- The World Habitat Day 2026 calls for a new understanding of housing
- One that goes beyond 4 walls and a roof
- To create safe, affordable, inclusive, climate-resilient and well-connected communities
What does it really mean to have a home? At first glance, the answer seems straightforward. A home is a place with walls, a roof, a door and a space where a family can live. But, in today's rapidly changing world, that definition is no longer sufficient.
A house may provide shelter, but is it really an adequate home if the family cannot afford to maintain it? Can we call a house adequate if it is located in a flood-prone area, far from schools and hospitals, without reliable public transport or safe roads? What happens when an elderly person cannot move safely around the house, or when a child has no nearby playground or green space? What happens when a family spends so much of its income on housing and transportation that little remains for food, education and healthcare?
These questions are becoming increasingly important as countries struggle with rising housing costs, rapid urbanisation, population change, environmental degradation and the growing impacts of climate change.
It is against this background that the World Habitat Day of this year (2026), observed on the first Monday (yesterday [5]) of October (this month), focuses on the theme “Adequate Housing for All.” The theme reminds us that housing is not merely a physical structure. It is closely connected to human dignity, health, safety, livelihoods, accessibility, environmental quality and the overall quality of life. For Sri Lanka, this message is particularly relevant.
SL's housing situation: more than a question of numbers
Sri Lanka has made considerable progress in expanding housing and basic infrastructure. According to the 2024 Census of Population and Housing, the country has more than six million occupied housing units. A large majority are classified as single houses, reflecting the country's predominantly individual-household housing pattern.
Yet, the existence of a house does not automatically mean that adequate housing has been achieved.
The housing challenge is becoming more complex. For some households, the problem is the cost of land and construction. For others, it is the quality of the dwelling, overcrowding, uncertain tenure or inadequate infrastructure. In urban areas, housing affordability is increasingly intertwined with the price of land and the cost of living. In rural and estate communities, access to services, infrastructure and employment opportunities can be equally important.
The 2024 Census also recorded more than 350,000 one-room housing units nationally. In the urban sector, one-room housing units account for a larger proportion of the housing stock than the national average. Behind these statistics are real families, real aspirations and real challenges. Therefore, the question Sri Lanka needs to ask is not simply: “How many houses do we have?” The more important question is: “How adequately can people live in those houses?” That change in perspective is essential.
Housing policy should not be measured only by the number of houses constructed. It should also consider whether people can afford them, whether they are safe, whether essential services are available and whether residents can build secure and productive lives around them.
A house is not an island
One of the most important aspects of adequate housing is location.
Imagine a family receiving an affordable house on the outskirts of a city. The house itself may be structurally sound and relatively inexpensive. But, if the nearest school is several kilometres away, employment opportunities are limited, public transport is unreliable and healthcare facilities are difficult to reach, the apparent affordability of the house may hide another burden.
The family may spend more on transportation. Parents may spend hours commuting to work. Children may spend considerable time travelling to school. Older people may struggle to access healthcare. Persons with disabilities may become socially and spatially isolated. This illustrates a fundamental planning principle: housing cannot be separated from its location.
Adequate housing should provide reasonable access to employment, education, healthcare, transportation, markets, recreation and other essential services. For this reason, housing policy and urban planning must work together. Instead of asking only “Where is land available for housing?”, planners need to ask: “Where can people live safely and affordably while remaining connected to the opportunities and services that they need?” This is where good spatial planning becomes essential.
The affordability challenge
For many families, affordability is one of the greatest barriers to adequate housing. The cost of a home is not limited to the price of the building. It includes land, construction materials, labour, utilities, maintenance, transportation and other recurring expenses.
A household may technically own a house but still experience housing stress if housing-related expenses consume too much of its income. This is particularly important in cities, where land values can make well-located housing increasingly difficult for lower- and middle-income households to access.
The solution cannot simply be to construct cheaper houses in increasingly distant locations. Cheap housing in a poorly connected location can become expensive living. A family may save money on the house but spend much more on transport. Parents may have to travel long distances to work. Children may have less access to educational and recreational opportunities.
Therefore, affordability must be understood in terms of the total cost of living, not simply the purchase price or the construction cost of a house.
