Apartment Residents Research Articles

Safety and Security of the Environment for Flat Dwellers on the Granting of Building Rights Title (HGB) on Management Rights (HPL) for 80 Years

The development of high-rise apartment buildings is an alternative solution to meet the housing and settlement needs. After the enactment of the Job Creation Law (UUCK), the Government issued Regulation No. 18 of 2021 concerning Management Rights, Land Rights, High-rise Apartment Units, and Land Registration. In this regulation, the period of Building Use Rights (HGB) over Management Rights (HPL) can be granted for 80 (eighty) years for the construction of high-rise apartments. This study was conducted to determine whether granting HGB over HPL for 80 (eighty) years is appropriate to be implemented and whether it potentially threatens the safety and environmental security of the high-rise apartment residents. The study results show that based on the prevailing regulations, granting HGB over HPL for 80 (eighty) years is appropriate because there is periodic inspection of the feasibility of the function every 5 (five) years as a requirement for certificate of feasibility of function (SLF) extension. However, in terms of building reliability, granting HGB over HPL for high-rise apartments for 80 (eighty) years still potentially poses a threat to the safety and environmental security of the residents because the building's capability will decrease in strength that affects the building's reliability. Another risk arises because the sanctions given for the negligence of periodic inspections on the building's reliability in the process of extending SLF are only in the form of administrative sanctions, so more severe sanctions such as criminal sanctions need to be imposed on violators.

A study on the residents’ housing satisfaction with condominium apartments in the urban area of Henan, China

This study aimed to assess the satisfaction levels of condominium apartment residents regarding their housing and to identify potential improvements for apartment planning in Henan Province, a region characterized by a substantial population and rapid urbanization. To gauge resident’s satisfaction, a specialized condominium apartment housing satisfaction measurement tool tailored to the specific conditions of Henan Province, China, was developed. This tool was subsequently employed to conduct an online survey, yielding a dataset of 594 responses, which were subjected to comprehensive analysis. The results of the study reveal that apartment residents in Henan Province evaluate their housing satisfaction based on seven content factors (internal facilities, internal structure, indoor environment, complex characteristics, location characteristics, management characteristics, and economic characteristics). Notably, the economic characteristics category, which encompasses the comparison of management levels to management costs and the assessment of management costs, emerged as the most influential factor affecting overall housing satisfaction. Following closely were management characteristics, which included aspects such as hygiene, security measures, maintenance, safety management, and operational management. These findings highlight the importance of considering not only the physical environment but also the need for systematic guidance regarding management costs and practices related to life after moving into condominium apartments when planning the supply of apartments in Henan Province, China.

Impacts of building defects on the health and wellbeing of apartment residents: a scoping review

ABSTRACT While recent high-profile incidents have highlighted the impacts of building defects, there remains a dearth of comprehensive research that examines the full spectrum of health risks encountered by residents living in apartments affected by these defects. In this paper, an interdisciplinary perspective provides a comprehensive and structured synthesis of the literature on the varied impacts of lifecycle construction quality characteristics and defects on the health and wellbeing of apartment residents, including classification of methodological approaches. Twenty-seven peer reviewed articles published from 2010 onwards were selected and analysed through a systematic process from eight major online databases. Our findings synthesize the impacts of construction defects on three aspects of health: (1) physical health; (2) mental health; and (3) the general wellbeing of occupants. For each aspect, we also identify the associated defects. This paper highlights significant knowledge gaps in relation to methodologies, cohorts sampled, and the wider health impacts of certain defects. In relation to policy and practice, we discuss the need for a broader, interdisciplinary understanding of the extent of apartment building construction issues, and thus for a more holistic exploration of the impacts on health of these issues.

The Relevance of Vertical Housing to the Socio-Economic Characteristics of Occupants in Semarang City, Indonesia: Particularly the Proximity of Public Facility Aspects

Population growth and economic development can lead to increased housing demand amid limitations and rising land prices in the City of Semarang, Indonesia. One effort to overcome this challenge has involved shifting the approach to providing shelter to building vertical housing. However, various problems have emerged which suggest that vertical housing is not currently relevant to the socio-economic characteristics of its inhabitants. Thus, this study aims to determine the relevance of vertical housing to residents’ socio-economic characteristics particularly in proximity of public facility aspects. To achieve the research objective, this research uses quantitative research method. Importance–performance analysis (IPA) uses to determine the relevance of vertical housing to residents’ socio-economic characteristics and geospasial tools use to analyze descriptively the proximity of public facilities. Based on the relevance analysis, it can be concluded that the relevance between residents in apartments and residents in flats has some differences. This could happen because of differences in the location and financial capability of residents in apartment and flat. Performance improvement is needed, especially on economic factors for apartments and accessibility factors for low-cost flats so that vertical housing can become more relevant. Therefore, these findings can become input in formulating a policy for providing affordable vertical housing in the Semarang that is well-suited to the socio-economic characteristics of its inhabitants.

Apartment Space Planning Directions for Infectious Disease Prevention and Management: Insights Based on Residents’ Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised people’s interest in pandemic-safe housing. This study aims to present insights into apartment housing space design to prevent and manage infectious diseases based on the actual living experiences of apartment residents. The relevant literature was reviewed, and overall satisfaction was assessed through a questionnaire targeting apartment residents in South Korea. Finally, using the photovoice method, residents’ space needs were identified. By applying a mixed-use methodology and identifying the needs of residents, the following two recommendations were derived: (1) a flexible space plan to support multifunctional use while securing work efficiency and privacy in the living room, bedroom, and space for hobbies/work/learning; (2) a facility for removing contaminants at the entrance with sufficient storage space. The residents emphasized the importance of non-structural changes to the space and the convenience of use to increase actual space utilization. When planning future pandemic-safe apartment housing spaces, it is important to consider structural aspects like functionality and facilities. Convenience of use and methods of supporting family members’ privacy should also be taken into account.

Design and development of a drip irrigation system

Nowadays agriculture is done everywhere and not just limited to farm lands. Residents of individual houses, apartments are growing wide variety of plants and many households sometimes neglect regular watering of the plants due to busy schedule and water large amounts in a single instances. This paper describes the design and development of the prototype of a small-scale drip irrigation system which is made up of three main components namely, Drip Flow regulator, Bottle holder and Ground support module which is simple to set-up with no hassle of piping systems and requires less maintenance. This product ensures the plants to be nurtured and watered on a regular basis with appropriate amounts of hydration and also allows to set-up a nutrient delivery system. The working mechanism of the flow regulator is by using a simple yet effective method of threaded nut and bolt design where the inlet of water is obstructed by the regulator when fastened and released accordingly to control the flow and drip of the water, additionally the bottle holder is designed such that, it can also incorporate non-standardized bottle sizes as well as regular beverage bottles and provides a universal fit. The potential applications of this drip irrigation component is for window plants, potted plants, garden plants, grown by individual house, apartment residents and office spaces and it has a lot of scope for use in the market and can be mass manufactured by using Plastic Injection Die methods.

The types of spatial adaptability based on user preferences of low-income apartments in erbil city

Spatial adaptability is the ability of floor plans to adapt to families' changing needs and requirements over time. Apartment floor plans that are not designed according to the user's preferences cannot meet his or her changing needs over time. So, an adaptable apartment floor plan is considered a desirable alternative that can provide various solutions to households' changing spatial needs in the present and the future. Future low-income apartment designs will be more effective if users select the most appropriate types of floor plan adaptability for their needs and culture. The aim of this study is to identify user preferences for the types of adaptability of floor plans and assess the adaptability capacity of low-income apartment floor plans based on those preferences. Based on the research criteria, six low-income multi-family residential buildings in Erbil City were chosen as case studies. The questionnaire was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 363 participants. The study used mixed methodologies, including a quantitative questionnaire survey and a qualitative case study analysis method, to answer the research questions. This study concluded that users did not prefer all the types of spatial adaptability; they preferred the ones that most suited their needs, lifestyles, and preferences. Low-income apartment floor plans didn’t support user preferences, and residents of low-income apartments in Erbil City could not adapt their apartment floor plans according to their preferences. According to the findings of this study, there should be a greater emphasis on the future design of low-income apartment floor plans in order to meet the changing space needs and requirements of families. This study can help architects and policymakers improve housing quality in Erbil City by considering user preferences for space adaptation when designing low-income apartment floor plans in the future.

