Regional housing crisis fueled by lack of order

Central America has seen an accelerated urbanization "since the 1950s" that has made its cities "motors of growth and innovation" - but this has all been done in a disorderly way, causing a housing shortage of at least 45 percent.

The "housing shortage of the region is more or less equivalent to 45 percent...compared with an average in Latin America and the Caribbean of 37 percent, according to the representative of the Inter-American Development Bank, or IDB, in El Salvador, Marco Nicola.

Not that the population doesn't have housing, but much of it is made up of sub-standard shelters - there's a lack of flooring, adequate roofs and basic utilities, among other elements, Javier Leon, coordinator of housing and urban development for the IDB, told Efe.

Source: Efe