Waqf and the Urban Housing Question: Islamic Land Donations for Housing in Bangkok

The city of Bangkok, Thailand faces the sorts of housing problems that are experienced throughout the Global South, where urban housing is unaffordable to large numbers of residents or is of extremely poor quality. Standard economic analysis suggests that privatization of land will enable the free market to solve the housing problem. Anne Haila, a leading urban economist, turned this mainstream logic on its head, claiming that land privatization worsens housing problems. She also argued that systems based on sharing are needed. Bangkok sought to solve its housing problem with conventional methods of public housing and social housing, but that policy was unsuccessful. This article recommends the application of core Islamic social and moral values: social responsibility and generosity. The use of non‐private land, such as religious waqf land, offers an effective alternative housing system. Waqf land practices demonstrate the philosophy of Islamic philanthropy, as I show in a case study of how waqf land is used in Bangkok. The evidence demonstrates that a sharing alternative can help alleviate urban problems. This study is just one example of a practice within the Islamic collective philanthropic spirit.