Residential Satisfaction in Housing Estates in European Cities: A Multi-level Research Approach

This paper mainly focuses on the determinants of housing and estate satisfaction in post-Second World War housing estates. Multi-level linear regression models were applied to estimate the impacts of individual, dwelling and estate characteristics on resident satisfaction levels, using a unique dataset from 25 post-Second World War estates in nine European countries. It is concluded that satisfaction with the dwelling is higher for the elderly and residents with higher incomes, and in situations where the dwelling has been renovated and is sufficiently large. The presence of children and a longer duration of stay have negative impacts, and renters are generally more negative than owners. Estate satisfaction is highest among immigrant households or when the dwelling is renovated, and among lower educated inhabitants. Individual characteristics and opinions on the estate are more important than estate characteristics in explaining estate satisfaction. The overall conclusion is that attempts to improve post-Second World War areas may result in new areas, but does not necessarily improve the overall satisfaction.     

Fire safety among the elderly in Western Australia

Unsafe dwelling environments may contribute to high morbidity and mortality of residential fire among the elderly people. This study investigated the prevalence of fire safety devices and related risk factors in elderly households. A series of convenience surveys was administered at 11 council community centres within metropolitan Perth, Western Australia, between August and October 2004. A total of 1188 older adults aged 65 years or over were recruited. The results found generally low prevalence for electric safety switches (56%), fire extinguishers (18%) and fire blankets (10%), while 72% had a functional smoke detector installed. Nearly a quarter of the participants had never thought of an escape route. Logistic regression analysis based on generalized estimating equations further showed that those living alone had a significantly lower prevalence of smoke detector and functional smoke detector, with adjusted odds ratios 0.48 (95% CI: 0.34–0.69) and 0.55 (95% CI: 0.41–0.75), respectively. Similarly, elderly people living in private rental housing appeared to be less equipped against residential fire relative to those in public rental and those occupying their own homes. As expected, elderly people with home contents insurance coverage had a significantly higher prevalence of fire safety devices. These findings have important implications for the government and policy makers if community fire safety for the elderly is to be improved.     

Housing and health in an informal settlement upgrade in Cape Town, South Africa

Taking a socio-ecological perspective the World Health Organisation recognizes that housing comprises four interrelated dimensions—the physical structure of the house, the home, the neighbourhood infrastructure and the community. Housing related health vulnerability arises when residents are exposed to poor conditions in any one of these dimensions and augmented when two or more co-exists. Regardless the relationship between housing and health in the global south remains largely under explored; in particular there has been little focus on health outcomes resulting from upgrading of informal settlements. Applying this framework we report from an in situ upgrading of the informal settlement of Imizamo Yethu in Cape Town, South Africa. Data gathered from surveys are used to determine whether differences in each of these dimensions exist between housing type; both formal upgrades and shacks. Results show that whilst no significant differences exist in self-reported physical health, residents of formal housing are less likely to report mental health issues, have a stronger sense of belonging and report greater satisfaction with both neighbourhood and home than shack residents. However, these contested spaces are not easily interpreted and community tension, exclusion and disadvantage highlight the complex interactions between each of the interrelated dimensions and policies regarding housing intervention. The paper highlights the complex relationship between housing and health that is often lost in simplistic measures of housing when outcomes related to the indoor environment alone are considered.     

Housing Deprivation and Health: A Longitudinal Analysis

While there is a longitudinal literature that considers the impact of poor socio-economic circumstances upon health, the more specific impact of poor housing upon health is much less frequently studied longitudinally. This paper draws on the National Child Development Study to examine the impact upon health of poor housing through the life course. The analysis takes the novel approach of constructing a composite severity of ill health measure to act as the dependent variable. Poor housing is operationalised through a housing deprivation index calculated for each sweep of the NCDS. The index of multiple housing deprivation goes beyond traditional concerns with the quality and amenity of a dwelling to incorporate key subjective factors such as satisfaction with dwelling or residential area: these subjective factors play a particularly important role in the index. The key result is that, even when other relevant factors are allowed for, the NCDS data suggest that experience of both current and past poor housing is significantly associated with greater likelihood of ill health. Moreover, for those who are living in non-deprived housing conditions in adulthood, ill health is more likely among those who experienced housing deprivation in earlier life than among those who did not. Thus, history matters. The analysis also highlights the increasing inadequacy of conventional measures of housing deprivation.     

