The Turkish way of housing supply and finance for low- and middle-income people

Living in an adequate housing condition is a basic human right. However, low- and middle-income people are generally unable to exercise this right because of financial difficulties. This requires governments take necessary measures and actions to supply adequate housing both in numbers and social and physical conditions for their citizens. In this regard, the Turkish government prepared a comprehensive plan of social housing with the motto of “providing adequate housing for all” and implemented this plan through an approach of the Turkish Housing Development Administration (TOKI). This approach was found to be very practical for the social housing development and finance, and its applicability is considered by several countries in addition to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This paper begins with an overview of social housing strategies in different countries. Then, it introduces duties, authorizations, and the financial structure of TOKI followed by description of various project implementations of the Administation including social housing, revenue-sharing and slum transformation. Finally, a discussion on the TOKI approach of housing supply and finance for low- and middle-income people is provided.