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Field diagnosis of the criteria for selecting affordable housing in less developed countries: evidence from homeowners and renters in Ghana
Urbanization Sustainability and Society
Abstract
Purpose
In the Global North, affordable housing has evolved and thrived, and it is now gaining traction in the Global South, where governments have been vocal supporters of the concept. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the important criteria for selecting affordable housing units in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach was used, and a survey was administered to the residents. The data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The relative importance index technique was used to rank the important criteria, and the EFA technique was used to create a taxonomy system for the criteria.
Findings
The hierarchical ranking of the most significant criteria for selecting affordable housing includes community safety, waste management and access to good-quality education. Furthermore, the important criteria for selecting affordable housing are classified into two groups, namely, “sustainability criteria” and “housing demand and supply and social service provision”.
Research limitations/implications
This study has implications for the real estate industry and construction stakeholders, as this will inform decision-making in terms of the design of affordable housing and the suitability of the location for the development.
Originality/value
These findings provide a baseline to support potential homeowners and tenants in their quest to select affordable housing. Furthermore, these findings will aid future longitudinal research into the indicators or criteria for selecting suitable locations for the development of low- and middle-income housing.
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Natural hazards cause numerous problems occurred mostly in residential areas. Affordable housing is one of the types of housing that is planned for low- and middle-income groups. Optimum location of affordable housing is one of the most important criteria for this type of housing. Due to the high vulnerability of its residents, it is necessary to evaluate the site resilience. This study is aimed to identify and prioritize the criteria of physical resilience that are effective in selecting a resilient location for the affordable housing construction. Documentary materials is used to explain the literature and to determine the effective factors on physical resilience. Then the criteria were prioritized using AHP method by 22 experts. The important criteria obtained from the research include Infrastructure & Services (IS), Region Context (RC), Natural Environment (NE) and Surrounding Uses (SU). This research can be the basis of a strategic document for the discussion of the affordable housing resilience.
The ground can become saturated during prolonged downpours. If sewers and drains are unable to cope, overflows will be inevitable. This situation could affect properties that are not designed to cope with flood hazards. It is pertinent that property investors should consider flooding and the likelihood of its occurrence when making investment decisions. The question is, “do they?” This study investigates the factors that influence residential property investment decisions in flood-risk areas of the Lagos metropolis. This is achieved by evaluating a range of locational, neighbourhood, structural, market/economic, behavioural, and risk characteristics in the determination of residential property investment choices in areas that are susceptible to flood risk. The data were sourced from private investors and registered real estate agents in the risk areas of Lagos State, Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection purposes, and only valid responses were used for the data analysis. The results show that the availability of infrastructural supply, the crime rate in the neighbourhood, and the property location could significantly motivate investors’ decisions with respect to property investment in flood-risk areas. The perception plot shows that behavioural factors have the highest bearing on the investment decisions for private investors, at 4.4, followed by economic factors at 4.0 and locational factors at 3.6. The plot also shows that neighbourhood factors have the highest bearing on the investment decisions for estate agents, at 4.6, followed by economic factors at 4.0 and locational factors at 3.6. This implies that there are various degrees of correlation between the factors examined in this study. It is important to highlight the relevance of the findings for the field and pave the way for future scientific development in flood-risk management.
Affordable housing is a major concern by both public and private players in the Construction Industry. This paper aimed at revealing the policies and barriers in the provision of affordable housing faced by both existing and potential developers in the construction industry. The objectives were to identify and evaluate the policies and barriers in the provision of affordable housing in the country. A quantitative survey approach was adopted for the study. Stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting respondents for contractors and real estate developers whiles purposive sampling technique was adopted for selecting consultants and clients. The sampling size of building contractors, real estate developers, consultants and clients used for the study were 38, 28, 21 and 15 respectively. 102 questionnaires were self-administered to respondents and 84 were retrieved for the analysis showing 82% response rate. The responses were analysed using simple statistical tools such as mean scores and standard deviations. The findings of the study reveal that policies that would help in the provision of affordable housing are Tax and Housing policy, Construction policy and promotion of real estate development policy. The most barriers in respect to the provision of affordable housing were material cost and its availability, construction cost; developmental regulations and political interference.
Ethiopia has experienced rapid urbanization over the past three decades. Several cities expanded rapidly and many satellite towns sprung up around the major cities. The high rate of urbanization and urban growth resulted in high demand for urban land, mainly for industrial, commercial, and residential purposes. In order to meet the demand, an enormous amount of land has been made available for urban use, mainly through land conversion. However, we know very little about how efficiently cities use urban land. This paper investigated the urban land use efficiency (ULUE) of sixteen cities in Ethiopia. Remote sensing data (Landsat 7/8) was analysed with ArcGIS to assess spatiotemporal land use changes between 2007 and 2019. Built-up environment footprints were computed from Google Earth imagery. The ratio of land consumption to population growth rate, and the rate of urban infill were assessed. The findings revealed a prevalence of urban land use inefficiencies in all cities. In most cities, the rate of land consumption far exceeds the population growth rate. Densification (urban infill) is low and slow. A considerable part of the converted agricultural land sits idle within the built-up area for many years. Low ULUE is what fuels urban sprawl, fragmentation and informal settlements. This study emphasised the need to implement urban policies and practices aimed at improving ULUE. Improving ULUE is imperative to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals; ensuring sustainable urban land use; addressing land prices and housing shortages; protecting farmland and ecosystems; tackling land hoarding, urban sprawl and informal settlements.
