Housing Improvement Research Articles

House design and risk of malaria, acute respiratory infection and gastrointestinal illness in Uganda: A cohort study.

House construction is rapidly modernizing across Africa but the potential benefits for human health are poorly understood. We hypothesised that improvements to housing would be associated with reductions in malaria, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and gastrointestinal illness in an area of low malaria endemicity in Uganda. Data were analysed from a cohort study of male and female child and adult residents (n = 531) of 80 randomly-selected households in Nagongera sub-county, followed for 24 months (October 4, 2017 to October 31, 2019). Houses were classified as modern (brick walls, metal roof and closed eaves) or traditional (all other homes). Light trap collections of mosquitoes were done every two weeks in all sleeping rooms. Every four weeks, we measured malaria infection (using microscopy and qPCR to detect malaria parasites), incidence of malaria, ARI and gastrointestinal illness. We collected 15,780 adult female Anopheles over 7,631 nights. We collected 13,277 blood samples of which 10.2% (1,347) were positive for malaria parasites. Over 958 person years we diagnosed 38 episodes of uncomplicated malaria (incidence 0.04 episodes per person-year at risk), 2,553 episodes of ARI (incidence 2.7 episodes per person-year) and 387 episodes of gastrointestinal illness (incidence 0.4 episodes per person-year). Modern houses were associated with a 53% lower human biting rate compared to traditional houses (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32-0.67, p<0.001) and a 24% lower incidence of gastrointestinal illness (aIRR 0.76, 95% CI 0.59-0.98, p = 0.04) but no changes in malaria prevalence, malaria incidence nor ARI incidence. House improvements may reduce mosquito-biting rates and gastrointestinal illness among children and adults. For the health sector to leverage Africa's housing modernization, research is urgently needed to identify the healthiest house designs and to assess their effectiveness across a range of epidemiological settings in sub-Saharan Africa.

Community Participation in Urban Housing Improvement for Low-Income People in Vietnam's Inner Cities: Case Studies from Hanoi and Hai Duong City

Rapid urbanization and population growth in the cities of Vietnam in recent decades have put tremendous pressure on urban housing development, especially in major cities like Hanoi and Hai Duong City. To meet the basic housing demands of the public, the city authorities have implemented several policies to increase the housing supply. However, it is difficult to meet all the housing needs and to improve housing quality for the urban poor and the lower-income people. As the state's financial sources for upgrading urban housing projects targeted at the low-income communities are very limited, community participation in terms of self-solving housing issues is highly needed. Therefore, this paper aims to study the mechanism of the community participation process to improve urban housing quality for low-income groups. Through two case studies selected from Hanoi and Hai Duong as a large city and medium-size city, respectively, in the same region, the paper explores the characteristics of community participation and the capacity of the community, the mechanism of collaboration among the stakeholders, and the obstacles to overcome in the implementation process. The paper also proposes a number of solutions regarding changes in policies, including mechanisms to support low-income earners in housing improvement and strengthening the role of local authorities and consultant experts in supporting and promoting community participation toward sustainable development.

Housing challenges in sinking coastal city: rethinking urban housing in subsidence area for a more resilient community

Housing in coastal cities is facing complex environmental hazards. The risk of being permanently submerged caused by sea level rise-related flooding is aggravated by the localized hazards, which is land subsidence. We explored the land subsidence conditions in the housing zone of Semarang City using overlay spatial analysis, and we expand the discussion to the regulatory aspect and local adaptation through content analysis. We found that challenges in housing zone are the severe subsidence that is occurring on dense housing zone, regulation that still less sensitive towards incorporating the slow onset disaster and not properly provided housing hydrological consideration nor the water provision, and poor drainage system as well as limited adaptation capacity that makes people lives in a false harmony of being resilient. Affordable alternative housing such as stilt house and drainage infrastructure improvement as well as detailing and reframing building regulation that is adequate to address both subsidence and flooding is undeniably important to ensure the adequate housing is accessible for all coastal city residents.

Environmental Enrichment for Rats and Mice Housed in Laboratories: A Metareview.