The Housing Careers of Polish and Somali Newcomers in Toronto's Rental Market

This paper evaluates and compares the housing careers of two recent immigrant groups, the Poles and Somalis, in Toronto's rental market. Both groups first arrived in Toronto in the late 1980s but under different circumstances and with different outcomes in the housing market. The study is situated in a general conceptual framework focusing on factors affecting the housing careers of households. The analysis is based on a questionnaire survey of 60 respondents from each group who arrived in Canada between 1987 and 1994. Information was collected about the search for three residences: the first permanent residence, the one immediately before the current one and the current residence. The analysis considers the individual and household characteristics that differentiate the Polish and Somali respondents, the characteristics of Toronto's rental market that potentially act as barriers in the search for housing, the housing search process and the outcomes of the search. The latter includes the nature of the dwelling and its surroundings as well as satisfaction with the dwelling and neighbourhood. The results confirm that the Poles have been more successful than the Somalis in establishing a progressive housing career. The reasons relate to differences in individual and household characteristics and the nature of the local housing market. Specific variables include socio-economic status, household size, community resources, the housing situation before coming to Canada, Toronto's tight rental market and perceived discriminatory barriers in that market. The paper concludes with a brief evaluation of the housing career concept as used in this study.     

Housing conditions in Tunisia: the quantity-quality mismatch

The aim of this paper is to analyze the housing conditions of households in Tunisia, for which we develop an individual indicator of housing adequacy based on dwelling attributes and household size. This indicator has two main advantages: it relies on less arbitrary weights, and it takes the multidimensional housing facets into account in the aggregation process. Using data from Tunisia??s national survey on family health and social transformations for two periods (1994 and 2006), our findings are comparable to those from an arbitrary weighting scheme, the most commonly adopted in the literature of multidimensional well-being. In order to identify households suffering from housing deprivation, we develop five housing deprivation thresholds related to some public health issues. Our results suggest that quality-based efforts should be made to reduce the gap in housing conditions between coastal and inland regions and between urban and rural areas. These efforts should be aimed at reducing housing deprivation and preventing health vulnerability among deprived households.     

Residential satisfaction among young people in post-socialist countries: the case of Serbia

Change in labor markets, extended education period and economic instability are negatively influencing housing accessibility of young adults. In post-socialist countries, such as Serbia, the biggest issues are the lack of supply volume and diversity of government subsidized housing, as well as the soaring prices of the newly built homes. As a result, young people are relying on the unregulated private rental market or their families to help them enter homeownership and acquire residential independence. There is an apparent need for affordable housing or policies which are catering to young people’s needs. The relevant body of research has been using residential satisfaction approach to provide an evaluation of the variety of housing available to young tenants. Hence, the primary purpose of this paper is to identify the factors which are significantly related or can predict the higher residential satisfaction and can be beneficial to the future policy makers in Serbia. To assess the residential satisfaction, following variables were included: socioeconomic characteristics, residential status, current housing characteristics, problems faced in the current dwelling, housing attribute preferences, privacy perception, dwelling proximity, neighborhood attachment, as well as overall residential satisfaction. The findings indicate that young people in Serbia had average levels of satisfaction with their housing despite the various problems and lack of privacy they were facing in the apartments. Higher residential satisfaction in this research was significantly predicted by the marital status of our respondents (single people were more satisfied), homeownership tenancy status, independent living arrangement, larger apartment size, greater levels of privacy and higher neighborhood attachment.     

Does Social Capital Affect Residents' Propensity to Move from Restructured Neighbourhoods?

Many Dutch post-war neighbourhoods are subject to intensive urban restructuring. Demolition and new housing construction combined with social and economic programmes should improve the housing stock, liveability and social capital. Currently, it is unknown whether social capital contributes to residential stability and reduces residents' propensity to move. In this paper, social capital levels of stayers, movers and newcomers are studied in two recently restructured neighbourhoods in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Using survey data, social capital is operationalised as benefits of everyday cursory interactions, trust, shared norms and collective action. Logistic regression analysis shows that age, length of residency, employment, income, dwelling satisfaction, dwelling type and perceived neighbourhood quality significantly predict residents' propensity to move. Newcomers are more inclined to move again than stayers and other movers. Social capital is of less importance than suggested by previous research; housing features, satisfaction and neighbourhood perception affect residents' propensity to move much more strongly. The paper concludes with policy implications and suggestions for future research.     

Residential indoor air quality interventions through a social-ecological systems lens: A systematic review

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important consideration for health and well-being as people spend most of their time indoors. Multi-disciplinary interest in IAQ is growing, resulting in more empirical research, especially in affordable housing settings, given disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations. Conceptually, there is little coherency among these case studies; they traverse diverse spatial scales, indoor and outdoor environments, and populations, making it difficult to implement research findings in any given setting. We employ a social-ecological systems (SES) framework to review and categorize existing interventions and other literature findings to elucidate relationships among spatially and otherwise diverse IAQ factors. This perspective is highly attentive to the role of agency, highlighting individual, household, and organizational behaviors and constraints in managing IAQ. When combined with scientific knowledge about the effectiveness of IAQ interventions, this approach favors actionable strategies for reducing the presence of indoor pollutants and personal exposures.     

保障房社区公共服务满意度及影响因素研究——以南京市岱山保障房社区为例

从保障房社区居住主体的角度出发,综合考虑居民个体特征与主体认知变量,构建教育、医疗、交通、安全、环卫、社会保障、商业、文体、行政管理9类公共服务满意度的影响因素研究模型.采用有序Logistic回归方法探究各类公共服务满意度与自变量之间的关系,研究发现公共服务满意度受到性别、年龄、学历、职业、住户期望与软硬件质量感知水...     

深圳公共租赁住房入户调研及居住需求对比

容积率与面积标准的双重制约下,深圳公共租赁住房套型设计较为单一。深圳作为移民城市,公共租赁住房申请人更为年轻,家庭结构多元。探析公共租赁住房在使用中普遍存在的问题及居民需求,可为其设计提供有益参考。通过调查问卷、入户调研及访谈的方式,对典型公共租赁住房套型进行调查,并对同一面积标准下不同家庭结构使用情况进行对比分析。深圳公共租赁住房居住者家庭结构多样,户均使用人数超过设计配租人数的现象普遍存在。当前套型设计存在不同功能空间面积配比及尺寸设计不合理现象,套型灵活性较差。深圳公共租赁住房配租面积应与实际居住人数、家庭结构进行适配。套型布局、面积分配及空间尺寸需要仔细推敲,同时增加灵活性,以应对多样化需求。     

Residential Mobility Patterns of Elderly—Leaving the House for an Apartment

One hypothesis is that, in Sweden, the elderly today are more willing to change residence to accommodate for changing lifestyles and poorer health than in earlier generations. If so, the elderly will change their type of tenure from owner occupation to tenant co-operative or rental housing, which includes more services for residents. The aim of this study is to discover if elderly people move to apartments after leaving single-family housing that they own. Mobility patterns of those born in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s are analysed to identify characteristics of stayers and movers, and to determine to what extent the elderly move to rental and tenant co-operative apartments. The analysis is cross-sectional using a register database comprising the Swedish population. Moves were followed between 2001 and 2006. The majority remained in their current dwelling but almost one-quarter moved. Of those, a smaller number moved from owner-occupied housing to a tenant co-operative or rental apartment.     

既有住宅内墙结露、霉变及防治措施

既有住宅建筑围护结构住宅的内墙面结露、霉变、结垢、发黑,对房屋的使用安全虽不构成威胁,但对住户的居住环境带来极大影响。在设计、施工、维修中,应采取必要的措施,给住户创造一个舒适、整洁、美观的室内环境,最大限度地满足房屋使用功能的要求。     

在宅养老模式下集合住宅适老设计研究

本文首先通过我国老龄化现状及发展趋势的分析提出研究老年居住问题的紧迫性;其次通过养老模式、养老居住需求及集合住宅适老性现状的分析进一步把握需求与现状的矛盾,从而提出研究集合住宅适老设计的必要性,最后对集合住宅适老设计原则及设计细则进行了详细论述,以期能为在宅养老模式下老年居住问题的解决尽绵薄之力,为集合住宅适老设计研究提供参考。     

Comparing mixing and displacement ventilation in classrooms: pupils' perception and health

Several studies have found that indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools is often poor and may affect the health of the pupils. Building ventilation is a means to reduce pollutants indoors, but different designs should be evaluated for their effectiveness in different environments. In a field experiment performed at four classrooms in one school building, air was supplied either in the mixing or in the displacement mode, and we collected information on exposures, pupils' perception of IAQ and climate, and health symptoms and performed clinical examinations. The room temperature, relative humidity, concentration of CO?, and cat allergen were measured at the breathing height and were similar during each ventilation mode. The children perceived IAQ were similar in the two ventilation regimes, and there were few differences in symptom reports or clinical parameters. However, the pupils reported more eye symptoms during displacement ventilation. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Both mixing and displacement ventilation may be appropriate in school classrooms as long as the overall design, ventilation rates, and maintenance of systems are satisfactory.     

On the Effects of Subsidized House and Apartment Living in Colombia

This article in applied sociology analyzes some relationships between type of housing and social behavior in the largest Colombian public housing project.' Using results from interviews with residents in apartments and houses, the article compares how families used their dwellings over a period of almost a decade and makes inferences about the impact of the type of dwelling on some behavioral patterns and on the satisfaction with the dwelling and the project.     