Housing affordability is a long-held issue in Malaysia, and housing policies have been implemented for low-income households over the years. However, there is a contradiction that housing affordability of low-income households has not been met, while the bulk of affordable housing is still vacant. In 2019, Malaysia enacted the National Affordable Housing Policy (DRMM) which was intended to improve housing affordability for low-income groups. This paper aims to answer why Malaysia’s long-term implementation of affordable housing policies cannot guarantee housing affordability, and whether the DRMM can effectively improve housing affordability as expected, by comparing the empirical factors of housing affordability. A literature review and a comparative analysis are adopted in the research. The paper concludes that low household income, high land price, construction cost and compliance cost, mismatch of supply and demand in terms of quantity, the instability of the national economy, low home financing ability, and incomprehensive housing planning have caused low housing affordability of low-income groups in Malaysia. The DRMM as anticipated can improve housing affordability by supplying affordable housing more precisely, lowering housing costs, and improving home financing ability. However, the exclusion of household income and economic factors may cause the ineffectiveness of the DRMM in improving housing affordability for low-income households.
Housing affordability is a prominent issue across the world. There is a growing concern that the number of people experiencing homelessness is rapidly increasing. As a solution, many countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have introduced housing policies aimed at providing affordable houses to low-to-medium income families. Over recent years, several affordable housing policies have been introduced in both Australia and New Zealand, including public housing initiatives, rental subsidies, accommodation supplements, state housing programmes and the provision of social housing. New Zealand launched the KiwiBuild programme in 2018 to increase housing affordability. Unfortunately, in 2019, KiwiBuild was unable to deliver its targeted primary objectives set by the Government. This study features a comparative analysis, primarily focusing on comparing and contrasting affordable housing policies in Australia and New Zealand. Subsequently, it discusses the reasons why the KiwiBuild programme failed. It makes recommendations based on policies used in Australia with a view to improving affordable housing policies in New Zealand. This research contributes and adds to the existing body of knowledge about affordable housing policies in both Australia and New Zealand. The recommendations will be helpful for future researchers who wish to develop workable policies to assist with affordable housing-related issues in New Zealand.
The challenge of affordable housing has assumed global proportions, and the various efforts at private and public sector levels is yet to put a significant dent in what is becoming a worldwide epidemic with economic, social and environmental implications. In terms of strategies, public-private partnerships (PPP's) as a solution have grown in popularity on an equally global scale. In evaluating the extent of affordable housing as a global issue, this paper aims to evaluate the factors that were commonly administered in the application of PPPs as an effective strategy for addressing affordable housing. This paper notes that while the issue of affordable housing may be global, proposing PPP's as a silver bullet may well depend on contextual peculiarities and may yield differences in affordable housing delivery outcomes. The study notes that while lending practices, land laws and incomes levels are critical factors in determining delivery of affordable housing, other factors like proper allocation of risk, socio-political stability, and quality standards (regulations) are also significant factors that influence successful affordable PPP housing strategies in the broader context.
The management of waste materials is a serious problem worldwide, especially in urbanizing countries like Malaysia. This study was conducted to compare the prevalence of health symptoms and diseases diagnosed among residents exposed to the solid waste open dumpsite in the suburb of Sabak with the non-exposed community. Research related to exposure to solid waste dumping with complete health problems has never been combined in one study. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted. The exposed group included residents within a 1 km radius and the non-exposed group included residents between a 2.5 and 4.0 km radius from the dumpsite. The selected residents were interviewed using validated, structured questionnaires. A total of 170 residents from the exposed group and 119 residents from the non-exposed group were selected. The mean (SD) duration time of residence was 22.6 (18.9) years for the exposed group and 15.0 (12.0) years for the non-exposed group. Dumpsite exposure was significantly associated with sore throat (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) 1.88; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 3.38; p = 0.031), diabetes mellitus (AOR 2.84; 95% CI: 1.10, 7.30; p = 0.021) and hypertension (AOR 2.56; 95% CI: 1.27, 5.13; p = 0.006). This study provides evidence that the unsanitary solid waste disposal in Malaysia is hazardous to the health of residents in the surrounding 1 km, and efforts are needed to minimize the hazards.
