Diagnosis and strategies for adequate housing in the framework of the project “Infonavit leading the implementation of the 2030 Agenda: housing at the center of SDGs” - United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform

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Diagnosis and strategies for adequate housing in the framework of the project “Infonavit leading the implementation of the 2030 Agenda: housing at the center of SDGs”

Description of Good Practice
SDGs & Targets
Resources mobilized

Introduction

“Infonavit leading the implementation of the 2030 Agenda: Housing at the center of SDGs”, carried out between 2017 and 2018, aimed to position housing as a driver element for the fulfillment of SDGs and 2030 Agenda in Mexico.

It was structured in three components: a) Generation of evidence b) Diagnosis and strategies for adequate housing c) Institutional framework based on the SDGs

Second component intended to guide the actions of Infonavit and Mexican stakeholders towards a new paradigm that favors access to adequate housing for all in a sustainable development framework based on SDGs.

Objective of the practice

Infonavit, the largest social mortgage company in Latin America, has implemented together with UN-Habitat the project "Infonavit leading the implementation of 2030 Agenda: housing at the center of the SDGs " to position housing as a driver element to achieve the goals and objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Mexico.

The main objective of the second component was to identify the potential contribution of housing sector to compliance with SDGs and the 2030 Agenda in Mexico. This analysis is founded on the Housing at the Centre approach, which aims to shift the focus from simply building houses to a holistic framework for housing development where people and human rights are at the forefront of sustainable urbanization.

This component has two elements: the first, a “Housing certification program based on the SDGs”, a conceptual and technical evaluation scheme to promote an adequate housing supply with sustainability conditions in order to contribute to the fulfillment of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The certification program has a holistic and human rights-based approach which conceive housing as a central element for sustainable development. The program defines 91 specific attributes, grouped into 30 subcomponents and 9 components, that a sustainable housing should have consider.

Each of these attributes are linked to a concrete and mensurable indicator to quantify its degree of compliance regarding to a reference threshold, previously defined and based on national and international references. In turn, these 91 indicators are conceptually linked to 17 SDGs and to two out of every three specific targets. Based on this linkage, it is possible to estimate numerically the contribution of each housing built to the fulfillment of the SDGs. In the future, this program could incorporate other elements of sustainability that increase the demand of the evaluation and allow that housing offer to achieve all sustainability criteria for 2030.

The second element is “Housing and SDGs in Mexico” that develops an integral analysis about housing from an international perspective based on global agendas as New Urban Agenda and 2030 Agenda to overcome challenges still present in Mexico: persistence of high levels of inadequate housing, construction of housing units in disconnected and poorly consolidated peripheral areas, environmental imbalances generated by the construction of housing on not-developable land, as well as an inefficient management of human settlements to face natural and climatic hazards.

Publication defined strategic orientations, proposals and specific lines of action - direct and indirectly related to all SDGs and its targets- for achieving a model of adequate housing for all, in order to leave no one nor any place behind and to lay the housing as an integrating element of urban planning, city construction and sustainable development.

Both elements give the unique opportunity to develop a new housing paradigm in Mexico that allow release the potential that housing offers for country's development since an economic, social and environmental perspective based on the fulfillment of SDGs.

Key stakeholders and partnerships

The project was implemented by UN-Habitat Mexico in partnership with the Infonavit. The second component considered the advice of the Urban Housing Practitioners Hub (UHPH) and more than 25 national and international specialists, within the framework of the Experts Group Meeting (EGM) on Housing and the 2030 Agenda carried out in Mexico in April 2018.

Additionally, “Housing certification program based on the SDGs” was developed in coordination with Housing Unit from UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi, while “Housing and SDGs in Mexico” received permanent counselling of four international experts in social, economic and environmental affairs and its peer review.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

“Diagnosis and strategies for adequate housing” was structured in two groups of activities:

