ABSTRACT
During the end of the twentieth century, Venezuela set up the policy, financial and institutional framework to stimulate and enable social engagement in the production of affordable housing for the low-income sector of the population. The limited reach and relatively small impact of more than six decades of heavily subsidized public housing programs led the government to propose a shift on the paradigm in social housing delivery. The conventional mechanism of mass-produced housing was to be progressively replaced by a participatory model involving key sectors across the community in the organization, planning, funding, design, construction and management of social housing projects. An innovative strategy to increase social equity and to develop a more efficient housing delivery system was carefully planned and implemented by government authorities and specialists to empower communities to have an active role in the production of their built environment. This chapter is a comprehensive account of the experience and a critical examination of its eventual impact and outcomes.