The main objective of the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Indonesia is to bring accelerated development in all aspects so that the poverty rate is expected to decrease even disappear. One of the programs that aimed to reduce poverty rates in Indonesia is the provision of housing for the community, especially the underprivileged. Moreover, it is a the million houses program that proclaimed by the Ministry of Public Works and People's Housing, and this program is correlated with the SDGS, especially goal 11 (sustainable cities and communities). The research is relying on secondary data basis primarily from books, journals, published reports and online news. It is expected that this study is able to provide a new insight for the government in building a community residential area, which is to integrate development plans into three dimensions (social, economic, and environment) which are the pillars of sustainable development. Unfortunately, nowadays the government is relying too hard on achieving quantity and a little focus on quality. Furthermore, an experience on the MDGs edition can be an important lesson for the government in realizing SDGs, especially now that SDGs are in line with the points that contained in the RPJMN. Therefore, if the government is able to maximise this global development agenda, it is not impossible that the million houses program can be one of the leading programs in overcoming the problem of poverty, especially housing shortage in Indonesia.
This paper extends both the literature on rental housing in Ghana and the global literature on the critique of public choice analyses in terms of focus, methods and positioning. It argues that, contrary to the assumption that all housing policy changes are driven by internal national processes, in the case of Ghana at least, neither tenants (through their use of their greater numbers) nor landlords (through the use of their stronger financial and hence political power) exclusively influence housing policy. Both parties have some power, but landlords use theirs to change rents arbitrarily and decide whom to invite or keep as tenants, whilst tenants seek to use their power by lodging complaints with the state, albeit to little effect as the power of landlords is overwhelming. There is a strong basis to call into question the public choice argument that it is fair for landlords to extract windfall rent from tenants since their efforts or talents do not increase rent.
The importance of housing in enhancing the quality of life has been widely reported. It represents one of the basic human needs, provides protection from harm and ensures survival. Like many developing countries, different Ghanaian governments have variously pursued several programs and interventions directed at addressing the country’s housing challenges including housing loan schemes in the colonial era to affordable housing projects in the 2000s. Notwithstanding, access to adequate housing for the low to middle-income groups still remains unresolved. This paper is an attempt to gain deeper insights into Ghana’s housing situation, its challenges and the efforts made by governments during the periods before independence and after independence. The nature of the housing policies implemented during such eras is explored and the reasons for the implementation failures examined. In the end, the paper provides policy recommendations that could potentially help increase the supply of affordable urban housing in the country. The paper calls for a strong political will and pragmatic intelligence in the implementation of housing policies and programs in the country. Mechanisms to provide sufficient housing finance for the poor to adequately participate in the housing market have also been outlined. It is concluded that the over-empowerment of the private real estate sector to be the major providers of housing may not be optimal. Rather, it would only lead to the inability of the poor to be able to actively participate in the housing market, consequently exacerbating housing poverty. Effective public-private partnership has the potential to guarantee the supply of reasonably-priced and affordable housing provision.
Many developing countries like Nigeria face serious challenges with regards to the provision of public housings for their citizenry. The purpose of this research article is to establish critical success factors (CSFs) for public housing projects (PHPs) in Nigeria. The data collections were performed in Nigeria using interviews, pilot survey and a questionnaire survey. The interviews were conducted with experts in housing so as to determine the sufficiency and appropriateness of the success attributes gathered from the literature review with respect to Nigerian situation. After analysing the results of the interviews, a draft questionnaire was prepared and pretested. Following a slight revision, a final version of the questionnaire was designed. A questionnaire survey was performed in which five hundred and fifty (550) questionnaires were distributed by means of stratified sampling techniques. The respondents were construction professionals with experience in PHPs implementation in Nigeria who work in developers’ companies, consultancy firms, contracting companies or public housing agencies. Two hundred and eighty-one copies of the administered questionnaires were completed and brought back, equivalent to 51 % response rate. Structural equation modelling technique was employed in the data analyses process. The study establishes seven CSFs for PHPs in Nigeria. These factors are: (1) institutional framework for public housing, (2) availability of competent personnel, (3) effective project management, (4) good maintenance management practice, (5) appropriate design and good location, (6) effective housing finance system and (7) adequate political support. The CSFs established in this study can serve as a guide to housing policy makers, public housing developers and project managers towards successful accomplishments of PHPs in Nigeria.
The access to affordable housing in the Global South is very limited for millions. Many households have chosen for incremental self-construction; herewith sustainability does not have the highest priority. The main question is whether affordable housing for the urban poor and the need for sustainable housing and urban development can be combined. Transference of knowledge to (self) builders is a key issue, as is the role of assistance in self-help housing. It is argued in this paper that sustainable goals for low-cost housing and applications are achievable. Measures concerning the physical development of neighbourhoods, such as urban density and connectivity are equally as important as measures concerning community development. The latter include support for communitybased organizations, small housing cooperatives (or similar forms of cooperation) and individual households – or small groups – that build and improve their houses incrementally. Adequate planning and social organization and cooperation are preconditions for achieving sustainability in incremental housing.
Purpose
– The nature and characteristics of critical success factors (CSFs) that influence success on public private partnership (PPP) arrangements on different project typologies vary between countries and regions. Studies confirm the lack of success on PPP approach on public housing project (PHP). The main challenge to PPP-PHP success has been identifying, analysing, categorizing and matching CSFs that are likely to influence the PPP-PHP outcome. The purpose of this paper is to identify the CSFs that influence PPP-PHP delivery in Ghana. This is premised on the theoretical implications that understanding the factors that influence the success on PPP-PHP projects is critical.
