Torre David, Caracas, Venezuela Quinta Monroy, Iquique, Chile

architecture critic Rowan Moore this week ran an article about solutions to the housing crisis in the UK. Many of his solutions are examples which have been featured on The Modern House blog, such as the floating houses and good planning drawn from the Netherlands, the refurbishment and extensions of tower blocks in France and the communal housing in the UK. Most interestingly, the article also draws on a number of solutions found in South America. These include a self-build housing scheme in Chile for communities of squatters who, over time, have customised the homes provided to them through the initial government investment, and the occupation of free sites in Venezuela where an aborted skyscraper from the 1990s boom has become the home for 3,000 people – not legally, but without being stopped. For the full article and to read all 10 solutions, visit: The Observer