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For twenty years the World Habitat Award competition organised by the Building and Social Housing Foundation has identified innovative and long-lasting solutions to housing problems faced by countries of the global South as well as the North. Included in this special edition of Open House International are eighteen housing projects which demonstrate successful approaches to some of the most prevalent housing problems in the world today. These are all winners or finalists in the competition over the last five years. A brief description is provided of each project, together with a summary of the key innovative approaches used. Details are provided at the end of each chapter as to where further information can be obtained.

Established as a pilot programme in 1994, the Architect in the Community Programme now covers the whole of Cuba, providing affordable technical support to households who are building or renovating their homes on a self-help basis. The programme is self-funding and has to date been used by over 500,000 households. The participative design approach that it uses provides households with skills and confidence as well as better living conditions. It has an international reputation for its work and the experience has been transferred to other countries in Latin America and beyond.