Is China's Affordable Housing Going to Those Who Need It?

The Chinese government wants to build 36 million units of affordable housing between 2011 and 2015. That's like building all of the households in California, Texas, Florida and Arizona and dropping them into China over the next few years. The country's vast population is certainly there to fill those new units, and skyrocketing home values have increased the need for affordably priced housing all across the country.

But according to a new report, the process of getting these units to the people who need them has major flaws. Though the push to build up the affordable housing stock is seen as a positive move, poor management has actually helped get that housing to the low income populations that it could benefit. The report was produced by the China Development Research Foundation, which operates under China's State Council, and is based on research in a number of cities, including Tangshan, Jiaozuo and Chongqing.