Most cities and towns in developing countries are experiencing a
massive infl ux of population from rural areas. The majority of the rural population
migrates to urban areas hoping to fi nd a job and a higher income for their survival.
This large infl ux creates a high demand for urban housing and infrastructure,
which the majority of the migrants cannot afford. Moreover, the insuffi cient use of
low-cost traditional building materials and construction techniques in residential
construction has resulted in expensive housing stock for the majority of the
poor. There is therefore an urgent need to assess alternative building materials
and techniques that are both affordable and sustainable. Stabilised earth is an
alternative building material that is signifi cantly cheaper than using conventional
brick and concrete, and is also environmentally sustainable. Earth has been used
as a construction material on every continent and in every age. This article reviews
and argues the economic benefi ts of using earth as a building material, and
describes the associated construction techniques for urban housing provision in
developing countries. A critical literature review method was adopted in this article
to investigate the economic benefi t of contemporary earth construction in low-cost
urban housing compared to conventional brick and concrete construction.

• Economic benefi ts of contemporary earth construction in low-cost urban housing – State-of-the-art review