Design/methodology/approach
– By adopting a 16 CSFs from literature and using a questionnaire survey, the factors that are critical to success on PPP-PHP approach in Ghana were identified. The questionnaires were administered on participants that have been involved in PPP-PHPs in Ghana.
Findings
– The results revealed six CSFs that are critical towards success on PPP-PHPs in Ghana. The results also do not show significant variability in the agreement by the public and private stakeholder.
Practical/implications
– The findings present useful lessons for parties in PPP-PHPs in Ghana to focus their attention to engender the needed atmosphere towards successful delivery in Ghana in the formulation of policies, decision frameworks and delivery strategies.
Originality/value
– The study presents a critical success model that is applicable to PPP-PHP delivery in Ghana and potentially to other developing countries with similar socio-economic, political and organizational characteristics especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. It also affirms the fact that CSFs are contextual to project typologies and that different project types will reveal CSFs with varying significance in ranking. The findings should help in the development of efficient frameworks and policies for successes on PPP-PHPs in Ghana.
Households in Ghanaian cities have responded to crime by fortifying their houses, a practice referred to as crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). Though little researched in Ghana and Africa in general, this article, based on in-depth interviews with police officers, city planners and community members as well as a household survey, reveal that CPTED through target hardening is a widespread practice across different socio-economic residential neighborhoods of Accra and Kumasi. It was found that rising crime rates and the fear of crime have led to adoption of target hardening measures such as high walls, metal burglar-proofed windows and doors, security doors/special door locks and so on, which tend to create 'security islands' with limited impact on community crime incidence. While CPTED has been widely applied in Western cities to restructure the physical layout of communities to reduce crime through community efforts, there are marked differences in the Ghanaian context. In particular, households' responses to crime through target hardening have the tendency in the long-term to weaken social cohesions, with limited impact on community crime levels. Interestingly, the household survey results show relatively low level of community solidarity in middle and upper-class neighborhoods as measures for fighting crime.
The rate of urbanization in Nigeria has witnessed tremendous increase in the last five decades. Census in the early Fifties showed that there were about 56 cities in the country and about 10.6 percent of the total population lived in these cities. This rose dramatically to 19.1 percent in 1963 and 24.5 percent in 1985. Today, the national population is estimated to be about 160 million with the urban population constituting about 60 percent. The phenomenal rise in population, number and size of our cities over the past few years have manifested in the acute shortage of dwelling units which resulted in overcrowding, high rents, poor urban living conditions, and low infrastructure services and indeed high crime rates. Various programs have been implemented to address housing problem. Despite all these interventions, Nigeria's housing problems still remain intractable. The paper recognizes that what Nigerians need to survive the wounds of near-homelessness include good governance, increased access to land, credit, affordable housing and environmentally sound and serviced human settlements. The paper examines the national housing need and housing provision, major constrain in delivery of low cost housing in Nigeria and conclude by recommending locally produced building materials and intermediate technology which can reduce construction cost by about 60 percent as an affordable strategy for construction of low cost housing in Nigeria.
Ineffective solid waste management remains a major challenge to many developing economies, Ghana inclusive. This study therefore chronicles issues relating to solid waste management, drawing experiences from Wa, the regional capital of the Upper West Region. Based on 150 administered questionnaires to purposively selected respondents and 10 in-depth interviews of core staff of the Municipal Waste Management Departmentand private waste collection company, the study interrogates issues regarding solid waste generation, collection and disposal practices that are employed by households and city authorities in the rapidly urbanizing city-Wa. Our findings revealed that 810 tonnes of solid waste is generated daily, out of which; 216 tonnes are collected leaving backlog of 594 tonnes uncollected posing serious environmental and public health hazards. This study identified two main forms of solid waste collection services; house-to-house (HtH) waste collection-implemented in middle and high income, low density suburbs and the communal container collection (CCC)-implemented in low-income, high density haphazard suburbs where infrastructural facilities are in bad state and in some cases none existent. We argue for a comprehensive approach that combines infrastructure improvement, health promotion, and community participation in solid waste management processes to improve the inefficiencies to ensure quality sanitation.
Housing is a major concern for all people in every corner of the world as the wellbeing of a country is reflected in its people enjoying a certain standard of living. Residential and neighbourhood satisfaction is an important indicator of housing quality and condition, which affects individuals' quality of life. The factors, which determine their satisfaction, are essential inputs in monitoring the success of housing policies. Housing provision for all in any country is very crucial in order to ensure social-economic stability and to promote national development. Therefore the Malaysian government under its 5 year National Plan has introduced the low, medium and high cost housing categories. The housing policy in Malaysia is to provide Malaysians of all income levels, particularly the low-income groups, accessibility to adequate, affordable and quality shelter. It provides direction to housing development in the country which should emphasis human settlement of better quality of life, national integration and unity. This paper will discuss the general scenario of housing in Malaysia particularly the low cost housing.
