Community participation for housing development

Purpose: The aim of this research is to explore the roles of community participation in the development of housing, as the concept is known to be important over the world. The paper also looks at the barriers to community participation in housing development as well as the role of community participation in housing development. Methodology/approach: The study is conducted with reference to existing theoretical literature, published and unpublished research. The study is mainly a literature review focused on the concept of community participation in housing development. Findings: One of the primary findings of this study is that citizens need to build capacity and resources in order to achieve community participation in planning and project development. Also, the study shows that citizen's participation in community development projects does not usually occur by chance, but because certain principles are observed at an acceptable level to the participants and to other stakeholders. Other finding include that Citizens will voluntarily participate in a community activity if they could derive benefit to themselves and the entire community. Originality: The study explores the concept of community participation, as it is seen as a way for locals to influence development by contributing to project design, influencing public policies and choices, and holding public institutions accountable for the goods and services they provide. The study presents a robust background to the concept of 'community' and 'participation', and on the roles of community participation to development project scheduled to change the lives of the citizens. The paper contributes to this body of knowledge