“Housing certification program based on the SDGs”
- Mapping and analysis. Investigation about national and international certification programs related to construction, energy efficiency, urban environment and quality of life of inhabitants in housing terms. Were reviewed built standards and codes in order to identify the feasibility to incorporate new criteria for sustainable housing.
- Conceptual and operational framework. Were identified concrete attributes conceptually related to SDGs framework and generate specific metrics to measure them with relatively simplicity in the Mexican context. Then, was developed a matrix to link these attributes and its indicators to each of 169 targets of SDGs.
- Pilot program. It was test the methodology in real conditions in order to obtain information about convenience to replicate this program in a massive way. Two specific housing developments were selected to apply the program and the results were integrated in a dossier.
- Implementation guide. It was developed a guide for housing developers and other stakeholders to standardize and scale the implementation of certification program. UN-Habitat office in Mexico provided training sessions for Infonavit´s Sustainable Development Research Center to integrate this program in its housing conditions evaluation processes.
- Positioning strategy and incentives definition. A communication and marketing strategy were created to position certification program among developers, public housing institutions and other stakeholders. A set of economic, financial, urban management and reputation incentives for developers and local authorities was defined to adopt this program as a good practice towards housing sustainability.

“Publication Housing and SDGs in Mexico”
- Conceptual definition. Based on the results of Experts Group Meeting (EGM) on Housing and the 2030 Agenda were identified the relation between housing sector and all objectives and targets of 2030 Agenda. It was a key element to give to the publication a comprehensive framework about sustainable development based on SDGs.
- Diagnosis and proposals. After an extensive contextualization process at the local level, were defined the main housing challenges and opportunities to contribute to the fulfillment of 2030 Agenda in Mexico. The advice of the Urban Housing Practitioners Hub (UHPH), through the implementation of a Housing Laboratory with virtual and face-to-face sessions, allowed to define significant proposals about inclusion of vulnerable groups in national housing policies.
- Technical sheets about SDGs. A core team in Mexico, integrated by professional researches in architecture, urban, environmental, economics and statistical affairs generated a set of worksheets to identify and describe the direct and indirect relations between housing and the SDGs and its targets.
- Draft development and per-review. Core team generated a complete draft of this investigation, interchanged and enriched with four international experts and with the Infonavit. Draft publication was submitted to an extensive review process to guarantee that proposals made hold a strong link with SDGs and were appropriate to the Mexican context, in order to promote its implementation.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

Outputs:
- “Housing certification program based on SDGs”:
o Conceptual and operational framework based on 2030 Agenda
o Pilot program dossier
o Implementation guide
o Positioning strategy document

- “Housing and SDGs in Mexico”:
o Technical sheets about results of EGM and Housing Laboratory
o Technical sheets about conceptual relations between housing and SDGs and its targets.
o Integrated publication about housing and SDGs in Mexico

Main expected results
- “Housing certification program based on SDGs”:
This program will help to establish specific objectives and indicators for sustainable housing in Mexico, in compliance with 2030 Agenda. In the medium term will be useful to promote the construction of an adequate housing supply with sustainability characteristics; particularly, to strengthen Infonavit's capacity to continue as a reference for sustainable housing in Mexico.

In addition, given that incorporates shared indicators taken from international certification programs, will be possible to replicate the evaluation in countries or regions that wish to benefit from a high-quality certification linked to the SDGs. Extending the geographical scope of this certification will allow the generation of comparable information to evaluate, monitor and improve the supply of sustainable housing worldwide.

- “Housing and SDGs in Mexico”:
First result of this publication is the identification of the challenges in Mexico in terms of housing and sustainable development, through a renewal diagnosis from the Housing at the Center approach and SDGs framework.

A second result is the generation of six strategic orientations that UN-Habitat proposes to overcome them: promote intraurban social housing; facilitate the access of vulnerable groups to adequate housing; foster social rental housing; improve deficient urban fabrics; reduce the environmental impact of housing and increase its resilience and optimize the life cycle of housing. Each of these orientations has specific proposals and lines of action to implement them; in total, publication has 16 proposal and 49 lines of action appropriate to the legal, institutional and programmatic Mexican context, municipal, state and federal level.

The third main result is the conceptual identification of direct and indirect relationships between adequate housing and SDGs and its targets. Based on this linkage, it is also possible to identify the contribution of each proposal and lines of action to promote sustainable development, based on the improvement of housing conditions and within the framework of the 2030 Agenda.

Enabling factors and constraints

Establishing a strong relationship between UN-Habitat and Infonavit proved to be essential to ensure a smooth implementation of the project and to overcome any potential constraints. Particularly, the implementation of the project counted with the support of the Infonavit´s Sustainable Development Research Center, which periodically reviewed progress and outcomes.

