Public Low-cost Housing Research Articles

Evaluation of Residential Satisfaction in Dwelling Unit Features of Public Low-Cost Housing

A dwelling is one of man’s most basic needs. In Malaysia’s case, the National Housing Policy has made housing one of the main strategic mechanisms in eradicating poverty. This policy is seen to have a significant influence in dealing with the problems of excessive population growth and in-demand community development. For these reasons, a study on the status of one housing programme for the poor and those of the low-income bracket, namely the Low-Cost Housing Programme (LCHP), in influencing the quality of life of its target group was carried out. A field study was done to evaluate the consistency of the internal physical characteristics of the LCHP with the housing needs of the target group. A structured questionnaire was the main instrument utilised in the primary data collection of this study. Around 325 household heads of six flat-type LCHPs in Kuala Terengganu were involved in this study. The study’s findings are able to give positive implications in improving the planning and the policy of the LCHP as well as increasing the quality of life of the target groups.

Factors Affecting the Housing Affordability of Homebuyers in Perak: Measuring Transport Expenditure

Increasing housing prices in Perak has made it difficult for homebuyers to own affordable housing. Housing affordability ensures that housing provided is affordable for every income group, especially the low and middle-income groups. It has brought the government and housing developers’ attention the issue of housing affordability by supplying public low-cost housing schemes.

The Perception of Thermal Comfort in Malaysia Public Low-Cost Housing

In Malaysia, the thermal comfort of low-cost high-rise housing has not been widely given a significant emphasis in the qualitative study despite its increasing scale and significance in the urban areas. Occupant’s perception and adaptive behaviour are important to achieve the level of satisfaction in terms of a comfortable living environment. This paper assesses the occupants’ perception and behaviour in a low-cost high-rise housing development that has been argued with various problems which have a considerable impact on lifestyle. Understanding of comfort as social and cultural behaviour, rather than an engineering approach. This research shows the results of a pilot study that utilized a qualitative strategy for analysing thermal comfort, rather than using the standard thermal comfort research methodologies. The building of study, in the category of low-cost high rise residential located at the urban context of Kuala Lumpur housing area, which is mainly natural ventilated with a versatile adaptive possibility available for the occupants. The outcomes signify the adaptive behaviour that enhances or limit the thermal comfort-related varieties. The results from the pilot study direct for more extensive research and comparison with previous qualitative studies.
 Keywords: Thermal comfort, Qualitative study, Occupant perception, Adaptive behaviour, Housing

Public Low-Cost Housing Design: The Residents’ Perception

The purpose of this paper is to explore the design of public low-cost housing in Jigawa State, Nigeria and assess how residents perceived the housing units in relation to their culture and impact on their well-being. The housing units were constructed as an intervention by the government for low-income earners. This research was conducted through both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In qualitative aspect, three respondents were interviewed to express their perception on the public low-cost housing design, while quantitative aspect assessed the residential housing attributes of low-cost housing estates with view to identify the important housing attributes considered by the residents for their well-being and was used to support the qualitative aspect. This was achieved through descriptive statistics using Relative Importance Index (RII). A well-structured questionnaire was administered to the residents of public low-cost housing of Jigawa state, Nigeria. The results indicated that, the design of public low-cost housing in Jigawa State, Nigeria does not reflect the culture of the residents, most of the residents were not satisfied with it. In addition, out of fifty five (55) constructs from five (5) housing-related dimensions, the result identified thirty two (32) important attributes out of these, the residents considered twelve (12) to be the most important attributes affecting their well-being. Thus, the paper would serve as a blueprinted government, housing policy makers and housing developers to understand that, the housing constructions and infrastructural elements should reflect the cultural background of the beneficiaries. Views of beneficiaries before and after construction of public low-cost housing are of great importance. The findings of this paper were based on reviewed of earlier studies on residential-housing units, field work and research conducted on particularly the public low-cost housing in Jigawa State, Nigeria

