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Addressing Urban Poverty in Uzbekistan in the Context of the Economic Crisis
F. Housing Construction in Rural Settlements
While state housing programs exist, if to a limited degree, in
urban areas, they are only now being initiated in rural areas. The year
2009 was declared the year of the development and improvement of
rural settlements and a special development company was formed
to coordinate the construction of the standardized cottage-type
residential projects. There was hope that this approach would help
reduce the costs of building materials.
A Rural Development Bank was also created to provide rural
families with subsidised 15-year mortgages at a 7% interest
rate. There will also be tax concessions and other financial
incentives for prospective homeowners. These programs are
expected to produce as many as 7 million square meters of
rural housing between 2009 and 2015.
While state
housing
programs are
limited in urban
areas, they are
only now being
initiated in rural
areas.
G. Recommendations for Housing Policies
Eight major recommendations dealing specifically with housing
policies follow.
1. Develop a Reliable Housing Dataset
The government of Uzbekistan should prioritise the development
of comprehensive housing statistics to help it identify and understand
housing problems, investigate suitable policy options, and monitor
and evaluate their implementations. Such housing data, which should
be collected at the regional and local levels, would include indicators
of the types and conditions of housing, the characteristics of residents
and neighbourhoods, and the market values of housing stock.
2. Formulate a Strategic Housing Policy
Housing programs in Uzbekistan are currently fragmented. As a
result, larger cities can have housing shortages (often for low-income
groups), while small and medium-sized cities can suffer from housing
abandonment. Addressing such imbalances would require the
formulation of a clear housing strategy, which would be in line with the
national Welfare Improvement Strategy and could allocate resources
and implement measures in a coordinated manner.
A special
development
company was
formed to
coordinate the
construction of
the standardised
cottage-type
residential
projects
3. Link Housing Policies with Spatial Development Strategies
To have pleasant living conditions across the country, housing
programs should be coordinated with area-based planning mechanisms
that can provide adequate social services and public utilities.
4. Designate a Special Agency for Housing Policy
A special agency should be set up to design, implement and monitor
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