Якість повітря житлових приміщень як важлива детермінанта здоров’я та пріоритетне завдання у галузі гігієни середовища життєдіяльності людини

According to WHO definition, indoor air quality is an important determinant of human health. Emissions from building materials, furniture, and consumer goods, combustion processes, and infiltration of polluted atmospheric air are considered the main sources of hazardous chemicals and solid pollutants in indoor air. Aim. To conduct an analysis of the results of comprehensive sanitary and hygienic studies of air quality in residential buildings and apartments in order to determine priority chemical pollutants and products of their transformation; justify the need to improve the air quality monitoring system of residential premises taking into account modern WHO recommendations. Materials and Methods. The study of air samples of residential premises was carried out on the basis of the L.I. Medved’s Research Center of Preventive Toxicology, Food and Chemical Safety of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (2000-2015) and Kyiv Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (2015-2019). A comprehensive toxicological and hygienic assessment of the air in residential premises was carried out based on the appeals of citizens who complained about the unpleasant smell of the air. A total of 123 residential objects (856 samples) were investigated. Applied methods of systematic and comparative analysis, cross-sectional survey method (survey of residents of residential buildings and apartments), sanitary and hygienic methods; sanitary and chemical methods (29 methods according to the institution's accreditation). Statistical data processing was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0.0.0 program (Spearman correlation analysis), with p≤0.05. Results. A high level of chemical air pollution in residential premises, carried out based on citizen complaints, was established. Various external and internal sources of chemical air pollution were determined, in particular by marker pollutants: formaldehyde, phenol, and acetone. It has been established that the cause of their emission into the air is household items (furniture), various construction and finishing materials (polymers), which are used mainly during repair work or in new buildings. A direct positive connection was found between the level of exceeding the maximum permissible limit of marker chemical pollutants and the well-being and health of residents of settlements. Symptoms such as fatigue, cough, diseases of the upper respiratory tract, headaches and dizziness, allergic conditions were most often observed, which determines the urgency of improving the preventive work of primary care doctors ‒ family medicine in the direction of detecting pre-pathological conditions among healthy individuals and especially sensitive contingents (children, teenagers, pregnant women) living in the conditions of a "sick building". Conclusions. The unsatisfactory state of air inside residential premises determines the need to improve the existing system of monitoring the quality of air inside residential premises, in particular, improving methods of sampling and analysis of priority chemical indoor air pollutants to assess the risk of their combined action. Keywords: indoor air, "sick building syndrome", phenol, formaldehyde.

The architecture of mental health: identifying the combination of apartment building design requirements for positive mental health outcomes

Housing quality is a crucial determinant of mental health. While the construction of high-rise buildings is a popular policy strategy for accommodating population growth in cities, there is considerable debate about the health consequences of living in poorly designed apartments. Drawing on three Australian state government apartment design policies introduced to improve apartment design quality, this study aimed to identify the combination of design requirements that were optimally supportive of positive mental health. K-means cluster analyses identified groups of buildings (n=172) that were homogenous in their implementation of a mix of n=80 measured design requirements. Positive mental health was measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Linear mixed-effects models controlling for demographic characteristics, self-selection factors and clustering of participants within buildings compared residents in the different clusters. Residents in the "high policy performance buildings", characterised by having a greater implementation of n=29 design requirements across nine design elements, had significantly higher (+1.96 points) WEMWBS scores compared with residents in the "low policy performance buildings". This study is the first to empirically identify a mix of policy-specific architecture design requirements that are associated with positive mental health in apartment residents. These findings provide vital empirical evidence to inform national and international apartment and high-rise housing policies, and design instruments and practices to protect people's health in apartment dwellings. The High Life project is funded by a Healthway Research Intervention Project grant (#31986) and an Australian Research Council (ARC), Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) (DE160100140). NE is supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project (LP190100558). SF is supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT210100899).