Sri Lanka needs a broader range of housing options, including affordable rental housing, incremental housing, community-based housing improvements, appropriate housing finance and carefully planned affordable developments.
Climate change is changing what safe housing means
Another major challenge is climate change. A house that was considered safe in the past may face very different risks in the future. Flooding, landslides, coastal hazards, extreme rainfall, heat and other environmental stresses are increasingly influencing where communities can safely live. Sri Lanka's experience with extreme weather events has demonstrated the vulnerability of settlements and infrastructure. The devastation associated with Cyclone Ditwah last year (in late 2025) highlighted the enormous social and economic consequences that disasters can have on households and communities.
When a disaster strikes, low-income households are often particularly vulnerable because they may have fewer financial resources to repair or rebuild their homes.
Therefore, climate resilience must become a central component of housing policy.
A climate-resilient home is not simply a house constructed with stronger materials.
It begins with choosing the right location.
It involves appropriate building design, drainage, ventilation, water management, energy efficiency, access to roads and emergency services, and the consideration of future environmental risks.
Flood-prone areas, unstable slopes and environmentally sensitive locations require careful assessment before new housing is approved. This is where disaster risk reduction and spatial planning must become closely connected. It is better to avoid creating new exposure to hazards than to repeatedly rebuild the same vulnerable settlements after every disaster.
The changing needs of older people and vulnerable groups
Adequate housing must also reflect demographic and social change. A home that is comfortable for a young family may become difficult to use as its residents grow older. Stairs, narrow doorways, slippery floors, inaccessible bathrooms and poorly designed kitchens can become serious barriers for older people and persons with disabilities. Housing design should therefore increasingly incorporate the principles of universal design.
Step-free entrances, safer bathrooms, handrails, wider doorways, adequate lighting, accessible pathways and appropriate ventilation are relatively simple features that can make homes safer and more comfortable. But, accessibility should not stop at the front door.
A person using a wheelchair cannot fully benefit from an accessible house if the surrounding streets are inaccessible, public transport is unavailable and essential services are too far away. Therefore, accessible housing requires accessible neighbourhoods.
Informal settlements and the question of security
Housing adequacy is also closely related to the security of tenure. A family may have a house but still feel insecure if it does not have sufficient protection from displacement or uncertainty about its right to remain on the land. Informal settlements often emerge because formal housing systems cannot meet the needs of all households.
Such settlements should not automatically be viewed only as problems to be removed. In many cases, communities have developed their own social networks, livelihoods and support systems over many years. Where environmental and safety conditions permit, upgrading rather than displacement may provide a more sustainable approach.
Improved roads, drainage, water supply, sanitation, waste management, electricity, public spaces and tenure security can transform living conditions without destroying established communities. Most importantly, residents should be involved in deciding how their neighbourhoods should be improved.
From housing projects to liveable communities
Perhaps the biggest change required is a shift in thinking. We need to move from the idea of a “housing project” to the idea of a “liveable community.” A successful housing development is not simply a collection of houses. It is a place where people can live, work, study, travel, interact and enjoy a healthy environment.
Housing should therefore be planned alongside: transport, employment, education, healthcare, water, sanitation, energy, green spaces, public spaces, digital connectivity and community facilities. A neighbourhood without employment opportunities can create long commuting distances. A neighbourhood without public transport can exclude low-income households. A neighbourhood without green spaces can reduce the environmental quality and recreational opportunities. A neighbourhood without adequate drainage can become vulnerable to flooding. A neighbourhood without schools and healthcare facilities can place additional burdens on families. These are not separate planning problems. They are parts of the same housing challenge.
The power of GIS and technology
Modern technology provides Sri Lanka with powerful tools to address these challenges. Geographic Information Systems (GISs) can help planners identify suitable locations for housing by integrating multiple layers of information.
For example, a housing suitability analysis can combine: flood hazards; landslide susceptibility; elevation; slope; land use; road accessibility; public transport; proximity to schools and hospitals; water and drainage infrastructure; population density; employment locations; green spaces; and environmental sensitivity.