THE HOUSING DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL LIVABILITY: THE LOW-INCOME EARNER PERSPECTIVE

In Nigeria, statistics has shown that over 7 out of every 10 people live below the minimum poverty level and 9 of every 10 are in the low-income group (Fadairo & Olotuah, 2013). This indicates that, these people cannot provide housing for themselves, they need intervention from government through public low-cost housing. Public Low-cost housing has been defined as constructed public residential houses funded by the government or in partnership with the government under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, to provide affordable housing for low-income people (Ayoola & Amole, 2014; Makinde, 2014a). The results indicated that, there is need to consider users preferences in construction of public low-cost housing so as achieve maximum satisfaction. 
 Research Objectives
 The purpose of this paper is to explore the design of public low-cost housing in Jigawa State, Nigeria and assess how residents perceived the housing units in relation to their culture since housing units are constructed or an intervention of the government for low-income earners. Thus, the paper would serve as a blueprinted government, housing policy makers and housing developers to understand that, the housing constructions and infrastructural elements should reflect the cultural background of the beneficiaries. Views of beneficiaries before and after construction of public low-cost housing are of great importance.
 Methodology
 This research was conducted through both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In qualitative aspect, three respondents were interviewed to express their perception on the public low-cost housing design, while quantitative aspect assessed the residential housing attributes of low-cost housing estates with view to identify the most important housing attributes considered by the residents through descriptive statistics and Relative Importance Index (RII). This was achieved through a well-structured questionnaire administered to the residents of public low-cost housing of Jigawa state, Nigeria although without considering other categories of housing type and high-income people. Previous studies such as Lukuman, Sipan, Raji, and Aderemi (2017), Tanko, Abdullah, and Ramly (2017) and Adegoke (2016) used RII on various studies.
 Results
 The results indicated that, the design of public low-cost housing in Jigawa State, Nigeria does not reflect the culture of the residents, most of the residents are not satisfied with it. In addition, out of fifty five (55) constructs from five (5) housing-related dimensions, the result identified thirty two (32) important attributes out of these, the residents considered twelve (12) to be the most important attributes affecting their well-being. 
 Findings
 The residents of public low-cost housing preferred the housing design that will ensure privacy of their family in term of; provision of wall demarcation; more number of bedrooms, toilets and the position of main entrance should not face directly to the main street/road. The residents also, found sharing of toilets system and common roofing as part of housing design that affect the well-being. Other public low-cost housing attributes that perceived and ranked as the most important to them are; Masjid, social interaction, neighbors’ friendliness and helpful. Therefore, future construction of public low-cost housing in Jigawa State should incorporate these attributes/items in order to improve the well-being of the residents.
 Acknowledgement
 I appreciate the effort and proper supervision given to me by the chairman of my supervisory committee in person of Prof. Ahmad Hariza Hashim (PhD) and Co-supervisors; Prof. AsnarulKhadi Abu Samah (PhD) and Associate Prof. Nobaya Ahmad.

Residential Environmental Livability in Nigeria: An Overview

The purpose of this paper is to examine the problems of public low-cost housing in Nigeria and suggest some guiding principles that can be used for successful public low-cost housing for low-income people in Nigeria. This research was conducted through in-depth reviews of previous literatures and document related to public low-cost housing in Nigeria. National housing policy is among the document analysed by the researcher. The major constraints to public low-cost housing in Nigeria are that, the housing units are not liveable, because most of the residents are not satisfied with it. The housing units are characterized by indecent housing units, the needs and aspirations of the residents are neglected, safety and security challenges, poor location and difficult to access functional facilities. The main limitation of this research is no field survey or interview to collect data from the residents of public low-cost housing has been conducted. This research will assist housing policy makers and housing developers to understand the important of opinion or views of beneficiaries before and after construction of public low-cost housing. This will be achieve if certain attributes of housing are incorporated in the National Housing Policy as may be suggested by the beneficiaries. Recent studies in Nigeria have shown that, the quality level of building and infrastructural elements depend on cultural background of the beneficiaries. Presently, scholars in Nigeria are shifting towards housing design that will reflect the desire and expectations of beneficiaries through incorporating of culture of the people in housing design. This issue is of great significant to ASEAN region which comprises different cultural diversities, these differences in culture need to be considered in housing design not adopting standard from developed world. The findings of this paper were based on reviewed of earlier studies on residential environmental liveability particularly the public low-cost housing in Nigeria and the analysis of document of National Housing Policy. The findings of this study revealed some guiding principles that can help in solving public low-cost housing problems in Nigeria.