‘It feels smaller now’: The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on apartment residents and their living environment – A longitudinal study

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions prolonged residents' exposure to their home environment. The impact of lockdowns could be heightened for apartment residents as they typically have smaller, less versatile homes, and share communal and circulation spaces. This study examined changes in apartment residents’ perceptions and experiences of their dwelling before and after the Australian COVID-19 national lockdown. MethodsParticipants consisted of 214 Australian adults who completed a survey on apartment living between 2017 and 2019 and a follow-up survey in 2020. Questions focused on residents’ perceptions of their dwelling design, apartment living experiences, and personal life events/changes due to the pandemic. Differences between pre- and post-lockdown periods were assessed via paired sample t-tests. The lived experience of a subset of residents (n = 91) following lockdown was also assessed using qualitative content analysis of free-text responses to an open-ended survey item. ResultsCompared to the pre-pandemic period, after the lockdown residents reported less satisfaction with the amount/layout of their apartment space and private open space (e.g., balconies or courtyards). Increased noise annoyance from indoor and outdoor noise sources was also reported, however disputes with neighbours decreased. The qualitative content analysis highlighted a complex interplay of personal, social and environmental impacts of the pandemic on residents. ConclusionsFindings suggest an increased ‘dose’ of the apartment facilitated by stay-at-home orders negatively influenced residents' apartment perceptions. Design strategies that maximise spacious, flexible dwelling layouts with health-promoting elements (e.g., enhanced natural light/ventilation and private open space) are recommended to promote healthy and restorative living environments for apartment residents.

Narrating Moscow’s housing ‘renovation’: beyond the frontstage discourses of the narrative policy framework

ABSTRACT The Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) has become a popular, positivist approach to studying how narratives affect the policy process over the past 10 years. In this paper, we critically evaluate its applicability in an authoritarian context. We employ a mixed-method approach to, first, present some of the narrative elements employed by principal actors in the policy debate according to the NPF, derived through quantitative content analysis, and second, to critically contrast these findings by drawing on qualitative data. The policy we examine is Moscow’s contentious Renovation program, which aims to demolish many of the city’s Soviet-era five story ‘Kruschovsky’ apartment blocks and resettle residents in new apartments. The quantitative content analysis is derived from several online government sources and that of the principal opponent of the Renovation program, an online group called ‘Moscovites Against Demolition’. The qualitative data are derived from a district in Southwest Moscow, where the first Kruschovsky apartments were developed and has locally seen vocal opposition to the Renovation program and other redevelopment projects. This study highlights the limitations of the NPF and argues that by examining the performative nature of policy narratives, we can gain greater insight into the political strategies and context that underwrite these narratives.

The Relationship of Food Insecurity to Nutritional Risk in Independent Living Older Adults

Understanding the factors that augment optimal health during aging is critical as the US older adult population is increasing. Most research about food insecurity, nutritional risk, and perceived health among older adults are in urban areas or congregate living facilities. Thus, the purpose of this project was to study the relationships among these factors, plus activities of daily living, in community-dwelling older adults in a medium-sized city. Using a qualitative-quantitative study design, a cross-sectional survey was completed by 167 low-income senior apartment residents. Food insecurity in this group was higher than the national and state rate, yet nutrition assistance programs were underutilized and participants under 75 years were more food insecure than their older counterparts. Food insecure residents were at greater nutritional risk, had poorer self-reported health status, were more likely to be depressed, and had a less independent function, including limitations on the ability to shop for and prepare food. The study area is desirable to retirees due to lower cost of living; however, access to services, such as grocery stores, public transportation, and health care providers is limited. This research indicates the need for increased outreach, nutrition assistance, and support services to ensure healthy aging in these regions.

RESIDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD CRIME-PROOF LOW-RISE RENTAL APARTMENTS

Low-rise apartments have a higher risk of criminal victimization than other types of housing. This study aimed to gain insight to promote crime-proof low-rise rental apartments through questionnaire surveys of residents of both certified “security apartments” and general apartments. General apartment residents who valued site lighting and emergency alarm systems were likely to recognize the economic value of certification. Residents of security apartments were less fearful in their units and more likely to greet residents in the same building and neighborhood. Finally, we suggested the need to provide information to increase residents’ awareness to have them choose security apartments again.

