ORne of the critical social dimensions with respect to which the COVID emergency showed in all its magnitude the level of vulnerability in which millions of people are, is that of the precariousness of millions of homes in the national territory. Indeed, the forced confinement revealed not only the harsh conditions of overcrowding and insufficient space, but also the critical deficiency of public services, the poor quality of construction materials, the aging infrastructure and the deficiencies and challenges regarding the deterioration of the spaces in which people live.
According to INEI statistics regarding the National Housing Day, the inhabitants of 3.1 million of them reported difficulties in meeting their payment commitments for their homes (a figure that represents 8.9% of the national total). These same statistics show that 9% of the 35 million inhabited homes in the country have been built for five years or less, which indicates that we have a large number of buildings in the process of deteriorating, because according to According to the most recent data from INEGI, 25% of the houses have been built for 31 years or more.
It is interesting to observe that in Mexico, 73.2% of the dwellings reported being single houses on a single piece of land (three out of four); 18.1% share land with other houses; 5.6% are apartments in buildings; 1.5% are duplex houses; 1.1% are houses in the neighborhood or rooms on the roof; while .2% are rooms not built for habitation, housing or refuge.
The average number of occupants of the houses is 3.6 people, a figure that contrasts significantly with the 4.4 registered in the year 2000. Likewise, the 2020 Census documented that in the country there are 6.15 million uninhabited houses and 2.5 million houses for temporary use.
Given the above, it is extremely important to underline that, according to the National Housing Survey, 2020, presented in 2022 by INEGI, 28.1% of inhabited homes in the country had up to 55 square meters of construction; and if the average number of occupants is 3.6 people per dwelling, then in these cases the average living area per person is 15.27 square meters. Most of the houses have between 56 and 100 square meters of construction, that is, in the best of cases 36 square meters on average per person, which are still absolutely inappropriate and insufficient.
All the indicators that we have reveal inhumane conditions for the majority of Mexican families, because in addition to the availability of space and quality of housing materials, there are enormous deficiencies regarding their equipment: millions of people do not have a boiler to heat the water; Millions do not have a washing machine, refrigerator, water tank or cistern, in addition to the very low coverage of access to equipment such as computers or technologies such as the Internet.
The housing policy is one of the main components of a comprehensive development strategy for welfare; and their structure and characteristics constitute one of the main indicators of the deep and unjust conditions of inequality that exist in our country, where we are still very far from complying with the constitutional mandate to guarantee dignified and decent housing for each Mexican home. .
It must be said: the houses are not properly houses, that is, they are not spaces for carrying out a dignified life; In most cases, they are constructions articulated through poor-quality rooms, which, faced with the challenges and risks of climate change, place those who inhabit them in enormous conditions of risk and vulnerability, as is demonstrated every time there are emergencies caused by events. natural disasters that end up becoming social disasters.
We also face the challenge of adapting housing to the conditions imposed by both the demographic and epidemiological transition, since we do not have a housing construction strategy with integrally social criteria. We therefore lack planned adaptations for people with a disability or with mobility difficulties, or for the safety and integrity of the elderly, and particularly for girls and boys.
Likewise, the country’s own demographic transition shows that the median age of the population continues to increase, and that the nuptiality trends (marriages and divorces) have radically changed in the last 20 years, which implies enormous pressures on the demand for housing. , both new for acquisition and for rent, in addition to the deficit of land available for construction or self-construction.
Added to the above are the predatory practices of the available land, which to a large extent explain the immense number of uninhabited homes, since millions of them are located in territorial spaces that did not have the necessary characteristics to guarantee their viability (transportation and public services, distance from workplaces and community life, etc.), or are located in areas with high levels of violence or crime.
Mexico urgently needs, as in other areas, a new comprehensive policy on the matter, which is articulated and coordinated with all the sectors with which it has some relationship, in order to move towards a country of authentic well-being; Well, without a doubt, the lack of decent housing for all people will prevent us from talking about a fair, inclusive and generous country with all of its inhabitants.
Reference-aristeguinoticias.com