Youth Outdoor Feature Requirements in Urban Public Low-cost Housing

Youth is part of the community consent contributors. They are the energetic potency in fulfilling the social program and physical planning development. They are described as an active group in the community. The previous studies showed that youth shapes the pattern of lifestyle in neighbourhood units and even the nation itself. This paper will focus on the low-cost housing areas in which is high density and with scarce spaces as the existing facilities did not appear to attract youth's intention and even for their uses. As a result, reviewing the youth service requirements can enhance youth's quality of life.

Rising residential energy consumption and GHG emissions in Malaysia: A case study of public low-cost housing projects in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia’s electricity consumption is increasing exponentially as it gears towards becoming a developed nation by year 2020. This paper is aimed at policy development in terms of energy efficiency and building design as Malaysia has yet to establish any mandatory energy efficiency or energy performance building code. The focus on public low-cost housing projects is important as it is administered by government agencies and provides possible streamlining of proposed energy policies for the housing sector. Presented in this paper are findings from fieldwork conducted to investigate the energy performance and green house gas (GHG) emissions from the building operation of two public low-cost housing projects in Kuala Lumpur. The baseline calculations use UNEP–SBCI’s Common Carbon Metric tool to provide project-specific calculations of energy and emissions intensity with its bottom-up approach, while presenting a national-scale projection using its top-down approach. Findings from bottom-up analysis suggest that Malaysian public low-cost housing households consume more than benchmarks set by the World Energy Council and the International Energy Agency, in terms of Building Energy Index (BEI) of kwh/m2/year. This is a reflection of the absence of building energy efficiency legislation in Malaysia, both for residential and non-residential buildings. The importance of this research lies in its focus on a developing country experiencing rapid urbanisation and climate change effects.

POST OCCUPANCY EVALUATION OF PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT IN PUBLIC LOW-COST HOUSING

Malaysian government has introduce public low-cost housing during Malaysian Plan as an initiative to help the low-income household owners and squatters. However, in developing the low-cost housing, the quality and environmental aspects should be emphasized. Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is an approach in assessing existing building performance and future development of buildings to ascertain feedback from occupants after the building has been occupied for some time. This paper determines the physical environment based on occupants preference by using the POE tools. Physical environment elements obtained through literature review consists of facilities, spaces and services offered in each housing unit. A sum of 13 physical environment elements were measured by 868 occupants in Johor’s Public Low-cost Housing. Convenience sampling technique was the method used to determine the adequacy of sample throughout data collection process, subsequently it has been analyzed using frequency and factor statistics. The study reveals that physical environment elements were playing the crucial role in every housing unit. However, dwelling unit features, housing conditions and location were mainly the highest preference amongst occupants. In fact, physical environment elements plays an entirely crucial role in developing occupant’s comfort and satisfaction. Nevertheless, a few physical elements that show the least preferable amongst occupant such as external utilities and services, management, lighting and ventilation need to be given more attention in order to create a better environment in the future.

