Affordable Housing as a Catalyst for Sustainable Regional Development: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Inclusive Urban Growth

Rapid urbanisation, widening housing deficits, and uneven regional development continue to threaten sustainable urban transformation, particularly within rapidly urbanising developing economies. This study examines affordable housing as a strategic instrument for sustainable regional development through interdisciplinary collaboration between architecture and urban and regional planning. Using a PRISMA-based systematic review, 519 records were identified from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, of which 55 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2016 and 2026 met the inclusion criteria. Policy reports from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change further supported the review. The study employed thematic synthesis, Weighted Frequency Index analysis, regression modelling, and inferential validation derived from coded thematic aggregation and evidence-pattern extraction within the reviewed studies. Quantitative synthesis produced regression outcomes (R² = 0.67) and inferential validation results (χ² = 0.91, p > 0.05; κ = 0.84), indicating strong thematic consistency and analytical reliability. Findings show that integrated housing and planning systems improve urban inclusiveness by 31.4%, reduce spatial inequality by 26.8%, and enhance regional productivity by 24.7%, while fragmented urban growth intensifies environmental and infrastructure pressures. The study contributes to a systems-oriented interdisciplinary framework linking affordable housing, governance coordination, infrastructure integration, and environmental sustainability toward more resilient and inclusive urban development.

Affordable housing governance; Sustainable regional development; Inclusive urban growth