Simple SummaryEnvironmental enrichment has been widely studied with laboratory rodents, but there is no consensus regarding what counts as enrichment or what it should achieve. Inconsistent use of the term “enrichment” creates challenges in drawing conclusions about the quality of an environment. We conducted a metareview to better understand the definitions and goals of enrichment, perceived risks or requirements of enrichment, and what forms of enrichment have previously been endorsed for use with rodents housed in laboratories. This may help researchers and animal care staff to better define their chosen approach and intended outcomes when providing environmental enrichment.Environmental enrichment has been widely studied in rodents, but there is no consensus on what enrichment should look like or what it should achieve. Inconsistent use of the term “enrichment” creates challenges in drawing conclusions about the quality of an environment, which may slow housing improvements for laboratory animals. Many review articles have addressed environmental enrichment for laboratory rats and mice (Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus). We conducted a metareview of 29 review articles to assess how enrichment has been defined and what are commonly described as its goals or requirements. Recommendations from each article were summarised to illustrate the conditions generally considered suitable for laboratory rodents. While there is no consensus on alternative terminology, many articles acknowledged that the blanket use of the terms “enriched” and “enrichment” should be avoided. Environmental enrichment was most often conceptualised as a method to increase natural behaviour and improve animal welfare. Authors also commonly outlined perceived risks and requirements of environmental enrichment. We discuss these perceptions, make suggestions for future research, and advocate for the adoption of more specific and value-neutral terminology.

Epidemiological aspects of Chagas disease in the state of Piauí (Northeast Brazil) in the period 2010–2019

Chagas disease (ChD), caused by the hemoflagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important morbidity that affects approximately six million people in the American continent. T. cruzi parasites are mainly transmitted to human by the infected feces of blood-sucking triatomine insects. The persistent disease is endemic in many regions of South America, mostly affecting residents of rural areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate epidemiological aspects of ChD in the state of Pi-auí located in northeastern Brazil. This is an analytical cross-sectional study carried out from the collection of data of the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN, in Portuguese, Sistema de Informações de Agravos de Notificação) of suspected and confirmed cases of acute ChD in the state of Piauí, in the period 2010–2019. Associations between T. cruzi positivity and the study variables were determined by the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test and were raised as prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence interval. According to this survey, 517 suspected cases of acute ChD were reported in Piauí, with 70 cases (13.5%) confirmed. In 88.5% of confirmed cases, confirmation occurred by laboratory diagnosis. Most of the confirmed cases occurred in municipalities located in the semiarid region, with the municipality of São João do Piauí presenting the highest number of cases. Regarding sociodemographic data, females represent 55.7% of cases, people over 50 years of age (55.7%), being three cases in people up to 18 years of age, and less than 8 years of schooling (67.1%). 77.9% of confirmed cases had vector transmission as the probable form of infection. The data available in this study conclude that vectorial transmission of ChD in the state of Piauí remains active. This fact is corroborated by the number of notified and confirmed cases of acute ChD, requiring housing improvement programs and more effective epidemiological surveillance to control the transmission of the disease in the state.

Community Perceptions Regarding Chikungunya Vector Proof Housing In Lahore, Pakistan for Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development Agenda is gaining importance, acknowledging its importance right adaptation of interventions for housing regarding vector-borne disease prevention as suggested by “Keeping the Vector Out” can make cities and human settlements vector-proof and sustainable.Objective: To assess community perceptions regarding chikungunya vector-proof housing for sustainable development. MethodS: Descriptive cross-sectional study included 400 households of Aziz Bhatti Town, Lahore. A semi-structured questionnaire administered by personal interview method to the available and willing adult member of the household by Researcher with the environmental inspector and lady sanitary patrol of Dengue and Polio survey teams of DDO office Aziz Bhatti Town Lahore, using simple random sampling technique after consent and ethical approval. The questionnaire was pre-tested (Pilot). Data analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Results: Among 400 households interviewed, the majority 69.7% were living in houses that were built &gt;9 years ago, 86.8 % were concrete. Climatic change and global warming can increase disease carried by mosquito AedesAegypti believed by 90.2 % and their impact can be mitigated by improved housing reported by 91.5%. Regarding community perceptions about vector-proof housing, 74.6% believed that improved house design can prevent entry and breeding of mosquitoes therefore, 86.3% screened windows doors and eaves, 83.0% believed that they always checked cracks and crevices in the wall, floor and roof and cemented them. But 58.7% believed that they do not consider mosquito prevention housing interventions as one of the important factors when constructing their house as among barriers 73.5% could not afford modern building materials, 73.5% lack detailed knowledge and 13.8% thought screening as an obstruction to ventilation. Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika disease are spread by Aedes mosquito species believed by 78% who (agreed and strongly agreed) still 81.8% urged for health education regarding chikungunya vector proof housing.Conclusion: Housing improvement can mitigate the impacts of climatic change and vector-borne disease. But health program planners need to identify and facilitate the removal of barriers for adoption of Vector proof housing.

