A Computational Model to Assess the Affordability of Ecological Housing

The inability to provide housing for the world’s growing population is one of the main problems caused by rapid population growth. Environmental pollution is the other. The main inspiration for the article is centered on these two difficulties. First, the article looks at ecological design standards and alternative building materials for ecological houses. This is followed by a review of the literature on affordable housing. A broad outline of the housing problem in Türkiye is given. Then, for the affordability study, the cost of a standard 100-m2 house made of different ecological building materials is calculated. For each material, the payments for these houses with different maturities and loan interest rates were calculated. Average invoice costs were added to these payments. To determine the disposable household income of the 20% income groups, the Income and Living Conditions Survey of the Turkish Statistical Institute was used. An affordability study was carried out, and the amount left over after deducting housing costs from this disposable household income was compared to the poverty line, representing a threshold income level. Finally, an evaluation of the results is carried out, together with suggestions for the low-cost production of ecological housing in Türkiye.