This allows planners to move beyond a simple question of whether land is vacant. The more important question becomes: Is this location suitable for people to live in safely, affordably and sustainably? Remote sensing can also help monitor urban expansion, the loss of vegetation, changes in land use, development along road corridors and environmental pressures.
Spatial data can identify communities that are poorly served by infrastructure and services. When combined with demographic and socio-economic information, GISs can help identify areas where housing needs are the greatest and where investments could have the greatest social benefit. In this sense, the GIS is not merely a tool for producing maps. It can become a tool for making better housing decisions. Planning with people, not just for people. Technology alone, however, cannot solve the housing challenge. Planning must also be participatory. People who live in a community possess knowledge that may not appear in official maps or datasets.
Residents know which roads flood during heavy rainfall. They know where elderly people live. They know which water sources are unreliable. They know where children gather and which public spaces feel unsafe. They understand the everyday challenges that planners may see only during occasional field visits. This local knowledge should be incorporated into housing and settlement planning.
Community participation should therefore move beyond simply informing residents about decisions that have already been made. People should have meaningful opportunities to participate in identifying problems, designing solutions and monitoring implementation. A community should not merely receive a housing solution. It should have a role in shaping the place that it calls home.
What can SL do?
Moving towards adequate housing for all requires a coordinated and long-term approach. First, integrate housing with spatial planning. Housing development should be closely connected with land-use planning, transportation, environmental management and economic development. Second, strengthen risk-sensitive housing planning. Flood, landslide, coastal and other hazard information should be incorporated into decisions about where new settlements are developed.
Third, expand affordable housing choices. Policy should recognise that home ownership is not the only housing solution. Affordable rental housing, incremental housing, upgrading and community-based approaches can also play important roles.
Fourth, improve existing settlements. Where communities can safely remain, upgrading infrastructure and living conditions may be more appropriate than relocation.
Fifth, promote climate-resilient housing. Housing standards should consider changing rainfall patterns, flooding, heat, water management, energy efficiency and other climate-related risks. Sixth, make neighbourhoods accessible. Housing developments should be connected to public transport, pedestrian networks, schools, healthcare and employment.
Seventh, design for different generations. Children, older people, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups should be considered in both housing and neighbourhood design. Eighth, make better use of spatial data. GIS, remote sensing and other digital technologies can support evidence-based decisions about housing location, risk and accessibility.
Ninth, strengthen community participation. Residents should have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their homes and neighbourhoods.Finally, measure what really matters. The success of a housing programme should not be judged only by the number of houses constructed. We should also ask whether people are safer, healthier, better connected and able to afford their homes.
A new definition of home
The World Habitat Day 2026 provides an opportunity to reconsider what we mean when we say “housing for all.” It should not mean simply putting a roof over every person's head. It should mean creating the conditions in which every person can live with dignity.
A child should be able to grow up in a safe and healthy environment. An older person should be able to move safely around the home and neighbourhood. A person with a disability should be able to access public services and transportation. A working family should not have to choose between paying for housing and paying for food, education or healthcare. A community should not have to fear losing its home every time heavy rainfall arrives. And, no family should be forced to live in a location where basic services and opportunities are beyond reasonable reach simply because that is the only housing that they can afford. This requires us to think differently about housing.
A house is a physical structure. A home is a place of belonging. A neighbourhood is a place of opportunity. And a liveable community is the foundation of a dignified life.Sri Lanka's future housing policies therefore need to move beyond the traditional approach of simply constructing houses.
The challenge is to create safe homes, inclusive neighbourhoods and resilient communities. As we mark World Habitat Day 2026, perhaps the most important question is not: “How many houses can we build?” It is: “What kind of places do we want people to call home?” The answer should be clear.
We need places where people can live safely. Places that they can afford. Places connected to jobs, education and healthcare. Places with clean water, sanitation, green spaces and public facilities. Places that can withstand a changing climate. Places where older people, children, persons with disabilities and vulnerable communities are not left behind. Places where residents have a voice in shaping their future.
Because adequate housing is not simply about providing a roof. It is about providing the foundation for a dignified, healthy, secure and meaningful life.
And that is the real challenge and real promise of “Adequate Housing for All.”
The writer is a Senior Lecturer at the Ruhuna University’s Geography Department
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The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication