Residential satisfaction and social integration in public low cost housing in Malaysia

The research examined the relationship between social integration and residential satisfaction of residents in low cost housing in Malaysia. Two urban and non-urban areas in Selangor were chosen for this study involving 472 respondents. 58% of the respondents are Malay, 22% Chinese and 20% Indians. It was shown that residents with strong residential attachments and high levels of satisfaction are actively involved in the community activities held in their neighbourhood. It was also found that factors such as default in the physical structures of the house and poor social and physical environments could affect the social integration in the neighbourhood. Therefore properly planned residential projects with attention given towards residential satisfaction need to be considered because they can help foster the process of socializing people into communities

Behavioural adaptation of Malay families and housing modification of terrace houses in Malaysia / Zaiton Abdul Rahim and Ahmad Hariza Hashim

This paper examines the behavioural adaptation of Malay families living in terrace houses with regards to the activity system, privacy and social interaction among Malay families and terrace housing modification

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

Influence of place identity and place dependence on resilience towards Boko Haram insurgency among Maiduguri residents in Borno State, Nigeria

Generally the importance of a place of residence becomes paramount to its habitants during lose and hard times. The economic viability of a place and self-reference to a place which depends on how individuals appreciate and express themselves in relation to their settings can increase residents’ consciousness of a specific place.It is in this vein that this study aim to examine whether place identity, place dependence, age,gender, length of stay, income and occupation influence sresilience toward Boko Haram insurgency in Maiduguri. Place attachment and resilience theory was used for this study. The study is unique in having investigated place identity, place dependence and other demographic characteristics on the survival of residents been troubled by terrorism. Though other studies have dealt mainly with areas of threat due to natural disasters,this present study,examine a particular neighbourhood that is subject to terrorist attacks for the past 8 years.This paper relies on a cross-sectional data, with a sample size of 383, using convenient sampling technique. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant and positive relationship between place identity and place dependence on resilience, while, age and length of stay indicated positive and insignificant.Income on the other hand, shows negative and insignificant relationship with resilience. The results of the Multiple Linear Regression analysis revealed that, place identity and place dependence are significant predictor of resident’s resilience towards Boko Haram insurgent. This is an indication that, in spite of the conflicts and casualties, the residents did not regard their neighborhood as being too hazardous and were holding on to the neighbourhood as a place they are identified with and depend on as a source of their livelihood

Urban slums in security housing in China

As wealth gap is widening and the housing price increases tremendously in China, the living standard of urban underclass maintains relatively low level. Therefore, possessing a house is becoming more difficult than ever for those urban poor strata. Consequently, the poor are forced to settle in damp and congested substandard housing where plagues, crimes and relegation of social regulations and morality are incidental with. Security housing system has been established in China, and its purport is to alleviate the housing plight of urban poor people. But in reality, security housing is becoming a new form of urban slum. This paper aims to investigate the causes of this phenomenon and provide some recommendations. In addition, this paper attempts to identify the characteristics of current security housing situation and to interpret the right to housing

Residential environmental livability in Nigeria: an overview

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the problems of public low-cost housing in Nigeria in relation to residents’ well-being and suggest some guiding principles that can be used for successful public low-cost housing for low-income people in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – 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 analyzed by the researcher. Findings – The major constraints to public low-cost housing in Nigeria is that, the housing units does not reflect the culture of the resident. 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, high safety and security challenges, poor locational and difficult to access functional facilities. Research limitation / implications – 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. Practical Implications – 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. Significant to developing countries - 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 developing countries with different cultural diversities, these differences in culture need to be considered in housing design not adopting standard from developed world. Originality / value – The findings of this paper was based on reviewed of earlier studies on residential environmental livability particularly the public low-cost housing in Nigeria and the analysis of document of National Housing Policy 2012. The findings of this study revealed some guiding principles that can help in solving public low-cost housing problems in Nigeria

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

Homebuyers superstitious belief: feng shui and housing property

This article aims to explore the superstitious belief in selecting housing property in Malaysia. Various types of superstitions have been passed down through the ages and remain until today. Based on the instrumental perspective of Feng Shui, prospective buyers instill a belief that success and wealth are influenced by Feng Shui arrangements. Whether Feng Shui is associated with property purchase is a question. Overall, these principles are instilled in the minds of an intuitive Feng Shui believer and implemented in a property purchase. Furthermore, Malaysians are involved in various taboos, folklores, and taboos besides Feng Shui when deciding on property purchase. While some investors make a vow by it as to not make any proceedings before the consultation with their expert, other investors perceive the myths as merely nonsense and old wives’ tales. This study are expected to provide guidance to property stakeholders (developers, real estate agencies, architects, local authorities) in their future development projects. For homebuyers, this study serves as a property Feng Shui checklist for home selection and investment