1. Akinsulire, A. A., Idemudia, C., Okwandu, A. C., & Iwuanyanwu, O. (2024). Economic and social impact of affordable housing policies: A comparative review. International Journal of Applied Research in Social Sciences, 6(7), 1433-1448. https://doi.org/10.51594/ijarss.v6i7.1333. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Angel, S. (2023). Urban expansion: theory, evidence and practice. Buildings & Cities, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/bc.348. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Anwar, M. R., & Sakti, L. D. (2024). Integrating artificial intelligence and environmental science for sustainable urban planning. IAIC Transactions on Sustainable Digital Innovation (ITSDI), 5(2), 179-191. https://doi.org/10.34306/itsdi.v5i2.666. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Araji, S. Z., & Shahin, B. R. (2021). Identification of effective integrated indicators for sustainable affordable housing provision. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 856, No. 1, p. 012055). IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/856/1/012055. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Awuah, K. G. B., & Abdulai, R. T. (2022). Urban land and development management in a challenged developing world: an overview of new reflections. Land, 11(1), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11010129. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Bashir, S., Sarker, T., Talib, M. N. A., & Akram, U. (2023). Financing options for green and affordable housing (GAH): an exploratory study of South Asian economies. Sustainability, 15(15), 11645. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511645. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Darko, A., Chan, A. P. C., Yang, Y., Shan, M., He, B. J., & Gou, Z. (2018). Influences of barriers, drivers, and promotional strategies on the adoption of green building technologies in developing countries: The Ghanaian case. Journal of Cleaner Production, 200, 687-703. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.318 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Deki, K. T. P., Danvide, T. B., Zinsou-Klassou, K., & Martos, J. C. M. (2025). Population growth and housing demand in greater Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 9(4), 1842–1852. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6418 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Du, J., Fu, Q., Fang, S., Wu, J., He, P., & Quan, Z. (2019). Effects of rapid urbanisation on vegetation cover in China's metropolises over the last four decades. Ecological Indicators, 107, 105458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105458. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Eliasson, K., & Westerlund, O. (2023). Housing markets and geographical labour mobility to high-productivity regions: The case of Stockholm. European Urban and Regional Studies, 31, 259 - 280. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697764231210791. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Gan, X., Zuo, J., Wu, P., Wang, J., Chang, R., & Wen, T. (2017). How affordable housing becomes more sustainable? A stakeholder study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 162, 427-437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.048. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Güneralp, B., Lwasa, S., Masundire, H., Parnell, S., & Seto, K. C. (2017). Urbanisation in Africa: challenges and opportunities for conservation. Environmental Research Letters, 13(1), 015002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa94fe. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Halder, B., Haghbin, M., & Farooque, A. A. (2021). An assessment of the impacts of urban expansion on land transformation in Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality. Knowledge-Based Engineering and Sciences, 2(3), 34-53. https://doi.org/10.51526/kbes.2021.2.3.34-53. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Huang, K., Li, X., Liu, X., & Seto, K. C. (2019). Projecting global urban land expansion and heat island intensification through 2050. Environmental Research Letters, 14(11), 114037. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab4b71. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Ibraeva, A., de Almeida Correia, G. H., Silva, C., & Antunes, A. P. (2020). Transit-oriented development: A review of research achievements and challenges. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 132, 110-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2019.10.018. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2022). Climate change 2022: Mitigation of climate change (AR6 Working Group III contribution). Cambridge University Press. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Jiang, L., Hagen-Zanker, A., Kumar, P., & Pritchard, J. (2021). Equity in job accessibility and environmental quality in a segmented housing market: The case of Greater London. Journal of Transport Geography, 90, 102908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102908. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Jiboye, A. D., Adebayo, J. A., & Obakin, O. A. (2020). Urban housing in Nigeria for sustainable development: Challenges and prospects. International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science, 7(7), 478–491. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijaers.77.55 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Kajiita, R. M., & Kang’ethe, S. M. (2024). Socio-economic dynamics inhibiting inclusive urban economic development: Implications for sustainable urban development in South African cities. Sustainability, 16(7), 2803. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072803. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Khan, A., Yu, R., Liu, T., Guan, H., & Oh, E. (2022). Drivers towards adopting modular integrated construction for affordable sustainable housing: A total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) method. Buildings, 12(5), 637. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12050637 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Koroso, N. H., Lengoiboni, M., & Zevenbergen, J. A. (2021). Urbanisation and urban land use efficiency: Evidence from regional and Addis Ababa satellite cities, Ethiopia. Habitat International, 117, 102437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2021.102437. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Kouskoura, A., Kalliontzi, E., Skalkos, D., & Bakouros, I. (2024). Assessing the key factors measuring regional competitiveness. Sustainability, 16(6), 2574. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062574. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Kundu, D., & Pandey, A. K. (2020). World urbanisation: trends and patterns. In Developing national urban policies: Ways forward to green and smart cities (pp. 13-49). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3738-7_2. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Lee, Y., Kemp, P., & Reina, V. (2022). Drivers of housing (un)affordability in the advanced economies: a review and new evidence. Housing Studies, 37, 1739 - 1752. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2022.2123623. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Levine, D., & Yavo Ayalon, S. (2024). Back and forth from urban renewal: The spatial parameters of affordable housing in two cities. Buildings, 14(10), 3324. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14103324. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Li, M., Wen, W., Ma, W., & Jin, Y. (2025). Research on the common prosperity effect of integrated regional expansion: an empirical study based on the Yangtze River Delta. Land, 14(2), 426. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020426. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Li, Y., Zhong, R., Wang, Z., Yu, M., Wu, Y., Irfan, M., & Hao, Y. (2022). Would inequality in environmental quality affect labour productivity and the income gap? Evidence from China. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 67, 25- 58. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2022.2097061. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Liang, L., Wang, Z., & Li, J. (2019). The effect of urbanisation on environmental pollution in rapidly developing urban agglomerations. Journal of Cleaner Production, 237, 117649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117649. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Liu, W., Liu, Z., Wang, L., Liu, H., & Wang, Y. (2022). Regional social development gap and regional coordinated development based on mixed-methods research: evidence from China. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 927011. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.927011. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Lobner, N., Seixas, P. C., Dias, R. C., & Vidal, D. G. (2021). Urban compactness models: screening city trends for the urgency of social and environmental sustainability. Urban Science, 5(4), 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5040083. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Matějková, J., & Tichá, A. (2025). Housing market trends and affordability in Central Europe: insights from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, and Poland. Buildings, 15(10), 1729. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101729. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Mathew, A., Aljohani, T. H., Shekar, P. R., Arunab, K. S., Sharma, A. K., Ahmed, M. F. M., ... & Abdo, H. G. (2025). Spatiotemporal dynamics of urban heat island effect and air pollution in Bengaluru and Hyderabad: implications for sustainable urban development. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00860-3. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Mazzetto, S., Furlan, R., & Awwaad, R. (2025). Sustainable urban renewal: planning Transit-Oriented development (TOD) in Riyadh. Sustainability, 17(10), 4310. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104310. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. McArthur, J. (2018). Comparative infrastructural modalities: Examining spatial strategies for Melbourne, Auckland and Vancouver. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 36, 816- 836. https://doi.org/10.1177/2399654418767428. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. McKee, M., Howden-Chapman, P., Braithwaite, I., & Bentley, R. (2026). Health-promoting housing policy in a changing climate: integrating affordability, security, and resilience. Health Promotion International, 41(1), 238. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf238. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Medeiros, E., & Van Der Zwet, A. (2020). Sustainable and integrated urban planning and governance in metropolitan and medium-sized cities. Sustainability, 12(15), 5976. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12155976. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Mohammed, I., Alshuwaikhat, H. M., & Adenle, Y. A. (2016). An approach to assess the effectiveness of smart growth in achieving sustainable development. Sustainability, 8(4), 397. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040397. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Muhammed, F. Z., Yamaguchi, K., Handayani, K. N., & Hagishima, A. (2025). Affordable housing in developing regions: A systematic review of materials, methods and critical success factors with case insights. Buildings, 15(22), 4015. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15224015 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Ngema, N. N., Bokhari, A., & Mbanga, S. L. (2025). Assessing the impact of social housing on urban regeneration in South African cities. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 7, 1468964. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2025.1468964. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Nwalusi, D. M., Okeke, F. O., Anierobi, C. M., Nnaemeka-Okeke, R. C., & Nwosu, K. I. (2022). A study of the impact of rural-urban migration and urbanisation on public housing delivery in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 11(3), 59–59. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2022.v11n3p59 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Ogundipe, K. E., Owolabi, J. D., Ogunbayo, B. F., & Aigbavboa, C. O. (2024). Exploring inhibiting factors to affordable housing provision in Lagos metropolitan city, Nigeria. Frontiers in Built Environment, 10, 1408776. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2024.1408776 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Olaniran, T. O., & Aule, T. T. (2025). Systematic approach to sustainable urban development: reviewing challenges of informal settlements and peri-urban growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Urban Planning and Transport Research, 13(1), 2495660. https://doi.org/10.1080/21650020.2025.2495660. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Olubi, A. R., & Aseyan, B. S. (2022). Sustainable housing delivery for the urban poor in Nigeria. International journal of civil engineering, construction and estate management, 10(1), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.37745/ijcecem.14/vo10.n1pp2134. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Ovsiannikova, T. Y., Rabtsevich, O. V., & Yugova, I. V. (2021, March). Analysis of the Impact of Housing Investment Market Dynamics on Social and Economic Development. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 666, No. 6, p. 062088). IOP Publishing.66. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/666/6/062088. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. Pilehvar, A. (2021). Spatial-geographical analysis of urbanisation in Iran. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00741-w. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

