What Homes Are Like in 15 Places Around the World

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Real home prices have grown 24% over the last five years, while real income has only grown 8%, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal. This disparity between income growth and home prices has worsened what was already a global housing crisis.

Cities around the world, from New York to London and Sydney to Berlin, are now wrestling with how to make living more affordable for their citizens.

The struggle to provide people with access to affordable and safe housing is nothing new. Thirty years ago, the United Nations General Assembly declared the first Monday in October would be World Habitat Day. The annual holiday allows us the opportunity to reflect on our towns and cities, and on shelter as a basic human right.

This year, Habitat for Humanity joined the United Nations and other organizations around the world in raising awareness, educating, and mobilizing individuals and communities to take action on the current global housing crisis.

Using various sources, Stacker has compiled a list of 25 unique homes from around the world. From micro-apartments in Hong Kong to turf huts in Iceland, these homes may be wildly different from the high rises and detached homes we’re used to—but they’re incredibly significant in the cultures from which they come.

Even more importantly, as Habitat for Humanity points out, these decent housing options have removed barriers for opportunity, success, and health for generations of families.

Click through this gallery for a tour of some of the world’s most distinctive and interesting homes.

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