The Behaviour of Construction Costs and Affordability in Developing Countries : A Yemen Case Study

Construction affordability is identified in Agenda 21 for Developing Countries as one of the main issues associated with sustainable construction and sustainable development. Despite international awareness of sustainable construction, the cost rates for construction activities and resources have been continuously increasing. Due to these increases the approaches to be used to achieve sustainable construction through efficient and affordable techniques can be difficult to determine. This paper will examine the behaviour of the main construction costs and building rates, concurrently with ocioeconomic behaviour, for the purpose of identifying some of the deficits in construction activities in developing countries, such as Yemen. This is achieved by examining past and current trends in the construction industry over the last two decades. Comparisons with other developing and regional countries are established to allow for a scale of international development to be established. This scale, based on a proposed Construction Development Index (CDI), will enable the industry to be more responsive in relation to construction costs and affordability in a particular country.