제주도 가구의 공동주택 주거 선호요인 분석

This study analyzed the factors of housing preference for multi-family housing for Jeju Island, where various types of housing coexist, and analyzed the factors of housing preference for each type of housing.
 The analysis results are summarized as follows. In the analysis of all respondents, it was found that the most important factor in the preference factor for multi-family housing was future capital gains. Second place is accessibility to convenience facilities (market), third place is access to cultural leisure facilities, fourth is sales price, and fifth place is access to public transportation. On the other hand, multi-household house, row house, and small size house were found to be low factors.
 By the type of housing lived, apartment residents were found to be the same as the analysis results of all respondents, and row house and multi-household house residents were found in order of access to cultural leisure facilities, access to convenience facilities (market), access to public transportation, privacy protection and security, and sale price. Residents of detached house were found to have access to cultural leisure facilities, future capital gains, access to convenience facilities (market), sale price, and parking convenience.

Older and feeling unsafe? Differences in underlying vulnerability, anxiety and life satisfaction among older adults

Objectives: Feeling safe in the daily environment is important in late life. However, research on configuration of vulnerability factors for perceived unsafety in older adults is scarce. The current study aimed to identify latent subgroups of older adults based on their vulnerability for perceived unsafety.Method: We analyzed the data from a cross-sectional survey of residents in senior apartments in a mid-sized Swedish municipality (N = 622).Results: The results of the latent profile analysis based on frailty, fear of falling, social support, perceived neighborhood problems, and trust in others in the neighborhood indicated the presence of three profiles. These profiles were labelled as compromised body and social networks (7.2%), compromised context (17.9%) and non-vulnerable (74.9%). Profile membership was statistically predicted by age, gender, and family status and profiles differed in perceived unsafety, anxiety and life satisfaction.Conclusion: Overall, the study findings suggested the existence of latent subgroups of older people based on patterns of vulnerability.

Articulation of Apartment Design to Reduce Potential Criminality

When architecture is articulated, the response to the existing problem or context becomes the part that influences it; therefore, human activities could occur according to their suitability. The downtown area already has a high density, the construction of apartments is a strategy that continues to be used to meet the need for housing in the middle of the city. Currently, the research sees the need for a safe living space in the face of potential security problems in urban areas against criminal behaviour due to residents’ lack of natural supervision. The research method would be qualitatively by collecting theories regarding the articulation and prevention of crime in living spaces and confirmed by the case study method. With qualitative research, the case study carried out was by direct observation and interviews with the residents at the Kalibata City Apartment in South Jakarta. The design method was the development of CPTED and Architectural Articulation. The findings obtained were the importance of the separation zone between the zone intended for residents in an apartment and the zone provided for the public to provide supervision activities and moderate meetings, Differentiation of space functions, access, and facilities for residents and the public, Social control on the ground floor could be created from a variety of active shops on the ground floor, the strength, and concern of the community of apartment residents in protecting their environment.

Relationship between Health Status and Daily Activities Based on Housing Type among Suburban Residents during COVID-19 Self-Isolation.

COVID-19 significantly impacted residents' health status and daily activities in suburban residential areas. This study elucidated the relationship between health scores, daily activities, and housing types. The method was a questionnaire survey of 378 residents of suburban residential estates in Teraikedai, Kongo District, Japan, during the COVID-19 self-isolation period. Since the survey cohort was New Town, the suburban residential area identified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism was targeted. The questions included participant demographics, the Basic Survey on Japanese Social Life, and the SF-12v2. The Tukey-Kramer HSD test and stepwise decreasing logistic regression were used for the statistical analysis of the responses. The COVID-19 self-isolation led to lower physical and mental health scores than usual, and the health scores of residents living in detached houses were better than those of residents in apartments, both those over the age of 65 and those under the age of 65. There was also a correlation between residents' daily activities and their health scores. For those aged under 65 years, the health scores of residents living in detached houses were significantly better than those living in apartments, indicating that daily activities such as sports and recreational hobbies may contribute to health scores.

