Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2010 in the subject Sociology - Habitation and Urban Sociology, grade: 1,3 (Germany), University of Cologne (Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics (ITT)), course: Master_TERMA, language: English, abstract: The problem of urban poverty, and precarious habitability has increased in the last decades. Such a growth of urban poor population has overwhelmed the local institutions and international development agencies. The scale and velocity of urban population growth suppose nowadays a major challenge. Many housing policies have been undertaken though many papers discuss their efficiency. This paper reviews part of the last years literature concerning the challenges of housing shortage in several countries in the Tropics and Subtropics. It makes an approach on the urban planning strategies undertaken in the last decades, most common housing policies and their implementation and results. Then it focused on grassroots organizations capabilities and in the possible strategies to support them. Finally the paper reviews some proposals for poverty understanding as a basis for new possible strategies for fighting urban poverty