46. Ruiz, M. A., & Mack-Vergara, Y. L. (2023). Resilient and sustainable housing models against climate change: A review. Sustainability, 15(18), 13544. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813544 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

47. Sithole, S. M., Musakwa, W., Magidi, J., & Kibangou, A. Y. (2024). Characterising land cover changes and urban sprawl using geospatial techniques and landscape metrics in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (1984–2022). Heliyon, 10(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27275. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

48. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). (2020). World cities report 2020: The value of sustainable urbanisation. UN-Habitat. https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/10/wcr_2020_report.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

49. United Nations. (2019). World urbanisation prospects 2019. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. https://population.un.org/wup/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

50. Vivian, A. K., & Khaidzir, K. A. M. (2024). Architectural design intervention as a solution to the lack of sustainable and equitable housing in Nigeria. Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5(SI1), 186–193. https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v5isi1.575 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

51. Voukkali, I., Papamichael, I., Loizia, P., & Zorpas, A. A. (2024). Urbanisation and solid waste production: prospects and challenges. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 31(12), 17678-17689. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27670-2. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

52. Wang, H., Zhang, B., Liu, Y., Liu, Y., Xu, S., Zhao, Y., Chen, Y., & Hong, S. (2020). Urban expansion patterns and their driving forces based on the centre-of-gravity GTWR model: A case study of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 30, 297-318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-020-1729-4. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

53. Wetzstein, S. (2017). The global urban housing affordability crisis. Urban Studies, 54, 3159 - 3177. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098017711649. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

54. World Bank. (2020). Rapid housing sector assessment: Sint Maarten. World Bank Publications. https://doi.org/10.1596/34990 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

55. Xu, G., Dong, T., Cobbinah, P. B., Jiao, L., Sumari, N. S., Chai, B., & Liu, Y. (2019). Urban expansion and form changes across African cities with a global outlook: Spatiotemporal analysis of urban land densities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 224, 802-810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.276. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

56. Zambon, I., Colantoni, A., & Salvati, L. (2019). Horizontal vs vertical growth: Understanding latent patterns of urban expansion in large metropolitan regions. The Science of the Total Environment, 654, 778-785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.182. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

57. Zhang, X. (2016). The trends, promises, and challenges of urbanisation worldwide. Habitat International, 54, 241–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.11.018 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

58. Zhou, W., Yu, W., Qian, Y., Han, L., Pickett, S. T., Wang, J., ... & Ouyang, Z. (2022). Beyond city expansion: multi-scale environmental impacts of urban megaregion formation in China. National Science Review, 9(1), nwab107. https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwab107. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

59. Zhu, W., & Ding, Y. (2025). Integrating Decision Tools for Environmental Impact Reduction in Sustainable Urban Planning. IEEE Access, 13, 30212-30234. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2025.3540140. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of The Degree of Conformity of Existing Land Use Patterns of Calabar Metropolis with the 1973 Calabar Urban Master Plan
• Assessing Micromobility Usage Trends and User Satisfaction Levels in Seksyen 14, Shah Alam, Selangor
• Development and Field Validation of a Universal Design–Based Maturity Index for Healthy City Governance in Thai Municipalities