Identifying Contextual Socio-Cultural Attributes as Predictors of User Satisfaction: A Study in Transformed Public Housings in Nigeria

Abstract

Transformation of houses is common, especially when households inhabit them for a considerable period of time. However, the scale of transformation might vary. Public housing in Nigeria has seen large scale transformations, and started to generate wide attention. The transformation phenomenon is often attributed to the exclusion of socio-cultural values in initial design that eventually results in unguided densification. But at the same time, house transformations arise from people's desires to satisfy their own ever changing housing needs. Using transformation as a sign of dissatisfaction, this study was an attempt to identify local socio-cultural attributes lack of which result in such transformations. Conditional sampling was adopted in order to find respondents across Nigeria. Socio-cultural attributes were identified from background study and were used in structuring a questionnaire-based survey. Findings from univariate and psychometric analysis based on the survey indicated that social activities and family structure were the two most significant socio-cultural attributes that guide residents’ transformation decisions in public housing adjustments. This finding also appeared to be crucial as initial layouts proved not to lead to users’ satisfaction. These results might be useful for prospective developers who are explicitly seeking a successful and sustainable delivery system.