Linking Animal Welfare and Antibiotic Use in Pig Farming-A Review.

Simple SummaryMinimising stress in intensive pig farms is paramount to raising immunocompetent pigs. This entails providing the pigs with living conditions (from birth to the point of slaughter) free of pain, stress, and suffering and simultaneously providing conditions that generate positive affective states. Our review aims to study the relationship between chronic stress, illnesses, their impact on antibiotic use (AMU), and potential housing and management improvements to tackle stress and AMU. According to the literature, pigs kept in crowded, barren conditions, with poor microclimatic conditions, and subject to painful and stressful weaning practices present redirected behaviours, poor immune-competence, and weaker bodies. In turn, pigs are more vulnerable to circulating pathogens and severe secondary infections, which is conducive to high AMU for the sake of the animals’ health. Simultaneously, we compiled a list of possible solutions for the current poor environment and practices, including a call for the pig industry to broaden its concept of animal welfare beyond the current biological/productivist scope. We propose that advocating for an industry with enhanced animal welfare is a crucial response to the international call to combat antimicrobial resistance and the social demand for ethically sustainable animal production.Preventative measures, such as biosecurity and vaccinations, are essential but not sufficient to ensure high standards of health in pig production systems. Restrictive, barren housing and many widely used management practices that cause pain and stress predispose high-performance pigs reared in intensive systems to disease. In this context, antibiotics are used as part of the infrastructure that sustains health and high levels of production in pig farms. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global emergency affecting human and animal health, and the use of antibiotics (AMU) in intensive livestock farming is considered an important risk factor for the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria from animals to humans. Tackling the issue of AMR demands profound changes in AMU, e.g., reducing their use for prophylaxis and ending it for growth promotion. In support of such recommendations, we revise the link between animal welfare and AMU and argue that it is crucial to sustainably reduce AMU while ensuring that pigs can live happy lives. In support of such recommendations, we aimed to revise the link between animal welfare and AMU in pigs by analysing stress factors related to housing and management and their impact on pig welfare. In particular, we reviewed critical management practices that increase stress and, therefore, pigs’ susceptibility to disease and reduce the quality of life of pigs. We also reviewed some alternatives that can be adopted in pig farms to improve animal welfare and that go beyond the reduction in stress. By minimising environmental and management stressors, pigs can become more immunocompetent and prepared to overcome pathogenic challenges. This outcome can contribute to reducing AMU and the risk of AMR while simultaneously improving the quality of life of pigs and, ultimately, maintaining the pig industry’s social license.

Housing energy-related renovations from a lifestyle and social standards perspective:insights from Portuguese homeowners

Recent studies argue that energy-related renovations which are not distinctive from other house improvements must be socially contextualized and intercepted with the householders’ daily social practices. Within a practice-theory approach, this study aims to explore how tastes, lifestyles and social values and norms can be brought into the understandings of energy renovation practices of Portuguese homeowners. The outcomes disclosed differentiated taste-motivated issues which boost homeowners to renovate. This highlighted the importance of energy policy-makers understand the diversity of homeowners’ desires and preferences regarding house renovation activities. Reflecting upon this diversity inside the household domain, gender differences revealed to be a significant factor, being women an undervalued resource despite their key influence on domestic energy management. Results also reinforce previous theories about how home renovations decisions reflects societal values and norms which determined “what would look nice” to have in a house and which determine, in part, why visible renovations are so prioritized, frequently not energy-related. Findings suggested also that energy policies should be drawn making energy efficiency in houses as fashionable as other consumer goods related with home design. Innovative partnerships between energy policy-makers and household products industries, home design magazines, marketing experts or real estate experts, which have the know-how on shaping people’s tendencies and tastes, are needed.

