Social Housing Development Research Articles

Housing by people and work

Housing by people and work

Structuring a Residential Satisfaction Model for Predictive Personalization in Mass Social Housing

Ensuring access to quality social housing is a major challenge for developing countries. The problems of standardized mass housing are well-known. However, this type of provision is ubiquitously used for its advantages when addressing pressing shortages, often resulting in significant mismatches between the attributes of the housing and the requirements of the dwellers. This multidisciplinary study explores linkages between personalized development and residential satisfaction towards informing a mass personalization approach to social housing. In specific, it presents a model that formalizes this relationship using expectancy disconfirmation theory and field information. A housing survey was conducted in four estates located in Concepción, southern Chile, and complemented with environmental performance data generated with simulation software. The analysis of the results suggests that the relationship between occupants and providers (i.e., personalization as a service) can influence the build-up of expectations, while the capacity of the dwellings to meet the requirements of different households (i.e., personalization as a product) can have a significant impact on satisfaction. These outcomes are formalized with a model that acknowledges these links at different stages of occupancy and, therefore, can be used to inform the personalized development of mass social housing.

Vivienda vertical social en la frontera norte de México: criterios para una densificación sustentable

This paper analyzes six vertical social housing developments built in Ciudad Juarez over three periods –1950s-1970s, 1980s and 1990s: FOVISSTE Burocrata (1956), FOVISSTE Sur (1975), FOVISSTE Chamizal (1980-1984), INFONAVIT Casas Grandes (1980s), INFONAVIT Eco2000 (1992-1993) and INFONAVIT Solidaridad (1990-1993.) This research conducts a physical-spatial analysis at two different scales: one, the urban-territorial dimension, which refers to the location of land suitable for urban densification within the urban sprawl, and; two, the urban-community dimension, which is associated with housing developments and the percentage of vacant dwellings. Geostatistical data are included to examine the extent to which these vertical developments favor habitability and sustainability both in location and design terms. This paper also offers a series of strategies intended to transform these dense developments into more balanced communities with the capacity to meet local needs. The final section provides conclusions on density criteria in favor of vertical housing and offers elements that may enable future developments to create inhabitable communities.

Social Priorities of Less Developed Countries Sustainable Housing (Case of Sudan)

Sustainable development and sustainable housing indicators are a response to the trend of adopting sustainable development objectives, adopted by most countries, especially developed and less developed countries. It is difficult to implement indicators developed for a developing country context in other contexts with different social, economic and environmental conditions. Social sustainability is the most important priority regarding evaluating the housing development projects in the developed and less developed countries. Economic conditions is linked in many aspects to the social sustainability indicators. Environmental indicators are important, but the less developed countries in general has a very low environmental foot prints, this is because the industry sector is usually week comparing to the developed countries. This paper reviews the sustainable housing indicators, with a focus on United Nations reports and indicators developed for contexts similar to study area, without ignoring the most reputable indicators developed for developing countries context. The research came with a set of indicators reflects the social priorities of the new housing development in Sudan. A questionnaire participants decided the relative important of each indicator and also the importance of the parameters of each indicator. Developing a set of social priorities for Sudan will give extra efficiency in promoting and assessing sustainability in the study area. Description of the questionnaire results which reflects the national social sustainable housing development priorities are discussed. The researches came with a set of recommendations to enhance the social aspects for new housing development projects in Sudan. Using this set of priorities and recommendations will give extra efficiency in promoting and assessing sustainability in the study area.

The impact of defects on energy performance of buildings: Quality management in social housing developments

Construction defects in the domestic sector, especially occurring in the building fabric, are acknowledged to contribute to the energy performance gap of buildings. Discontinuity of insulation layers, gaps in the vapor/air barriers and thermal bridging through building elements lead to undesired heat loss, and thus to the increase of energy use for space heating. This study set out to investigate how quality management systems related to energy performance of buildings are defined and implemented in social housing projects in the UK. The analysis of evidence collected from a number of Housing Association case studies suggests that in the majority of the projects, the deployed quality management procedures focused on visual quality issues, allowing defects with the potential to impair the thermal performance of the dwellings to remain uncorrected. Despite a range of quality control procedures administered by the client, contractor and independent agents, they did not systematically appraise such defects during the construction stage. Apart from one case study, the quality management systems implemented in the projects lack an objective definition of the compliance methodology when addressing to the energy performance quality criteria.

