Basic Ecotechnological Housing for Rural Areas: A Literature Review

Abstract

The precarity of rural housing includes, among other aspects, a lack of basic services and infrastructure, which has a direct impact on habitability and sustainability. There are many concepts for defining this issue, but no unifying conceptual framework for housing in different geographical regions. This article conducts a review and systematization of the literature on basic housing and sustainability, identifying concepts and definitions and carrying out a comparative analysis based on three thematic axes: 1) general concepts related to rural housing, 2) minimum criteria in terms of basic habitability and 3) concepts related to sustainability. A broad, diversified panorama can be observed in terms of the characteristics that must be considered in each case. Through a review of the literature, it suggests the term Basic Ecotechnological Housing (VEB, its acronym in Spanish) as a guide for moving toward desirable policies in terms of access to sustainable housing and basic services in rural areas.