Housing Provision in Deteriorated Urban Zones: A Qualitative Assessment of the “Home Exchange” Initiative in Atabak and Minabi Neighborhoods of Tehran

Introduction: The potentials of housing provision in deteriorated urban zones as part of the Iranian government’s national housing programs (e.g., national housing initiative and now national housing movement) has attracted the attention of policymakers. Yet, little action has been taken so for to realize such potentials. The Tehran Municipality has however implemented a “home exchange” initiative in the past as part of its renovation program in the city’s deteriorated zones—entailing the voluntary relocation of owners of dilapidated housing units to replacement homes. This activity appears to constitute the only experience of housing provision in deteriorated zones involving the local government. Its assessment against some adequate housing criteria could arguably benefit the formulation and implementation of future housing initiatives in deteriorated urban zones. In this study, the “home exchange” experiences associated with two of Tehran’s neighborhoods—Atabak and Minabi—are analyzed.
Methods: A qualitative approach was employed for the analysis and data were collected through observations and interviews with three groups of stakeholders—local residents, public sector, and private sector—as well as a review of documents. A total of 30 interviews were conducted. The investigation relied on a set of adequate housing criteria, which included construction quality, cultural compatibility, inclusiveness, affordability, and adequacy of access to infrastructure and services. Based on these, separate interview themes were prepared for different stakeholders.
Findings: Findings indicate that the housing initiatives carried out under the auspices of Tehran Municipality in the studied neighborhoods’ deteriorated zones have been successful in meeting some of the adequate housing criteria. These specifically include ensuring an acceptable level of construction quality and incorporating some cultural considerations in the initiatives. However, the activities have failed achieve any reasonable level of inclusiveness. Furthermore, providing quality housing for a section of the society has taken place at the expense of reduced levels of services/infrastructure or diminished housing affordability for vulnerable groups. Finally, public-private partnership between Tehran Municipality Renovation Organization and housing corporations for the purpose of carrying out large-scale projects has met failure due to their lack of economic justification. In contrast, many of the small-scale projects have done well in securing the needed investment and being completed in an acceptable manner.
Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of participation by the local community and the private sector in the provision of adequate housing in deteriorated urban zones. To enhance the participation process, it is necessary to clearly identify the role of and the benefits accrued to each stakeholder and make maximum use of the potential resources of the responsible agency along with the housing corporations. There is also a need for public-sector investment in the provision of services/infrastructure and supervision over private-sector performance. Of further note is that the scarcity or inadequacy of housing finance, especially for low-income groups and current renters, is a major issue that precludes inclusiveness of the activities.