Community Participation in Urban Housing Improvement for Low-Income People in Vietnam's Inner Cities

Rapid urbanization and population growth in the cities of Vietnam in recent decades have put tremendous pressure on urban housing development, especially in major cities like Hanoi and Hai Duong City. To meet the basic housing demands of the public, the city authorities have implemented several policies to increase the housing supply. However, it is difficult to meet all the housing needs and to improve housing quality for the urban poor and the lower-income people. As the state's financial sources for upgrading urban housing projects targeted at the low-income communities are very limited, community participation in terms of self-solving housing issues is highly needed. Therefore, this paper aims to study the mechanism of the community participation process to improve urban housing quality for low-income groups. Through two case studies selected from Hanoi and Hai Duong as a large city and medium-size city, respectively, in the same region, the paper explores the characteristics of community participation and the capacity of the community, the mechanism of collaboration among the stakeholders, and the obstacles to overcome in the implementation process. The paper also proposes a number of solutions regarding changes in policies, including mechanisms to support low-income earners in housing improvement and strengthening the role of local authorities and consultant experts in supporting and promoting community participation toward sustainable development.

Urban Social Landscape Transitions between 1990 and 2010: Case study of Wuhan, China

Urban social development interacts with physical ecological dynamics. China’s urban social landscape study attracted attentions within recent decades, but the research mainly focused on the first tier cities. This paper aimed to reveal China’s urbanization since the 1980s from the perspectives of social dynamic and second tier cities, through the study of Wuhan one of the largest city in central China. The analysis was based on the population census data in Wuhan in 1990, 2000, and 2010. Variables referred to demography, migration, age composition, marital status, household type, education, employment, and housing status. Factorial analysis was employed to find the dominant urban social dimensions. A principal component analysis was conducted to extract the principal factors while a varimax algorithm was used for rotation. Further, the comprehensive urban social structures were mapped based on the cluster analysis of the selected factors. To conceptualize the urban social structure, dummy variable linear regression models were conducted. The results showed that Wuhan urban social dimensions diversified definitely during the recent decades, which were mainly reflected as increasing concerns of the tertiary industry employment, highly educated population unemployed, elders, incoming migrants, and housing improvement. The predominant urban social structure was conceptualized as “three central towns, two wings, and one axis”. The author concluded that urban social landscape study should be introduced in sustainable urban planning, with the concerns of challenges in an aging society, social equity between local residents and incoming migrants, as well as between rural and urban population, social impacts on physical ecological degradation, and so on.

Community strategies in the development of Merapi permanent settlements

Merapi relocated settlements has been inhabited since 2012, two years after the Merapi Volcano eruption. Despite the adequate facilities, the land and house are not enough to accommodate the additional family members. Adapting to the condition, the community made several improvements in the physical condition of the permanent settlement. This study aims to determine the community’s strategies in the Karangkendal and Plosokerep resettlement area in developing their dwellings. The observation includes the community’s methods in enhancing the existing housing and its funding strategies in developing houses in general. Employing a case study approach, observation and in-depth interviews conducted with the head of the family and the head of the local hamlet. Based on the analysis, most of the community in the Karangkendal and Plosokerep resettlement area prefer to develop their existing houses. Although several residents consider leaving the resettlement area, most of them remain to stay and develop the existing house because building a new house requires a lot of money. They spend their private savings that are soon considered as the community’s financial strategy. To fulfill that demand, the community needs external support. For instance, the government could provide revolving funds or build a coop that effectively supports housing improvement.

Оценка влияния факторов жилищного строительства на развитие сельских территорий

The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the factors of housing construction affecting the development of rural areas, identifying their relationships, as well as the specifics of the implementation of the program of preferential rural mortgages in the regions and the damage of its impact on the village. The scientific novelty of the work carried out consists in confirming the hypothesis of the insignificance of the impact of the preferential rural mortgage program in the improvement of housing in remote rural areas and the acceleration of the process of deurbanization. As a result, using the example of the subjects of the Russian Federation and specifically the Stavropol Territory, it is demonstrated that factors of housing construction and home improvement affect the development of only large rural settlements located near administrative centers.

