--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -742,31 +742,23 @@ class PyBuildExt(build_ext):
                         add_dir_to_list(dir_list, directory)
 
     def configure_compiler(self):
-        # Ensure that /usr/local is always used, but the local build
-        # directories (i.e. '.' and 'Include') must be first.  See issue
-        # 10520.
-        if not CROSS_COMPILING:
-            add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.library_dirs, '/usr/local/lib')
-            add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.include_dirs, '/usr/local/include')
+        try:
+            modules_include_dirs = os.environ["PYTHON_MODULES_INCLUDE"].split()
+        except KeyError:
+            modules_include_dirs = ['/usr/include']
+        try:
+            modules_lib_dirs = os.environ["PYTHON_MODULES_LIB"].split()
+        except KeyError:
+            modules_lib_dirs = ['/usr/lib']
             self.add_multiarch_paths()
-        # only change this for cross builds for 3.3, issues on Mageia
-        if CROSS_COMPILING:
-            self.add_cross_compiling_paths()
+        for dir in modules_include_dirs:
+            add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.include_dirs, dir)
+        for dir in modules_lib_dirs:
+            add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.library_dirs, dir)
+
         self.add_ldflags_cppflags()
 
     def init_inc_lib_dirs(self):
-        if (not CROSS_COMPILING and
-                os.path.normpath(sys.base_prefix) != '/usr' and
-                not sysconfig.get_config_var('PYTHONFRAMEWORK')):
-            # OSX note: Don't add LIBDIR and INCLUDEDIR to building a framework
-            # (PYTHONFRAMEWORK is set) to avoid # linking problems when
-            # building a framework with different architectures than
-            # the one that is currently installed (issue #7473)
-            add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.library_dirs,
-                            sysconfig.get_config_var("LIBDIR"))
-            add_dir_to_list(self.compiler.include_dirs,
-                            sysconfig.get_config_var("INCLUDEDIR"))
-
         system_lib_dirs = ['/lib64', '/usr/lib64', '/lib', '/usr/lib']
         system_include_dirs = ['/usr/include']
         # lib_dirs and inc_dirs are used to search for files;