There are insufficient affordable housing units in Ghana. Most of the available units are poorly developed and are not habitable. The paper explores the affordable housing situation in Ghana by using Kumasi and Tamale as study area. It determines whether housing − housing credit, and rental and owner occupied units are affordable. It also determines the extent to which government interventions have been successful in providing affordable housing for Ghanaians. It examines the contribution of the formal finance institutions to the provision of affordable housing in Ghana. It does so by surveying the literature on affordable housing. It also evaluates the affordable housing delivery system in Ghana. It found that housing units with basic acceptable standards are unaffordable by many households in the study areas. Also, most households in Kumasi and Tamale cannot afford mortgage credit, and adequate rented and owner occupied housing units due to low income levels, high unemployment rate, and high interest rates. It notes that interventions by government have been unsuccessful in providing affordable housing in the country.
Housing affordability is a multi-dimensional issue, yet it is typically defined and assessed quite narrowly in terms of financial criteria. The housing affordability problem encompasses more than financial costs of housing and extends to larger issues of social wellbeing and sustainability. Accordingly, a broader range of factors ought to be considered when defining and assessing affordability, particularly if more sustainable outcomes are desired from housing. A comprehensive system of criteria representing sustainable housing affordability, developed by the authors, is validated and analysed in this paper. The quantitative data analysis of surveys conducted with housing and planning professionals across the UK is used to determine stakeholder’s perceptions on the criteria contributing to sustainable housing affordability and to rank these criteria according to their importance. The paper establishes that professional opinions on this issue differ insignificantly across different regions of the UK, while it varies to some extent depending on the sector of housing industry.
A home is one of the basic human needs, thus a new concept known as Grow Home has risen. This concept was established to encourage more families to buy their own houses. The Grow Home concept is based on the notion of affordable housing. This paper aims to explore a proposal for affordable housing measurement with six assessment components. In other words, this work intends to study factors that can affect affordable housing assessment. In this paper, we investigated the 20 criteria for affordable housing assessment given by Mulliner and Maliene in their study. Then, we rearranged these criteria into five components, and added the Grow Home component. Each component has different criteria. Finally, six affordable housing measurement components are identified, namely, income ratios, loans and accommodations, facilities and services, safety and comfort, quality management, and Grow Home. These components are also considered as main factors that directly affect affordable housing. This study aspires to contribute to existing literature by proposing six assessment components as a measurement of affordable housing.
Sustainable housing has been subject to research, practice and policy making for some considerable time. More recently attention has been drawn to the separate problem of declining affordability in housing. This paper describes research aimed at developing an assessment framework for both affordability and sustainability as part of the effort to incorporate both of these features into new housing projects. The research has a particular focus on developments aimed at urban densification. Background literature on both affordability and sustainability is reviewed as well as emerging schemes aimed at dealing with both aspects of housing developments. Performance indicators are identified and these are incorporated in an interim assessment framework which is tested using a group of industry experts. The research has highlighted areas where further development is required to attain quantitative assessments of affordable and sustainable housing developments
Project success is a complex and often illusory construct. Nonetheless, it is crucially contingent towards enabling appropriate and effective allocation of resources in project management practice. Mass house building projects (MHBPs) represent one of the largest and most established project-based sectors of the construction industry in most developing economies. Above all, the management skills required on these projects differ significantly from the one-off projects often encountered in the construction industry. While some success criteria may be common across project types, there is no denying the fact that some determinants of success are likely to be unique to projects of specific characteristics. This research sets out to address what constitutes the determinants of success in MHBPs. A questionnaire survey is used to establish property developers’ perception of critical success criteria in MHBPs in Ghana. Data analysis (involving one-sample t-test) reveals some interesting findings in regard to how property developers perceive the importance of the project success criteria. Factors analysis reveals four underlying clusters named in order of their significance as environmental-impact, customer satisfaction, quality and cost and time. This systematic approach towards understanding the taxonomy of the success dimension in MHBPs is important for re-enforcing effective project management practices in this significant sector of the construction industry.
Purpose
Gated communities continue to spread in popularity across cities around the world. Ghana has seen considerable growth in the development of gated communities over the last few years. This phenomenon manifests in the majority new residential developments and most forms of residential property advertisement in the capital city. The purpose of this paper is to explore the drivers of gated community developments in Ghana from the perspective of gated community developers.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used a qualitative research approach. Through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, data was collected from purposively selected key stakeholders in the gated community development market, including developers, managers and consultants.
Findings
The drivers identified from the developers' perspective were the demand for gated community properties, the control over and ease of management of assets and interests, the high development/production cost of real estate and speculative development of gated community properties.
Originality/value
This paper is an initial study that explores the drivers of gated community developments in Ghana from the perspective of gated community developers. This paper extends the literature on gated communities beyond the residents perspective.
