The housing stock has doubled in 50 years, in response to the chronic shortage at the end of the Second World War. The construction effort concentrated firstly on high-rise buildings until the middle of the 1970s, then on individual houses. Today, the «average» house has four living areas. Continued improvements in housing conditions, including sanitary conditions, are the result of a construction and renovation effort initiated and aided by the State. There are still, however, many people living in poor quality housing. Young families in urban environments suffer from a lack of space. Some elderly households in rural areas do not have the minimum sanitary facilities.