Grameen Bank’s Housing Program for Rural Poor in Bangladesh: A Case Study

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Selima Sultana, Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Even though access to affordable housing is a basic requirement for human well-being, the majority of people in most developing nations occupy the most rudimentary forms of shelter. As a developing nation, Bangladesh is no exception to this rule. The differences in the quality of housing between developed and developing nations are tremendous; in terms of floor area per person, the city average for Dhaka was 40 sq. ft in 1990 compared with over 650 sq. ft. in Washington, DC (Pacione, 2001). The failure of government housing programs to provide affordable housing has forced the majority of the poor population to live in unsanitary conditions. However, the initiative of the Grameen Bank's housing program (GBHP) is legendary and has been helping to alleviate these living conditions. The GBHP has proved that even without collateral, a bank can still build up good relations with the poorest of die poor and grant them credit, and this is a cost-effective way to build decent housing. The success story of micro-lending project of Grameen Bank is well-known worldwide, but little is known about GBHP. Hence, it is essential for urban geographers, especially for practitioners who are working towards providing affordable housing for the poor, to learn about GBHP. The purpose of this paper is thus to examine the rate of success of GBHP in Bangladesh and what impact it has had in providing affordable housing for people who live under the poverty level.

Additional Information

Publication
Papers and Proceedings of the Applied Geography Conference, Vol. 27, pp. 247–253
Language: English
Date: 2004
Keywords
Grameen Bank Housing Program, GBHP, Bangladesh, affordable housing, collateral free lending

Email this document to