Purpose
The inadequacy of regulations, the uncertainty of the quality of houses produced and the needs of users all highlight the need for a house analysis in Turkey. The goal of this study is to understand housing quality in Turkey based on the gap between expectations and existing housing stock, to identify the main housing expectations and the problematic issues in the current housing situation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors designed a survey using the quality indicators of several well-known housing quality assessment tools to reveal residents' housing preferences and current housing situation in Turkey. The authors analyzed the survey results to identify the gap between housing preferences and existing conditions to reveal the housing quality of Turkish housing.
Findings
Overall results show that residents in Turkey, regardless of their demographics, want and need better houses. It was determined that physical conditions, safety, aesthetics and accessibility are the issues for which the expectations of the participants are high and the lack of which is most felt.
Originality/value
This paper reveals the residents' perspective on housing and their housing quality. It emphasizes the need for more research on housing quality, the need for updated regulation and necessity of a housing quality assessment tool in Turkey.
Affordable housing contributes to the prosperity of any community. This study assesses housing challenges and enabling programs to affordable housing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) within the Vision 2030. A questionnaire of housing experts was undertaken, and responses were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Chi-Square. The findings show that top-ranked challenges are the high price of residential land (RII = 0.89), high construction cost (RII = 0.87), and high urbanization rate (RII = 0.76). The study found that participants' demographic factors led to significant differences in scores for six of the investigated challenges. In addition, the most effective enabling programs were the value added tax (VAT) exemption program (RII = 0.82), followed by the developmental housing program (RII = 0.73), and ownership forms (RII = 0.73). Significant differences in scores for two of the enabling programs were found based on participants' age and gender. The present study recommends that the government should review some of these programs and reassess the challenges of access to affordable housing.
Self-help housing is the main route to homeownership acquisition in most developing countries, and it continues to make yearly contribution to these nations’ housing stocks. However, it faces several challenges like; escalating building materials prices, access to land and inadequate housing financing; which affects its affordability. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the key determinants influencing its affordability. Delphi was employed to validate the determinants, with 26 experts selected from Ghana’s housing sector. The experts’ responses were analyzed using various statistical tools. First, mean score was used to rank the determinants, while median and interquartile deviation (IQD) were used to measure consensus on each determinant. Lastly, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and Chi-square were used to measure respectively, the agreement and consistency among the experts across the rounds. Strong consensus was reached on twenty-eight determinants after the second round. The determinants like income, savings, land cost, building materials cost, and labour and transposition costs were ranked as highest to have influence on its affordability. The outcome of the study will facilitate the development of an appropriate model for measuring its affordability at the household level. Besides, it could engender housing policy for its faster delivery in Ghana.
Housing values are heavily influenced by urban facilities. However, the amenity effects of urban facilities have not been fully assessed, and their spatial heterogeneity has largely been neglected. Taking Nanjing as an example, this study adopts a synthetic approach that considers scarcity, accessibility, and submarkets, and highlights the influence of the idiosyncratic characteristics of urban facilities and heterogeneous urban spaces on housing prices. We divide urban facilities into two categories based on scarcity: irreplaceable and replaceable facilities. We find that the influence of urban facilities differs among different categories and submarkets, and the influence of irreplaceable facilities is highly dependent on accessibility in all submarkets, while that of replaceable facilities relies on both the accessibility and scarcity of those facilities. This study contributes to our understanding of the importance of and differences among the effects of various public facilities on property values in the intra-urban environment.
Urban housing policies, in the opening decades of the 21st Century are in disarray. The objectives and targets set for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015–30 and the United Nations New Urban Agenda call for comprehensive urban housing policies, based on inclusion and participation. This paper argues for housing policies and implementation strategies that go beyond participation and are governed and managed by inclusive cost- and benefit-sharing partnerships of local government authorities and low-income group community members, NGOs and private sector stakeholders. Approaches to the formation and maintenance of democratic and equitable partnerships based on mutualism, interdependence, respect and trust are examined in the paper as a means to the efficient and effective production and management of affordable and sustainable housing and urban development; and as an end mechanism for the generation and strengthening of democratic, equitable urban communities, social change and poverty reduction and the alleviation of its impact.
Interventions for sustainability attainment in affordable housing have received increasing attention from policy makers globally. However, policy-makers’ interventions for sustainable affordable housing markets can be inefficient and even counterproductive. As such, among the diverse interventions available, a vital question is what are the potential efficient interventions? To address this question, the views of affordable housing experts (also knowledgeable in sustainable housing) around the world were solicited via a questionnaire survey to identify critical success factors (CSFs) for sustainable affordable housing. Relative significance analysis of the data led to the identification of 13 CSFs. Furthermore, agreement analysis revealed that there is no good agreement between respondents from the academic sector and those from the industrial sector on the ranking of the 13 CSFs. Moreover, through factor analysis, the CSFs were grouped into four underlying components: developer's enabling CSFs; household-demand enabling CSFs; mixed land use CSFs; land use planning CSFs. The research findings seek to inform policy-makers on the CSFs for efficient resource utilization for sustainable affordable housing market. Future study would establish a relationship between the CSFs and success criteria for sustainable affordable housing.
