Housing is Dynamic, Not Static

Abstract

In the built environment, the continuous growth and expansion of urban areas worldwide have become alarming. The built environment is continuously developing in an unsustainable manner, and in the mid-term future, resources will be scarce if practices are not changed. Therefore, new building materials and methods need to be implemented to mitigate the substantial problem and prevent a point of no return. This research focuses on the Global South taking Kenya as a single case study to investigate the following research question: How can NGOs support local stakeholders in Kenya to shift the production of affordable housing by the use of circular materials and methods? This research design was conducted through a double-diamond framework, and data was collected in a qualitative manner. The objective is to understand housing practices in the local market to seek alternatives to shift affordable housing development into circular practices. By these means, this research attempts to provide information on the processes of support that NGOs can give to implement circular materials and methods in housing, strategies to create acceptance and adaptation of these materials in the local market and the ways to create economic and social value through circularity in the built environment. A comprehensive literature review was made to develop a foundation of knowledge for the empirical study.

Furthermore, as a result of the empirical study and the triangulation of data between the literature review and the research findings, a guideline for NGOs to help local stakeholders shift to circularity was created. The output of this study endeavours to develop an understanding of how the demand and the supply of circular materials and methods need to be tackled to be able to disseminate circularity in the local built environment and create the shift towards the use of these innovations and new building practices. As a result, the depletion of natural resources and the amount of CO2 emissions produced by the built environment in Kenya can be controlled while providing affordable and adequate housing for the country.