Financing urban shelter : global report on human settlements 2005

Financing urban shelter presents the first global assessment of housing finance systems, placing shelter and urban development challenges within the overall context of macro-economic policies. The report describes and analyses housing finance conditions and trends in all regions of the world, including formal housing finance mechanisms, micro-finance, and community funding, highlighting their relevance to the upgrading of slums. Recent shelter finance policy development is discussed at the international and national levels and the directions that could be taken to strengthen shelter finance systems are examined.