Who asks the questions about housing quality? Who answers them?

This paper presents the work undertaken by the Housing Research Group (GIV for its abbreviation in Spanish), ascribed to the Department of Architecture of the Universidad de Los Andes. It describes the different strategies the research group has employed, trying to understand and disclose the problems of housing quality for the Colombian low income population. The academic focus developed by the Housing Laboratory, is framed in the agreement signed between the University and Prodesa S. A. The authors’ concern begins with the evidence of the inertial behavior of the private sector in offering a very low quality for low income housing in Bogotá: extremely small plots of land to build on, small housing units, settlements situated in extreme outskirts of the city. The aim is to analyze the problem through questions such as: What urban facilities are available in the city for low income housing settlements? Which urban typologies or tissues are being proposed? Are the private areas enough and satisfactory for the necessities of the families? The research group is interested in exploring whether it is possible to measure the quality of low-income housing, and, if so, with what indicators and evaluations must it be undertaken? The paper’s structure includes conceptual framework, method of analysis, proposals for some technical instruments, and, finally, an analysis of the results and challenges of what has been called the “first phase of observation”.