Standing Tall: the evolution of habitable room height limits in New Zealand building controls

Although it is often thought that the 3 February 1931 Napier earthquake led to the first New Zealand building codes, they have a far longer history. Often developed by the local town, city or borough engineer, these codes or by-laws covered a wide range of topics, not just structural safety. Two surveys of local government building bylaws undertaken to support the development of national building controls, have created digests of details from a number of these codes. The 1924 survey of 37 municipalities supported the development of the first national code for timber buildings, while the 1938 survey of 84 municipalities was used to develop NZSS 95 Model Building By-law during the 1930s and early 1940s. The digests provide an opportunity to explore the 1930s development of building by-laws by geographical and topic coverage, as well as the impact on building controls since that time.These local building bylaws often included requirements that affected the interior architecture of buildings, such as the requirement for minimum dwelling or bedroom room heights. In 1924 these minima ranged from 8 ft to 10 ft (2.4 m to 3.0 m) for either a dwelling or an attic room. However, by 1938 while the height range for dwelling rooms was unchanged for attic rooms the range was reduced by 1 foot (0.3 m) to 7 ft to 9 ft (2.1 to 2.9 m). Although the 1992 New Zealand Building Code does not specify minimum habitable room heights, the House Improvement Regulations 1947 are still in force. These initially set the habitable room height requirement to 2.1 m, increasing in 1975 to 2.4 m.The paper explores the development of minimum dwelling height requirements in New Zealand using these two surveys with analysis of Wellington and Dunedin City Councils from the 1870s to the 1930s. These requirements will be compared to UK codes, exploring both the international evolution of room height requirements and the relationship to New Zealand.

Political instability and households’ investment behavior: Evidence from Burkina Faso

There is a large, rather macroeconomic, literature that shows that political instability and social conflict are associated with poor economic outcomes including lower investment and reduced economic growth. However, there is only very little research on the impact of instability on households’ behavior, in particular their saving and investment decisions. We merge six rounds of household survey data and a geo-referenced time series of politically motivated events and fatalities from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Base (ACLED) to analyze households’ decisions when exposed to instability in Burkina Faso. For identification, we exploit variation in the intensity of political instability across time and space while controlling for time- and municipality-fixed effects as well as rainfall and nighttime light intensity, and many other potential confounders. Our results show a negative association of political instability and financial savings, the accumulation of durables, investment in house improvements, as well as investment in education and health. Instability seems, in particular, to lead to a reshuffling from investment expenditures to increased food consumption, implying lower growth prospects in the future. With respect to economic growth, the sizable education and health effects seem to be particularly worrisome.

A Study on the Characteristics of Smart Wellness Housing Promotion Project for Classes in Need of Housing Support in Japan

This study identifies the characteristics of the smart wellness promotion project through on overview of the project for classes in need of housing support, such as the elderly, the disabled, and childrearing households in Japan, as well as case studies. In addition, this data is intended to be used as a data that can be used to fine the direction of housing welfare projects for the people requiring housing support according to the current situation in Korea. The methods used were literature review and case analysis. Data were collected from the Internet, research materials, and papers. From among the various housing-related projects in Japan, the paper analyzed three types of project characteristics in the Smart Wellness Housing Promotion Project. The study results are as follows. The Service-type Housing Improvement Project for the Elderly ensures residential stability for the elderly by linking with barrier-free structures, long-term care, and medical care; the Safety Net Housing Improvement Project establishes a housing safety net using vacant homes or rooms, focusing on the elderly, the disabled, and childrearing households; and the Housing Environment Improvement Project conducts maintenance for a safe residential environment based on regional characteristics or life stages for the elderly, the disabled, and childrearing household. It is necessary to reorganize various housing welfare-related laws and to broadly expand the class of people in need of housing support.

