Aim: Affordable housing is a fundamental pillar of urban systems, reducing spatial and social inequalities in peripheral areas. Despite growing theoretical and empirical literature, a comprehensive locally grounded framework for identifying its criteria and sub criteria especially in informal settlements remains lacking. This study systematically analyzes affordable housing criteria in city outskirts and determines their relative importance across two distinct discourses.
Method & Data: This applied, descriptive analytical study employed a mixed methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. A systematic review (PRISMA2020) extracted data from 90 credible sources (24 Persian, 66 English; 1991–2025) from ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar, SID, and Magiran. Data were analyzed using directed thematic analysis in MAXQDA2024 through three coding stages: open, axial, and selective coding. The Weighted Jaccard coefficient measured conceptual overlap between theoretical and empirical literature, while the Chi square test examined statistical differences in criterion frequency distribution.
Findings: Six main criteria emerged: Economic, Sustainability (long term efficiency across economic, social, and environmental dimensions), Institutional, Physical, Socio Cultural, and Environmental. In theoretical literature, the Economic criterion ranked highest (29/3%), whereas in contemporary empirical literature, Sustainability received top priority (30%). The Weighted Jaccard coefficient (0/168) indicated weak overlap in sub criteria priorities; however, the Chi square test (P=0/309) revealed no statistically significant difference in the distribution of main criteria between the two bodies of literature.
Conclusion: The results demonstrate that affordable housing policy and development in peripheral areas require a shift from reductionist economic approaches toward a multidimensional, context sensitive, sustainability based framework.
Innovation & Application: The novel contribution lies in providing an integrated, empirically grounded framework of effective criteria and analyzing their importance for housing development in marginalized and low income settlements.