Voices from the barrio - Oral testimony and informal housing processes

Empirical studies of low-income housing areas frequently rely on questionna ires to record the dwelling and social circumstances of the residents. Such quantitative methods are well documented in the literature and the data pr oduced is relatively straightforward to analyse, but through a focus on agg regate data the actions and experiences of individuals are excluded. In con trast qualitative approaches can be used to explore the less visible and ta ngible aspects of housing through direct engagement with residents and indi viduals. This methodologically focused paper explains the theory and practi ce of collecting oral testimonies and attempts to demonstrate the potential advantages through a detailed analysis of examples recorded in informal se ttlements in Colombia.