Сучасні аспекти будівництва та розвитку соціального житла: світовий досвід

Сучасні аспекти будівництва та розвитку соціального житла: світовий досвід

Urban informality shaped by labor

This doctoral thesis presents the results of ten years of research on informal settlements, with particular reference to Brazilian favelas. The research aimed to understand the social dynamics of the production of space in these settlements. To this purpose, the author took residence in favelas and performed field research for a total of six years, including the witnessing of a resettlement process from a favela to a formal social housing development in the city of Maceió, in Brazil. The social dynamics that produces and influences the space of the favelas observed in the field were systematically codified in a new pedagogic tool by the author. As main findings from the analysis, it emerged that labor primarily shapes, plans and governs space in informal settlements. Working activities explain the emergence of these settlements, influence the dynamics of space inside the domain of the house, influence the shape of streets up to the margin of the favelas, but also has influence on city and global scales. From the residents’ perspective, labor represents both a means to earn their subsistence, livelihoods and underscores their inner self-esteem as human beings. Working practices originally present in the favelas were in fact restored in the social housing development to where citizens were relocated, with their original domestic function. According to this thesis, labor practices of inhabitants of informal settlements must be addressed when designing housing solutions for deprived citizens fighting for their survival and must be considered as a housing right. The reasons why the current housing approaches do not contemplate work are understood in context and interpreted according to their historic and economic backgrounds. A housing architectural and planning approach aimed at restoring the combination of working and domestic functions of human beings is proposed instead.

Social Housing for Women Heads of Household in Congo Brazzaville

The results of the 1974, 1984 and 2007 general population censuses show a remarkable growth of women and girls compared to men and boys. Among the population are many single women, divorced and widowed, who are heads of their own households. The chronic urban housing crisis in Congo and the lack of a functional principle for the development of collective social housing only surprise Congo’s decision-makers and development partners. However, how can vulnerable female-headed households be housed in order to permanently eradicate gender inequality and repair the damage caused to women? This article reviews the status of women and the current urban housing situation from four perspectives, including: household type and size, housing content and surface area per member. Based on a literature review of population survey data, the study proposes three main types of social housing for female-headed households, with areas ranging from 25 m2 to 90 m2. Thus each household member benefits from between 8.50 m2 and 12 m2. The European Union delegation to the Republic of Congo, the creation by the Government of the Congolese Housing Bank (BCH) and the Sino Congolese Bank for Africa (BSCA) are a major asset in the fight against poverty and the improvement of people’s living conditions.

Housing by people and work

Housing by people and work

Ka višem kvalitetu socijalne stanogradnje u Srbiji - objekat za socijalno stanovanje u Požarevcu

The newly constructed social housing apartment building in Požarevac is a successfully completed design effort to create quality residential architecture and a spatial environment suitable for its future users, within the framework of rigorous spatial norms and limited financial resources. The urban architectural solution indicates an integral consideration of contextual conditions, spatial and functional requirements and the specific needs of the targeted, socially disadvantaged categories of tenants. The basic principles of the design methodology applied are an adequate standard of housing, social responsibility, visual expressiveness and architectural attractiveness, as well as an improved approach to understanding the complexity of the development of social housing in Serbia.

Sowing social inclusion for marginalised residents of a social housing development through a community garden.

In addition to food, physical activity, mental health and environmental benefits, community gardens (CGs) provide opportunities for social inclusion and increased social capital. These are particularly important to the socially isolated residents of social housing developments (SHDs). This scoping study explored the feasibility of a CG program for tenants of SHD in inner eastern Melbourne by assessing their interest in, and requirements for, inclusively designed CGs. In this phenomenological enquiry, focus group discussions, supported by photo-elicitation, were employed. Three focus groups (N=19) were conducted with self-selected participants who consented to participate. Two focus groups were conducted with English-speaking tenants while a third focus group was conducted with Mandarin-speaking tenants. There was a demand for CGs by the English-speaking participants driven by desire for networking, social connectedness and inclusion; for improved access to fresh produce, connection with nature, physical activity and mental well-being. Participants expressed interest in a garden located near their SHD with supportive physical and social environments including disability access, plot autonomy, fencing, socio-cultural events, training programs and management opportunities. However, the Mandarin-speaking tenants maintained that age, language difficulty and neighbourhood insecurity posed significant barriers to their participation. Guided by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, social inclusion and community development theories, the study recommends that to establish socially inclusive CGs, a dynamic relationship of the design principles of a CG and the socio-ecological determinants of health should be established to address any barriers and successfully facilitate engagement. In addition, CG programs need to be guided by community development principles. Future research could employ community-based participatory research models in the implementation and evaluation of a CG program for socially isolated population groups.

