Mass Customization for Social Housing in Evolving Neighborhoods in Brazil

Abstract

Mass customization is being adopted in many housing contexts worldwide to provide families with dwellings that suit their individual needs at costs similar to mass-produced items. However, in many social housing contexts, there are barriers that can hinder the adoption of mass customization, despite the benefits it could bring to residents. This is the case in the Brazilian social housing context considering house units for families of the lowest income range. This paper explores the possibilities and limitations of applying mass customization in this context to improve the living conditions in these neighborhoods as they evolve over time. This study analyzes the ecology of the system of provision of social housing for the lowest income range, pre-occupancy, and post-occupancy in the neighborhood’s development over time. This study argues that it would be more feasible and bring more and longer-lasting benefits to the stakeholders involved if mass customization were applied post-occupancy.

Social Housing Customization in Brazil

“…The developer receives the amount designated for land purchase upfront, but can often negotiate with the previous owner to pay in instalments, leaving a significant amount to start construction. The local authorities approve the final design of the development; however, they cannot deny approval if the project is within the legislation [14,26]. This hinders the municipality's ability to suggest changes and require higher design quality.…”

“…As a result of the lack of guidance, this line of the regulation is often not followed or enforced. Furthermore, when it is followed, the resulting design usually only allows the addition of one room in a specific location [26].…”

“…This lack of ventilation, often associated with overcrowded units, has also been an aggravating factor in the spread of COVID-19 Encyclopedia 2021, 1, FOR PEER REVIEW sions also affect the municipality and broader society by diminishing the public authorities' capacity to provide safe and healthy environments and services. For example, there have been several reports of flooding inside the houses because the families had built over the water drainage system, which consequently blocked the access for maintenance [26]. Other examples can be seen in Figures 2 and 3.…”

“…More recently, some entities, especially CAU (architecture and urbanism professional council), have been mobilized in facilitating and disseminating the enforcement of this law and providing funding for such actions. However, funding for technical assistance is usually destined to informal settlements, since the families in formally established social housing neighborhoods are considered as already adequately housed [26]. This further demonstrates that the construction of social housing units, post-occupancy processes, and the management of informal settlements are all seen as completely unrelated by national and local authorities.…”

“…The lowest income range does not have this market-oriented logic. Only a few studies explore mass customization in social housing programs for the lowest income range, such as [23,26,34,49,50]. These studies consider the benefits that mass customization could bring and some directions for its implementation.…”