Do apartment residents have enough car parking? An empirical assessment of car parking adequacy in Australian cities

In planning new apartment developments, off-street car parking provision is frequently raised as a key concern. However, there is little understanding of the adequacy of off-street car parking for individual apartment households. Drawing on a survey of apartment residents in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney (n = 1316), this research assesses the adequacy of off-street car parking provision for apartment households and provides an understanding of factors associated with an undersupply and oversupply of off-street car parking. Results show that around two-thirds (65.9%) of apartment households have a ‘balanced’ amount of off-street car parking, where the number of cars owned is equal to the number of allocated off-street car parking spaces. The remaining households either have an oversupply of off-street car parking (20.2%) or an undersupply (14.0%), almost always involving one parking space too many or one too few. Factors associated with an under/oversupply of off-street car parking are found to be largely related to household characteristics and residents' perceptions of parking issues. The findings highlight the potential for ‘unbundling’ off-street car parking from the purchase price or rental cost of apartment housing, while developing more tailored residential parking requirements that seek to prevent an under/oversupply of parking.

Leafier Communities, Healthier Hearts: An Australian Cohort Study of 104,725 Adults Tracking Cardiovascular Events and Mortality Across 10 Years of Linked Health Data.

Green space reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but few studies examine what types of green space matter, which is an important consideration as cities densify and apartments become more common. Participants were 86,727 in houses and 17,998 in apartments from the 45 and Up Study (Sax Institute) baseline survey with 10 years of linked hospitalisation and death data used to define: (i) all-cause; and (ii) CVD-mortality; (iii) fatal and non-fatal CVD events; and (iv) acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Associations with total green space, tree canopy cover and open grass within 1.6 km buffers were assessed using survival analysis adjusted for potential confounders. Mean percentage green space indicators were all higher among participants in houses than in apartments. Among residents of houses, a 10% increase in total green space was associated with reduced risk of CVD mortality (HR 0.97, 95%CI 0.95-1.00). A 10% increase in tree canopy cover was associated with reduced risks of all-cause mortality (HR 0.97, 95%CI 0.95-0.99), CVD mortality (HR 0.96, 95%CI 0.93-0.98), and fatal or non-fatal AMI (HR 0.93, 95%CI 0.89-0.96). In contrast, a 10% increase in open grass was associated with an increased risk of fatal or non-fatal AMI (HR 1.15, 95%CI 1.09-1.20) in residents of houses. Among residents of apartments, a 10% increase in total green space was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.04, 95%CI 1.00-1.08) and CVD mortality (HR 1.03, 95%CI 1.00-1.08). Urban reforestation may be a population-level intervention to protect cardiovascular health, especially for people living in houses. The intersection of urban greening and cardiovascular health among residents of apartments warrants further investigation.

AGE AND GENDER-SPECIFIC FEATURES OF CYTOGENETIC CHANGES IN BUCCAL EPITHELIUM IN INDIVIDUALS RESIDING IN THE «SICK BUILDING»

The aim: The study of cytomorphological and cytogenetic features of the buccal epithelium of residents of apartments who complained of unpleasant odors in their homes. Materials and methods: The state of buccal epithelium in residents of multi-story buildings was studied. A total of 237 individuals were examined, 117 males and 120 females, aged from 6 to 81 years. Buccal cells were collected using a sterile spatula and stained with a 2.5% solutionofaceto-orcein and 1% light green. The preparations were examined using a light microscope OPTON Axioskop (Germany) with oil immersion at a magnification of x1000. Statistical processing of the data was performed using IBMSPSS Statistics 29.0.0.0 (t-Student criterion; Mann-Whitney; ANOVA: Tukey; T3-Dunnett), with p≤0.05. Results: Cytomorphological and cytogenetic abnormalities, compared to physiological limits, were mainly manifested as karyorrhexis, nuclear doubling, the appearance of epitheliocytes with perinuclear vacuoles, or nuclear vacuolization. The frequency of micronuclei was observed in the range of (0.3-2.8 ‰). The highest micronucleus index (per 1000 cells, ‰) was observed among males aged 15-39 years and females over 65 years old. In both sexes, the lowest micronucleus indices were found in the age group of 6-14 years. Conclusions: in the «sick building» an increase in the frequency of micronucleus occurrence among males and females was observed simultaneously with increasing age.