Perceptions of public health and cross-sectoral collaboration in low SES neighbourhoods in Denmark.

Cross-sectoral interventions in low socio-economic status (SES) neighbourhoods are an important contribution to reducing social inequities in health. This article investigates the health perceptions among professionals from public health, social and place-based initiatives, all working in low SES neighbourhoods in Denmark, and what implications these perceptions have on their work with health promotion and on collaboration between the initiatives. Empirically, we draw on 63 semi-structured interviews with frontline professionals across area-based initiatives (ABIs), social housing development plans (SHDPs) and municipal public health departments (PHDs). Our study shows that professionals across all sectors perceive it as important to work with a broad understanding of health to motivate and reach hard-to-reach groups in low SES neighbourhoods as opposed to a more narrow perspective on health and health promotion focussed on lifestyles and monitoring risks. The aims and practice of ABIs and SHDPs support work in line with a broad understanding of health, whereas frontline workers from the PHDs in practice more often end up applying a more narrow understanding of health. Consequently, real collaboration is infrequent and often confined to the coordination of activities. This limits the possibilities of implementing effective interventions in low SES neighbourhoods to reduce inequities in health. This article claims that there is a greater potential for synergy among different initiatives in low SES neighbourhoods if a broad understanding of health can be applied in practice across sectors.

政府监管、非营利机构运营的荷兰社会住房发展模式

政府监管、非营利机构运营的荷兰社会住房发展模式

Eco-Innovations in Housing Delivery: A Case of Malaysia

In the past decade, the residential property market in Malaysia has been slumping. Despite the rapid growth in population and creation of new households, the sales performances have been poor; affordable housing units were flooding the market, and residential overhang have increased. While many developers were not able to perform optimally, few defied the norms and prevailed. This paper investigates the success factors of these developers by identifying the needs and wants of homebuyers and how these developers have fulfilled them. From May to June 2018, discussions were held with 11 housing developers in the overhang-ridden southern region of Malaysia. Findings revealed that the successful companies were those who incorporated eco-housing concepts. Though Malaysians do not really consider energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in their purchase decisions; they appreciate the visual pleasantness and comfort of green spaces in the housing estates despite being priced beyond the affordability range. To policymakers, this paper provides an example how green spaces may be incorporated into the development of social housing without compromising cost; and to private developers, this paper provides better understanding of homebuyers’ green motivations and suggests how they should approach prospective homebuyers with better environmental design.

Evaluating the influence of building fabric, services and occupant related factors on the actual performance of low energy social housing dwellings in UK

This paper empirically investigates the influence of building fabric, services and occupant related factors on actual energy use of six case study dwellings, located in three new low energy social housing developments in UK, covering a variety of built forms and construction systems (timber frame, hempcrete, steel-frame). Physical monitoring of indoor environment and window-opening is cross-related with building fabric and systems’ performance, and qualitative data gathered through occupant surveys, review of control interfaces and handover guidance, to understand the causes of the gap between modelled and measured energy use. Actual energy use is found to exceed design expectations by a factor of three, questioning the need for whole-house mechanical ventilation heat recovery (MVHR) systems at measured air permeability rates of 6 m³/(h.m²) against the design target of 3 m³/(h.m²). Lack of proper commissioning of MVHR and heating systems, combined with inadequate user comprehension about their operation and control leads to occupant ‘misuse’ wherein systems are de-activated, thereby negatively affecting indoor air quality. This is confounded by occupant factors related to higher demand temperatures, unexpected opening of windows during winters due to under-performance of MVHR combined with habitual behaviours, and over-use of heating systems to compensate for higher than expected air permeability.