Other partnerships with technical and specialised organisations as Urban Housing Practitioners Hub (UHPH) and other Mexican stakeholder related to housing sector were a key factor for project success. The advice and per-review of national and international experts in social, economic and environmental affairs, as well as the follow-up of Housing Unit from UN-Habitat headquarters enriched the technical scope of certification program and housing and SDGs publication.

Sustainability and replicability

The “Housing certification program based on SDGs” has a robust implementation guide and a set of economic, financial, urban management and reputation incentives (conceptually defined) for developers and local authorities to adopt this program in the short term. All mandatory attributes defined by the program are based on information sources currently available for main national housing agencies.

Additionally, the methodology of this program was documented in detail, allowing its replication in other contexts to promote the construction of an adequate housing supply and to become an international reference tool for sustainable housing. Extending the geographical scope of this certification will allow the generation of comparable information to evaluate, monitor and improve the supply of sustainable housing worldwide.

In the case of “Housing and SDGs”, the methodology to identify direct and indirect relations between housing and the SDGs and its targets, as well as the strategic orientations, proposals and lines of action defined will allow that this publication will be a road map for policy makers in order to define housing policies from a sustainable development framework. In this sense, will be a source of information for implement local and national programs to promote adequate housing for all.

Conclusions

The Diagnosis and strategies for adequate housing component pretended to promote a new housing paradigm in which it is a central element of Mexico's national actions to comply with its global commitments on sustainable development, in a framework of alignment with the SDGs.

The conceptual definition of the housing certification program and the publication on housing and SDGs in Mexico provides the basis for a framework of analysis on the challenges and opportunities of the sector to influence the improvement of the living conditions of population, based on the three dimensions of sustainable development: social inclusion, economic growth and environmental protection.

With the collaboration between Infonavit and UN-Habitat it was possible to confirm that this housing paradigm based on the 2030 Agenda requires the participation of all the actors of society - individuals, civil organizations, academia and private initiative - in order to create a fertile environment for unleash the potential that housing offers for the development of the country. The permanent collaboration with national and international advisors guided the analysis framework of the publication and allowed generating specific proposals to enhance the relationship between housing and SDGs

The conclusion of this project is clear: without positioning housing at the center of national development, Mexico will not achieve the objectives set by the 2030 Agenda.

Other sources of information

Housing sustainable dialogues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZiN94gtil4

International experts in urban planning, economics and environment affairs participate in the Expert Group Meeting (EGM) about "Sustainable Housing and Agenda 2030 in Mexico" convened by UN-Habitat in the capital of the country

https://onuhabitat.org.mx/index.php/expertos-internacionales-dialogan-sobre-vivienda-sostenible-en-mexico

Goal 1

1.1 - By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

1.2 - By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

1.4 - By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

1.5 - By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

Goal 2

2.1 - By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

Goal 3

3.3 - By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases

3.4 - By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being

3.9 - By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

Goal 4

4.2 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3 - By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.a - Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

Goal 5

5.2 - Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

5.a - Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

Goal 6

6.1 - By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

6.2 - By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

6.3 - By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

6.4 - By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

6.6 - By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

Goal 7

7.1 - By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

7.2 - By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

7.3 - By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency

7.b - By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support

Goal 8

8.2 - Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

8.3 - Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

8.4 - Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead

8.8 - Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

8.10 - Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

Goal 9

9.3 - Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets

9.4 - By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

9.5 - Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending

9.b - Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities

9.c - Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

Goal 10

10.1 - By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average

10.2 - By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

10.3 - Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard

10.4 - Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality

10.7 - Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies

Goal 11

11.1 - By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

11.2 - By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons

11.3 - By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries

11.4 - Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage

11.5 - By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations

11.6 - By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

11.7 - By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities

11.a - Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

11.b - By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels

11.c - Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials

Goal 12

12.1 - Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries

12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

12.4 - By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

12.5 - By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

12.6 - Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

12.8 - By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

12.a - Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production

Goal 13

13.1 - Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

13.2 - Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

Goal 14

14.1 - By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution

14.2 - By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans

Goal 15

15.1 - By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

15.2 - By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally

15.4 - By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development

15.9 - By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts

Goal 16

16.1 - Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

16.7 - Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

16.b - Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

Goal 17

17.14 - Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

17.17 - Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

Data, monitoring and accountability

17.19 - By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries