of the spatial efficiency of tax benefits for home mortgages in Belgium. Housing Studies, 37(7), 1198–1224. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2018.1562057
Yiu, C.-Y., & Leung, K.-M. (2022). The Roles of Microcredit in Informal Housing in the Future—A Case Study in Hong Kong. Urban Science, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci6040091
Zhao, C., & Liu, F. (2023). Impact of housing policies on the real estate market - Systematic literature review. In Heliyon. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20704
Zhou, L., Mu, H., Wang, B., Yuan, B., & Dang, X. (2020). Evaluating urban community sustainability by integrating housing, ecosystem services, and landscape configuration. Complexity. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3460962
Zhou, Z. (2018). Housing market sentiment and intervention effectiveness: Evidence from China. Emerging Markets Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2017.12.005
Zhuchenko, S., Kubaščikova, Z., Samoilikova, A., Vasylieva, T., & D’yakonova, I. (2023). Economic growth and housing spending within social protection: Correlation and causal study. Public and Municipal Finance, 12(1), 73–85. https://doi.org/10.21511/pmf.12(1).2023.07
Zonta, M. (2005). Housing Policies and the Concentration of Poverty in Urban America. Social Service Review, 79, 181–185. https://doi.org/10.1086/426722
