VIEW FROM THE TOP
NEW SCHEME TO BOOST ACCESS TO HOUSING JORGE WOLPERT Director General of the National Housing Commission (CONAVI)
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Q: Which segments of the population have the greatest
We are also working with development banks and have
housing needs?
begun creating pilot schemes in the state of Oaxaca and
A: The country’s informal housing is occupied by the
in two other states. The Mexican Bank Association has
segment of the population that does not have access
shown great interest in these new markets too.
to the social security system but that also has the constitutional right to a dignified home. The formal
Q: Which states will see the highest housing demand in
housing sector drew in approximately MX$450 billion
the coming years and which of CONAVI’s policies have
in investment in 2016, and this does not account for the
been the most successful within the sector?
more than 500,000 homes that were built independently.
A: Nuevo Leon and Jalisco’s housing demand continues to
This year, we are not only focusing on low-income
grow due to the many working families who are in need of
families. We are also developing a new financial scheme
a new home and who already have access to credit. In the
that will allow Mexicans who are not part of the Social
coming years, we will see a boom of workers in the south.
Security system, or do not have a savings account, access
Oaxaca, Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz have
to financing for a home. At the moment, more than half
experienced high demand for new homes and because
of families living in informal housing, which equates to
Infonavit has created loans for all salary brackets, more
approximately 4-5 million families, do not have access
families will have access.
to social security. This is an important sector for us but an even bigger market for those who decide to become
The integration of sustainable solutions into social housing
a part of this formula.
has been one of the most successful policies adopted by the industry, both in the public and private sectors.
The formal housing sector drew in approximately MX$450 billion in investment in 2016
At the moment, we offer different programs in various institutions that promote sustainable construction. The commission is developing a set of standards and criteria that will come into effect in 2018. It is important that these standards are created in order to incentivize investment. At the moment, there are various standards depending on the different institutions, and although they are similar, we are convinced that they need to be
This scheme is being developed and will most likely
homologous throughout all institutions.
not be ready for 2017, but we are adjusting the way we deliver solutions so it can be completed for 2018. To make
Q: How will the rules of the game change with the New
this work, we have started a dialogue with the many
Human Settlements Law and Housing Law in Mexico
companies involved in building social housing and have
City?
asked them to work together as an organized community
A: The city has announced that it will build more than
of social-housing constructors. They all have different
200,000 social homes in 2017 alone. We are extremely
views and perspectives on how to build better homes.
happy to hear these types of commitments and we will help make them a reality, especially since there had not been a plan for formal social housing in the city for
CONAVI is in charge of implementing the National Housing
many years. Congress has approved the new Human
Law and coordinates financing programs for housing subsidies.
Settlements and Urban Development Law, meaning that
It aims to boost the development of sustainable social housing
each state will now have to create its own law as well.
in Mexico and provide incentives for developers
Another large challenge is that the federal law will be
