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Developing mechanisms for affordable housing subsidy programs in Saudi Arabia

Posted on:2015-02-04Degree:Ph.DType:Dissertation
University:Texas Southern UniversityCandidate:Alzamil, WaleedFull Text:PDF
GTID:1479390017994402Subject:Urban planning
Abstract/Summary:
This dissertation evaluates the situation of affordable housing and subsidy in Saudi Arabia. The dissertation develops mechanisms for subsidy programs that compatible with the principle of affordable housing. The development of these mechanisms take into account affordable housing standards which include income limits, housing expenditures, family size, health status, and social status. The mechanisms of subsidy programs in Saudi Arabia are facing many problems in administration, funding, procedures, eligibility, and regulations. Subsidy methods in Saudi Arabia focused on promoting home ownership through land grants, loans, and housing units. However, the ownership rate is 40%, which less than the global average. There are many factors that contributed to unaffordable housing in Saudi Arabia such as population growth, rapid urbanization, high land value, construction costs, inflation, real estate speculation, subsidy funding mechanisms, and disparity in the housing market among provinces. The issue of affordable housing has become one of the major obstacles faced by the government due to that subsidy programs do not serve vulnerable groups.;This dissertation found that subsidy value cover 62% of a modest housing cost. This value is not consistent with the current housing costs. In addition, this value invariable to all beneficiaries. Moreover, the land value poses 41% of the total housing cost. Therefore, subsidy value should be linked to the income limits, and the housing market. This dissertation provides a set of mechanisms to develop the current subsidy programs in Saudi Arabia such as building of Housing Coordination System, building of National Housing Data Center, the establishment of National Housing Bank (NHB) and developing eligibility criteria based on income and the level of vulnerability.
Keywords/Search Tags:Housing, Subsidy programs, Saudi arabia, Mechanisms, Dissertation
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