Indoor air quality risk factors for severe lower respiratory tract infections in Inuit infants in Baffin Region, Nunavut: a pilot study

Inuit infants have extremely high rates of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), but the causes for this are unclear. The aims of this study were to assess, in young Inuit children in Baffin Region, Nunavut, the feasibility of an epidemiologic study of the association between indoor air quality (IAQ) and respiratory health; to obtain data on IAQ in their housing; and to identify and classify risk factors for LRTI. Twenty houses in Cape Dorset, Nunavut with children below 2 years of age, were evaluated using a structured housing inspection and measurement of IAQ parameters, and a respiratory health questionnaire was administered. Twenty-five percent of the children had, at some time, been hospitalized for chest illness. Houses were very small, and had a median of six occupants per house. Forty-one percent of the houses had a calculated natural air change rate <0.35 air changes per hour. NO(2) concentrations were within the acceptable range. Smokers were present in at least 90% of the households, and nicotine concentrations exceeded 1.5 microg/m(3) in 25% of the dwellings. Particulates were found to be correlated closely with nicotine but not with NO(2) concentrations, suggesting that their main source was cigarette smoking rather than leakage from furnaces. Mattress fungal levels were markedly increased, although building fungal concentrations were low. Dust-mites were virtually non-existent. Potential risk factors related to IAQ for viral LRTI in Inuit infants were observed in this study, including reduced air exchange and environmental tobacco smoke exposure. Severe lower respiratory tract infection is common in Inuit infants. We found reduced air change rates and high occupancy levels in houses in Cape Dorset, which may increase the risk of respiratory infections. This suggests the measures to promote better ventilation or more housing may be beneficial. Further health benefits may be obtained by reducing bed sharing by infants and greater turnover of mattresses, which were found to have high levels of fungi.     

Housing and location choices of retiring households: evidence from France

In this paper, a study is made of the mobility and housing choices of the elderly when retiring, using household data collected in France. From a theoretical viewpoint, individuals are likely to decrease their housing quantity because of an income loss when retiring, but they may also increase it to benefit from more housing comfort for leisure. Using the 1992 Trois Générations survey, it is first shown that housing mobility at retirement is substantial in France, with a variety of self-reported motives. Then, using the 1994—2001 French Europanel survey, evidence is found of both upsizing and downsizing for mobile recent retirees. In many cases, housing adjustments lead to a correction of the initial disequilibrium between the number of rooms and the number of occupants. However, a significant proportion of mobile recent retirees improve the quality of their dwelling.     

Impact of psycho-social factors on perception of the indoor air environment studies in 12 office buildings

The main function of a mechanically ventilated office building is to provide a healthy and comfortable working environment for occupants, while maintaining minimum energy consumption. Twelve mechanically ventilated buildings were selected. They varied greatly in surface area, number of floors, occupant density, and building use. The indoor air quality, thermal comfort, energy consumption, and perception of occupants were investigated in these buildings. A total of 877 subjects participated in the questionnaire survey during the hot summer months of June, July, and August, and during the cold winter months of January, February, and March. The questions included in the questionnaire dealt with health, environmental sensitivity, work area satisfaction, personal control of the workstations environment, and job satisfaction. Measured parameters concerning the quality of indoor air included ventilation rate, concentration of TVOC, CO₂, CO, RH, and formaldehyde. The thermal comfort parameters included room air, mean radiant, plane radiant asymmetry, and dew point temperatures, as well as air velocity and turbulence intensity. Monthly energy consumption data was also gathered for each building. Ventilation performance, in terms of air flow rate and indoor air quality, was compared with the ASHRAE Standard 62-89R (Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. Atlanta: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc. U.S.A. [1]). The measured and calculated thermal environmental results were also compared with the ASHRAE Standard 55-92 (Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy. Atlanta: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc. U.S.A. [2]). CO₂ and CO levels satisfied the recommended limits. The outdoor airflow rate was half that recommended in only one building. The formaldehyde and TVOC levels were moderately higher than suggested comfort levels. However, more than 56% of the occupants rated dissatisfaction with the indoor air quality. Only 63% of the indoor climatic observations fell within the ASHRAE Standard 55-92 summer comfort zone; 27% in the winter. However, only 69% of those surveyed agreed with the comfort zones. More symptoms were reported by workers who perceived IAQ to be poor. Positive relationships were observed between the job satisfaction and satisfaction with office air quality, ventilation, work area temperature, and ratings of work area environment. However, job dissatisfaction did not correlate with symptom reports. The occupants were more dissatisfied with IAQ when they preferred more air movement. In other words, the higher the perceived air movement, the greater the satisfaction with IAQ.