Studies on specific critical success criteria (CSC) for performance measurement of sustainable affordable housing projects are limited. This study aims to identify and classify the various CSC from the views of affordable housing experts around the world. 21 CSC were identified from a comprehensive literature review followed by a questionnaire survey on the identified 21 CSC. With 51 responses, the data were analyzed. Factor analysis indicated that the various CSC can be grouped into six components: household satisfaction CSC, stakeholders' satisfaction CSC, house operation cost CSC, time measurement CSC, location affordability cost CSC and quality-related CSC. Practically, the findings of this study can serve as a guide for assessing the performance of affordable housing projects as well as serving as a guide to developers, NGOs and government agencies in the allocation of resources for the provision of sustainable affordable housing. Future study would investigate the interrelationship between critical success criteria and critical success factors for sustainable affordable housing.
Slums are densely populated areas developed without proper physical planning and where the majority of people live without basic life essentials. They pose major challenges in developing countries. During the execution of slum rehabilitation projects, resident families experience significant social and economic disruptions. A scan of extant literature reveals that most of the studies on slum reconstruction, in India, are conducted in the socio-economic and design issues. These studies are focused primarily on the evolution of slums, and the social, health, economic, infrastructure, inequality, layout and design aspects of slums. Existing literature has not revealed project management aspects of slum reconstruction projects particularly the delays that occur during the construction phase of the project. For the purpose of this study, six slum rehabilitation projects have been selected, located in the urbanized western region of India. Using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and the Importance Index (IMPI) as tools to analyse the data, key factors responsible for delays have emerged. These point directly to the issue of non-application of scientific project management techniques for these projects. Furthermore, two-step cluster analysis has been used to check the most significant predictor and to validate the findings of RII and IMPI. The findings of the study concluded that the most significant factors causing delays in slum rehabilitation projects in the four-phase of project life cycle are ‘source of financing’ in initiation stage, ‘project scope’ in planning stage, ‘managing working capital’ in execution stage, and ‘the snag list issues related to quality not being addressed’ in the close-out stage. The findings of the study are important in understanding the dominant causes for delays in slum rehabilitation projects, and to a considerable extent can be globalized, especially in countries with dense populations.
The aim of this paper is to examine the criteria in the selection of the houses by the homebuyers in Melaka. The case study area was selected from Melaka in response to the report produced by Khazanah Research Institutes (KRI) in 2015 that claims Melaka is the most affordable state in Malaysia. This study applies the quantitative approach. The Yamane Taro 1976 sampling formula was used and 400 samples were selected. Three types of analysis techniques was utilized namely descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation and Relative Importance Index (RII). The study found that the three districts in Melaka were at affordable range for 2012 and 2014 and the income level of the household in Melaka was within the average income of Malaysia. Finally, it is anticipated that the study would give a clear picture on what are main criteria of better housing provision in Malaysia.
The housing industry is a major contributor to global climate change, environmental pollution, and resource depletion. The adoption of green technologies in housing development is a way to realize sustainable development goals. This research aims to identify the green technologies that are important to achieve sustainable housing development, in particular Accra, Ghana. Due to differences in climate, focusing on Accra helps validate the findings of this study. To achieve the objective, 28 green technologies were identified from a comprehensive literature review, and a questionnaire survey was done with 43 professionals with green building experience. The results indicated that application of natural ventilation, application of energy-efficient lighting systems, optimizing building orientation and configuration, application of energy-efficient HVAC system, and installation of water-efficient appliances and fixtures were the five most important green technologies to achieve sustainable housing development. Furthermore, water efficiency technologies and energy efficiency technologies had the highest level of importance. The identified green technologies form a conceptual framework which can be used to guide the identification and selection of green technologies for sustainable housing development. The research findings would be useful for industry professionals responsible for decision making during the design stage of housing developments. Theoretically, this study adds to the literature by presenting one of the first studies in its kind focusing on green technologies for sustainable housing development within the Ghanaian context.
Rapid urbanization poses a significant challenge of accommodating the poor, particularly in developing countries such as China where affordable housing has only been initiated a few years ago and will continue to be developed in the coming years. Two major considerations in affordable housing programs are cost and time, as the ability to meet the needs of low-income households is the main target of these programs. However, it is not a common strategy to address affordable housing shortage by means of incorporating sustainability features. One of critical issues is the lack of sustainability framework to integrate sustainability in affordable housing. This paper aims to identify the key sustainability performance indicators (KSPIs) which are useful to guide the development of affordable housing. A preliminary list of 42 key sustainability performance indicators of affordable housing was identified through an extensive literature review. This was followed by a questionnaire survey to solicit the professional views from three stakeholder groups, namely government, developers and academics in the Chinese construction industry. Via the fuzzy set theory and variance analysis, 24 KSPIs were finally highlighted. These findings provide useful references for policy makers as well as industry practitioners to develop affordable housing programs in a sustainable manner. This helps to achieve the sustainable development at the regional scale.
