Norms of co-operation, social capital, and collective action in low-cost housing

Insights and lessons learned

Bibliographic Data

ID21692002
AuthorsHong-Kok Wang (0000-0001-5965-6475, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman), Gabriel Hoh Teck Ling (0000-0001-5750-3336, University of Technology Malaysia, corresponding author), Gabriel Hoh-Teck Ling (University of Technology Malaysia), Li-Ping Yow (0000-0001-7569-2505, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman), Felicia Yan-Yan Yong (0000-0002-2325-7429, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman), Andrew Ebekozien (0000-0002-4663-5592, University of Johannesburg)
Year2026
Volume31
Issue2
Pages177-207
Publication date2026-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Planning Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1356-3475 • E-ISSN: 1469-9265
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13563475.2025.2589190
OpenAlexW4416367969
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited73

Governance breakdowns in self-managed low-cost housing schemes remain a persistent challenge, particularly in the maintenance and regulation of shared spaces. Although collective action dilemmas—marked by free-riding, limited participation, and the decline of communal facilities—are well documented in planning literature, the institutional mechanisms through which social capital facilitates collective governance remain insufficiently examined. This study investigates how cooperation norms give rise to social capital and how, subsequently, social capital mediates collective action constraints. Using a phenomenological case study, this qualitative research incorporates systematic site observations and semi-structured interviews with 16 stakeholders in the Ukay Indah low-cost housing scheme in Ampang, Malaysia. The findings indicate that formal regulatory provisions alone rarely secure durable consensus among homeowners; rather, trust, reciprocity, and shared obligations constitute the core institutional resources enabling effective governance. The analysis also highlights the relevance of ‘thin rationality’ in shaping cooperative behaviour. The study advances planning scholarship by clarifying social mechanisms essential to housing commons governance

Collective action · Social relation · Collaborative and Sustainable Housing Initiatives · Social Capital and Networks · Urban Planning and Governance

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