Percepção do usuário em relação à presença de manifestações patológicas em fachadas: estudo de caso

No Brasil, é crescente o número de construções de habitações de interesse social que possuem como destino pessoas cuja renda impede ou dificulta o acesso à moradia. Este tipo de construção, porém, vem apresentando uma grande quantidade de manifestações patológicas. Devido a isto, este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar estas manifestações e a percepção do usuário em relação às fachadas de um destes empreendimentos na cidade de Pelotas/RS. Para obtenção dos resultados, foram utilizadas duas metodologias de pesquisa de Avaliação Pós-Ocupação, o walkthrough, para identificação das manifestações patológicas, e a entrevista estruturada, para verificar a percepção do usuário e seu grau de satisfação. Na análise técnica foram observadas as manifestações patológicas das fachadas, sendo identificadas fissuras, umidade, sujidade e deterioração do revestimento. Já a entrevista estruturada teve como resultado que a maioria dos usuários sente-se incomodado com a presença das manifestações patológicas, sendo a mais observada por eles, a umidade presente nas fachadas e a pintura a que possui maior necessidade de manutenção.

Os decretos de Habitação de Interesse Social e a flexibilização de parâmetros de uso e ocupação do solo na cidade de São Paulo no período de 1992 a 2016

A criação de uma legislação para empreendimentos de Habitação de Interesse Social (HIS) em São Paulo surgiu da necessidade de promover uma base legislativa para a política habitacional do município, a partir de 1992. São três os principais decretos do período entre 1992 e 2016: o decreto 31.601/1992, o 44.667/2004 e o 56.759/2016, que aconteceram em paralelo às discussões dos Planos Diretores Municipais, sendo os dois últimos sob a influência do Estatuto das Cidades. As duas primeiras versões mostraram significativos avanços no tocante à morfologia dos agrupamentos habitacionais, apostando na supressão dos conjuntos com grande extensão territorial em favor de habitação nas áreas centrais e na possibilidade de reurbanização dos assentamentos precários. No entanto, a cada atualização, lograram uma maior flexibilização em favor do setor privado, sob o discurso do déficit habitacional e da necessidade de provisão de unidades novas, em detrimento às ações voltadas à reurbanização e à regularização fundiária, o que modificou a intenção inicial do instrumento e os desígnios das políticas habitacionais do município.

Energy-optimized versus cost-optimized design of high-performing dwellings: The case of multifamily buildings

Living in multifamily buildings is very common in Italy, and it is important to optimize the design strategies to minimize the energy demand of these buildings and their related operational costs. This is particularly important for low-income tenants and is pursued by many social housing developments where a good energy performance design is reached. In this work, a simulation-based optimization methodology that combines the use of TRNSYS with GenOpt is applied to minimize two objective functions—the annual primary energy demand and the operational energy cost—in different system technology scenarios, and to verify the differences between energy-optimized design and cost-optimized design in a Northern Italy climate. The study is performed on a typical floor of a real multifamily building for social housing. The envelope optimization demonstrates a potential reduction of the energy demand and cost for heating and cooling of more than 35%. The relationship between optimal solutions, system technology scenarios, and optimization objectives is deeply analyzed. It is possible to find a set of design solutions that is optimal for all analyzed scenarios. This provides a set of design alternatives that is close to the environmental optimum and is able to reduce low-income tenants' vulnerability.

Towards eco-social housing in Vietnam: challenges and opportunities

Since Doi Moi (Reform) policy in 1986, Vietnam has experienced rapid urbanization and economic growth. Urbanization has resulted in increasingly high housing demand in the urban areas but this has largely unmet, especially housing for low-income people. Development of social housing for low-income and under-privileged people in cities has been seen as an urgent and important task of the government to pursue stable social and economic development. Low-income people are most vulnerable to environmental impacts and in need of energy-efficient houses to reduce their cost of living. Eco-social housing is seen as a solution to protect the natural environment as well as to boost local economy, improve living conditions particularly for low income people. Through preliminary assessments of three social buildings at three distinct regions of Vietnam, this paper found that despite many challenges, eco-social housing is a solution to Vietnam's needs in providing houses with adequate living conditions to low-income people while protecting the environment and achieving sustainable eco-social development in the long run.

Social housing under the Workers’ Party government: an analysis of the private sector in Brazil

This article examines the patterns of government intervention in social housing in Brazil to analyse the role of the private sector in the elaboration and implementation of social housing policies during the Workers’ Party government. It draws on case study research, and I examine areas which impact on the way social housing has been implemented since 2003 to study the concentration of decision power the private construction sector has on social housing policymaking, which sets the tone of government intervention on social housing. I argue this was part of the Workers’ Party’s approach to neoliberal policies in a more moderated style, a type of intervention repeated on numerous occasions under previous administrations. This article concludes by noting the prominent role of the private sector in social housing developments.