Land use planning systems in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) share a common history. In both nations, one objective of town planning has been to improve housing conditions for the urban poor and facilitate sufficient housing supply for growing post-war populations, with UK legislation serving as a model for Australia, at least until the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Since this time however, approaches have diverged. In the UK, housing assistance and the land use planning system have co-evolved, with planning an important tool for securing affordable housing, particularly in England. In contrast, a deep cleavage between urban planning and housing policy persists in Australia. Drawing on a series of studies undertaken separately by the authors over the past decade which concentrate on Australia and England, the paper compares urban and housing policy in both nations, and examines planning system performance in securing new affordable homes.
Housing affordability is a pressing social issue for many Australians with public housing stocks not coping with demand in recent years. Local government has a genuine capacity through partnerships with the other spheres of government as well as with private sector community housing and property developer interests, to playa key role in developing sound affordable housing strategies, partnerships and practical projects to deliver appropriate and affordable housing to those in need in local communities.
Over the last two decades England has been developing a system by which the majority of new affordable housing will be produced with the help of the land-use planning system. As such it provides an apparently successful example of a trend observable in many countries of using land regulation to achieve housing goals. This paper addresses both the conceptual basis for this approach and the English experience by first setting out the rationale and principles behind a link between land-use planning and the provision of affordable housing. It then examines how the mechanisms that have evolved in England relate to these principles, both formally and in practice, and then assesses outcomes. Finally, lessons are drawn about the necessary conditions for success and the extent to which English experience is relevant to other advanced economies with similar problems.
A variety of claims have been made concerning the social benefits of homeownership. This paper describes research designed to assess the impacts of homeownership on the self-esteem, perceived control and life satisfaction of low-income persons. The longitudinal study assessed changes in these three constructs, pre- and post ownership, and compared them to those in a control group of continuing renters. The findings indicate that, relative to the control group, those in the homeowner group did not experience a significant increase in self-esteem or sense of control. They did, however, experience a significant increase in life satisfaction. Moreover, housing condition, regardless of tenure, was found to influence both self-esteem and life satisfaction. The policy implications of the results are discussed.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the main factors that affect the construction cost of affordable housing in Saudi Arabia.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of 14 consultants, 16 contractors and five real estate investors was performed. The survey included 34 different factors affecting the construction cost of affordable houses and their degree of importance. The severity of those factors was measured by the level of importance and ranked according to the severity index for consultants, contractors and real estate investors and a combination of all respondents.
Findings
There is an agreement (correlation) by each group and the overall ranking by all participants. It was concluded that inadequate labor availability, material standards, design quality and design changes are the most severe factors with relatively high overall scoring.
Originality/value
The paper provides a holistic approach that considers all factors affecting affordable housing in Saudi Arabia and the interplay between them. It will serve as a guide to the focus areas to be considered in policy development aiming at improving conditions in the construction industry for affordable housing programs.
Housing affordability has fallen in Australia over the past decade, in spite of sustained economic growth in the national economy. This paper argues that this outcome raises serious economic and social questions, especially in relation to the prospects and welfare of younger Australians. A lack of affordable housing has negative consequences for the competitiveness and efficiency of the Australian economy and for the maintenance of social cohesion in society. Existing housing policies, it is also argued, are demonstrably not working to offset or reverse the trend of declining affordability. New policies are required, especially those that would attract more private investment into the affordable end of the housing market. The main part of this paper outlines and critically compares a range of possible models or approaches that have recently been put forward to this end.
A major objective of many neighborhood revitalization programs is to increase homeownership. Conventional wisdom holds that this is one of the best ways to stabilize areas in decline. This article questions convention by presenting a conceptual model of how homeownership rates might affect various indicators of neighborhood stability and by determining whether there is support for this model in the literature. The article also presents an original analysis of the relationship between homeownership rates and two measures of neighborhood stability.The literature review finds considerable support for an association between homeownership and both improved property maintenance and longer lengths of tenure. The analysis of census data similarly indicates less residential mobility and greater property value appreciation in areas with greater home‐ownership. Although initial values and citywide value changes appear to have much stronger effects on changes in property values than the tract home‐ownership rate, modest changes in homeownership rates are clearly associated with increased property values.
Beijing's residents, government officers and academics alike are very much concerned about the high price of commercial housing in the city, which is considered beyond the reach of the average citizen. The paper analyses to what extent the high housing price has led to low levels of housing affordability in the period 1992-2002. The price-to-income ratio is used to measure housing affordability. The reasons for the high housing price in Beijing are also examined. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Residential property value is a function of classical factors such as its square footage, year of construction, view and aspect, amenities, and the current market conditions determined by sales in the immediate area. Another important factor is the negative impact of noise pollutants like freeway traffic noise or schools proximity on the value of the residential properties. Noise level is a function of distance and has an inverse relationship with residential property value. Even though noise level for each block is similar, its effect on each floor is different. This paper shows how to use 3D noise modeling and GIS techniques like Geostatistics to get a proper estimate of property values in different floors of any area.
