Social Housing Assessment for Sustainable Model Development: Case Study Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

Abstract

Objective: This study discusses the requirements of social housing that are adaptable to the local culture, affordable, resilient, and inclusive by proposing a prototype of a social housing unit. Method: Through observation in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), evaluation of the social housing conditions, authors design criteria for culturally adaptive social housing that is affordable, resilient and inclusive and compare the existing social housing against the designed criteria. Results: As a result of the research, model of social housing that considers the environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability is suggested to comply with Emirate’s strategy to enhance the sector of social housing. Conclusion: The study concludes with the following recommendations: Accessibility to information related to the study, evaluation of the existing housing conditions, governmental support to the private sector implementing affordable housing projects, and predictions for upcoming work in the field of affordable and sustainable housing are important for the transition to more sustainable housing programs. This study creates a database and forms a base for future research in the field of sustainable housing programs in the UAE.