Major issues impacting affordable housing developments in Mexico

The design process of affordable housing developments in Mexico has characteristics of poor performance and is not properly documented, primarily because the flow of information has not been identified nor established, posing a challenge from the economic, political social, and environmental perspectives. This research project identifies and documents the design practice for the improvement of the design process in construction projects, particularly for affordable housing developments in Mexico. Specifically, this work investigates (1) how the design process is currently done in the affordable housing sector in Mexico, and (2) how the information flows during the design phase of affordable housing developments in the Southeast of Mexico. A qualitative approach was selected to undertake this research. Specifically, the case study mode of inquiry was selected to investigate a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context. The first part of the case study, to identify and document design practice, comprised of semi-structured interviews with 26 managers and 26 designers from 33 different firms dedicated to the delivery affordable housing developments, review of archival records, and review of generic design-related documentation. The second part of the case study, to map the information flow, consisted of in-depth interviews with the five members comprising the design team of a selected firm. The findings indicate that the design process of affordable housing: follows informal channels of communication, does not promote participation from end users (households) and other professionals involved in the process, does not incorporate constructability concepts, and shows evidence of errors and generation of waste. Furthermore, the flow of information: is perceived differently by each member of the design team, lacks a framework of reference, and primarily, shows substantial evidences of informality. Based on the results of this study it was possible to identify information flow patterns within the design team, and most importantly, to develop an information map for the process, which was validated by the design team. This study provides direction for experimentation and creation of new design practice in affordable housing developments.