Assessment of Physical Environment Elements in Public low-cost Housing

This paper examines an assessments of physical environment elements in public low-cost housing focusing amongst occupants in Johor Bahru consists of facilities, spaces and services offered in each housing unit. The data of study was obtained through questionnaire involved a sum of 868 occupants using convenience sampling. The collected data was analyzed using quantitative approaches, including frequency analysis and relative important index (RII). The study reveals that physical environment elements were the crucial role in every housing unit. However, safety, security and health, utilities, privacy and location were mainly the highest concern amongst occupants towrads the physical environment. In fact, physical environment elements plays crucial role in developing occupant’s comfort and satisfaction. Nevertheless, a few physical elements show least preferable amongst occupant such as temperature and humidity, aesthetic and noise, yet it also need to give much attention in order to form a better quality of environment.

Measuring Operational Affordability of Public Low-Cost Housing in Kuala Lumpur. Case study of People’s Housing Programme Public Low-Cost Housing in Kuala Lumpur

Affordability in housing is often defined by the ratio of purchase price or rent, to total household income. At present, public low-cost housing units in Malaysia are sold or rented at below market price value being subsidized by the government. This housing affordability definition overlooks other important issues such as long-term operational costs, where a typical low-income household spends a substantial share of monthly income on energy and utility services such as electricity and water. Consequently, the apportionment or percentage of average household income spent on operational household expenditure such as rent, electricity and other utilities are investigated in this paper, by using a survey questionnaire and interview techniques. This paper presents a brief overview to how low-cost housing can contribute to sustainable development in terms of long-term operational affordability for social and economical sustainability.

Meeting first-time buyers’ housing needs and preferences in greater Kuala Lumpur

High housing prices in Greater Kuala Lumpur have made it difficult for potential first-time homebuyers to own a house. As a result, affordable housing schemes were introduced recently to assist potential homeowners. The Malaysian government has launched many kinds of public low-cost housing schemes; however, many housing projects resulting from these schemes have turned into slums that do not provide a wholesome environment for families. To avoid building more slums and to provide more benefits for young buyers, the goal of this paper is to determine the correct housing attributes required for first-time homebuyers in the urban area. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed to young Malaysians in Greater Kuala Lumpur (KL), and 265 questionnaires were returned. The responses to the questionnaire revealed that accessibility and neighborhood environment play a role in the decision to own. It can also be observed that ecologically friendly homes that embrace sustainability are important considerations for prospective homebuyers.

Assessment of residential satisfaction in newly designed public low-cost housing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This paper provides an assessment of residential satisfaction of newly designed public low-cost housing dwellers of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with forty-five variables grouped into five components – dwelling unit features, dwelling unit support services, public facilities, social environment and neighbourhood facilities. Findings from the study indicate that the residents are moderately satisfied with dwelling unit support services, followed by public and neighbourhood facilities than dwelling unit features and social environment, which have higher percentage of respondents with low level of satisfaction. Residential satisfaction index has high positive correlations with dwelling unit features, social environment, support services and public facilities, and low positive correlation with neighbourhood facilities. Socio-economic attributes of the residents such as age, family size, working wives, previous residence are negatively correlated with residential satisfaction, whereas residents' race, employment type, floor level and length of residency are positively correlated with residential satisfaction. A Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model has been estimated for the study and the model provides 76% explanations to determine residential satisfaction with ten predictor variables. The high beta coefficients of the model suggest that residential satisfaction of public low-cost housing can be enhanced through improving the management of security control, perimeter roads, cleanliness of garbage house and garbage collection, by the Local authority (KLCH). Moderate beta coefficient values of the model suggest that improvement of housing design is necessary to enhance residents' satisfaction with the predictor variables such as dry area, bedroom-1, dinning space, socket points and bedroom-3. From socio-economic analysis, it was found that the size of existing low-cost unit does not satisfy the needs of 29.4% inhabitants with large (6+) families and high bedroom occupancy rates (2.5). Furthermore, the location of future low-cost housing estates should also consider their closeness to the shopping centres. Public agencies for low-cost housing should pay proper attention to the management of support and public facilities to enhance residential satisfaction of the inhabitants and also adopt a policy to build different sizes of units to cater the needs of residents with large families in order to enhance quality of life of the low-income urban community in the country.