Quality improvement of an aluminum gearbox housing by implementing additive manufacturing

Quality improvement of an aluminum gearbox housing by implementing additive manufacturing

Resilience of Arctic Communities: Socio-Economic Aspect

The study investigates factors that directly or indirectly affect the development of settlements in the North-East of the Russian Arctic. The study highlights the specific features of the Arctic settlements of the Northeast, as well as factors that will be considered in the development of a methodology for assessing the resilience of Arctic communities to economic shocks. The main focus is on the investigation of demographic processes in the Northeast Arctic, since it is human capital that determines the resilience of settlements to economic shocks. According to the results of the analysis, it was found that the key trend is the migration outflow, and the factors constraining it are the growth of wages, the presence of a minimum improvement of housing, in particular, heating and guarantees of social support. Therewith, such a factor as the presence of traditional trades and occupations does not contribute to a decrease in the migration outflow. This study was performed to further develop the concept of resilience and form a methodology for assessing the resilience of the economic and social system of an Arctic settlement to economic shocks. In the future, this methodology makes provision for the construction of a model with factors and indicators that determine the resilience of the socio-economic system of the Arctic settlement in the North-East of Russia (as exemplified by the Bulunsky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)) to economic shocks.

Housing and health: a collaborative project for evidence-based policy-making

Abstract Issue The potential to improve health and equity through better housing is well established. However, housing policies (mainly focused on energy efficiency) have not fully integrated health. Description Within the Urban Environment and Health Project of the Diputació de Barcelona, their Housing and Public Health Offices and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health undertook the first phase (May-December 2020) of a collaborative project on housing and health. Focused on the physical dwelling, a map of health risk factors (linked to thermal comfort, environmental and spatial quality), a literature review of each factor, and a list of local health-promoting housing programs were elaborated. Issues addressed included: (a) most relevant home factors affecting health; (b) evidence of poor housing conditions impacting physical, mental, and social health of residents; (c) housing improvements with documented positive health benefits. The second phase (March-December 2021) uses the same methods to address two new housing dimensions: residential environment and community. Results Recent research on housing and health explores the potential accumulative/synergistic effects of combined exposures, as additional poor housing parameters (e.g. low indoor air quality, lack of natural light, pest problems, material damage) correlate with poorer health status and higher use of medical resources. Through this collaborative project, increased awareness among local officers has led to preliminary context-specific criteria and parameters to promote healthy homes beyond compliance with current building codes, especially aimed at increasing maintenance and renovation standards in older neighborhoods of Barcelona. Lessons Collaboration between stakeholders allows for rich and innovative perspectives and encourages multisectoral actions. Context-specific health costs/benefits analyses are needed to facilitate development and implementation of housing policies with health at its core. Key messages Housing policies should have a holistic approach of health risks, redounding in housing policies improvement. Collaborative projects between academic institutions and local governments encourage pivotal evidence-based housing policy-making.

Housing microfinance and housing financialisation in a global perspective

The application of microfinance to the provision, improvement or adaptation of housing—‘housing microfinance’—is an increasingly significant area of practice and research interest. Housing microfinance has proliferated, predominantly but not exclusively in the global South. Its proliferation must be understood in the context of financialisation and the concurrently growing importance of financial self-help and private real estate investment. Promoter perspectives emphasise the affordability of microfinance solutions for housing, their appropriateness for incremental housing strategies, and potentially interesting new business models. Critical perspectives emphasise the high costs and continual need for subsidies, risks faced by borrowers and the discipline demanded from them. To advance the debate, we present an analytical typology which maps different housing microfinance approaches in terms of how they connect finance with housing, whether they are credit-led or savings-led, whether the market or the state dominates, whether they are individualistic or community-oriented, and how formal or informal they are. The five articles in this special issue, presenting material from Kenya, Mexico, U.S.A, Thailand and Argentina, collectively advance six avenues of research on housing microfinance: (1) its immediate social impacts; (2) wider impacts in terms of housing affordability, markets and policies; (3) implications for construction and retailing markets; (4) consequences for urban development and societies, (5) the financial work required from participants; (6) and the significance of the ongoing experimentation in housing microfinance.

A Study on the Vitalization Task for Small-Scale Housing Improvement Project : Focusing on Housing Improvement Project in a City Block

A Study on the Vitalization Task for Small-Scale Housing Improvement Project : Focusing on Housing Improvement Project in a City Block