Social Services and Occupants’ Education

Abstract

In countries where cities grow in a disordered way, showing, on one hand, an exaggerated population growth and on the other a shortage of infra-structure — housing, schools, health and social services, transportation, water supply and sewage disposal — development is not keeping pace with the demographic explosion. Housing agencies have the responsibility for providing housing for families who cannot provide it from their own resources. Housing is more than a shelter; it is both a house and the attendant services and facilities necessary to full development of family and communal life. Thus, housing agencies cannot build houses and ignore the social services. As was stated in International Action in Asia and the Far East, “No housing programme is considered adequate, unless it provides essential community services and facilities and unless it is integrated in a rational development plan, of an area or country.”²)

This paper is Chapter IV of a report of a meeting of a group of experts on housing management and tenant education which was held in Wellington, New Zealand, March 9th to 23 rd, 1963, under the sponsorship of the Bureau of Technical Assitance Operations of the United Nations Organization, in cooperation with the Government of New Zealand. It has been published under the code number, ST/TAO/SER.C/61, and is being reprinted here with the kind permission of the United Nations. Chapter IV is based on the paper prepared by Miss J. Albano of Brazil, as revised in the light of the discussion by the expert group.