Assessment of socio-economic profile and residents’ satisfaction living in apartments and single unit houses in Islamabad, Pakistan
Abstract
Cities in Pakistan, because of rapid pace of urbanization, are unable to provide adequate housing supply to cater to the needs of the people. Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, has a population of two million with a growth rate of six percent. Construction of apartment buildings, as one of the alternatives to fulfil the housing needs, is on the rise. However, apartments are being designed without considering the needs of the residents. This research focuses on assessment of socio-economic profile and satisfaction of residents of single unit houses vis-à-vis of those living in apartments. Fried and Gleicher’s approach was used in this research. This study analysed the socioeconomic characteristics, level of satisfaction of residents; drivers and barriers that influence the residential satisfaction of residents in two types of residential units in Islamabad. This study finds that residents of both housing types were equally satisfied with housing attributes and surrounding neighborhood while the residents of single unit houses were more satisfied with facilities, maintenance and culture. This study suggests that more focus should be given to factors like open space, basic amenities, privacy while designing an apartment building.
Keyword : apartments, single unit houses, residential satisfaction, socio-economic status, housing characteristics, neighborhoods, culture, Islamabad, Pakistan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Addo, I. A. (2016). Assessing residential satisfaction among low income households in multi-habited dwellings in selected low income communities in Accra. Urban Studies, 53(4), 631-650. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015571055
Adriaanse, C. (2007). Measuring residential satisfaction: a residential environmental satisfaction scale (RESS). Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 22(3), 287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-007-9082-9
Amérigo, M., & Aragonés, J. I. (1988). Satisfacción residencial en un barrio remodelado: predictores físicos y sociales. Revista de Psicología Social, 3(1), 61-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/02134748.1988.10821574
Amérigo, M., & Aragonés, J. I. (1990). Residential satisfaction in council housing. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 10(4), 313-325. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80031-3
Amérigo, M., & Aragones, J. I. (1997). A theoretical and methodological approach to the study of residential satisfaction. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 17(1), 47-57. https://doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1996.0038
Amole, D. (2009). Residential satisfaction in students’ housing. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(1), 76-85.
Anwar, H. N., Perveen, S., Mehmood, S., & Akhtar, S. (2008). Assessment of farmer’s attitude towards participatory irrigation management in Punjab-Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 6(2), 121-126.
Aragonés, J., Corraliza, J., Cortés, B., & Amérigo, M. (1992). Perception of territory and social identity. Socio-Environmental Metamorphoses: Builtscape, Landscape, Ethnoscape, Euroscape, 12, 252-259.
Azimi, N., & Esmaeilzadeh, Y. (2017). Assessing the relationship between house types and residential satisfaction in Tabriz, Iran. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 21(2), 185-203. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2016.1273128
Baiden, P., Arku, G., Luginaah, I., & Asiedu, A. B. (2011). An assessment of residents’ housing satisfaction and coping in Accra, Ghana. Journal of Public Health, 19(1), 29-37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-010-0348-4
Baillie, S. (1990). Dwelling features as intervening variables in housing satisfaction and propensity to move. Housing and Society, 17(3), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/08882746.1990.11430077
Bonaiuto, M., Aiello, A., Perugini, M., Bonnes, M., & Ercolani, A. P. (1999). Multidimensional perception of residential environment quality and neighbourhood attachment in the urban environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19(4), 331-352. https://doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1999.0138
Bonnes, M., Bonaiuto, M., & Ercolani, A. P. (1991). Crowding and residential satisfaction in the urban environment: a contextual approach. Environment and Behavior, 23(5), 531-552. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916591235001
Braubach, M. (2007). Residential conditions and their impact on residential environment satisfaction and health: results of the WHO large analysis and review of European housing and health status (LARES) study. International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 30(3-4), 384-403. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEP.2007.014817
Brunn, S. D., Williams, J. F., & Zeigler, D. J. (2003). Cities of the world: world regional urban development. USA: Rowman & Littlefield.
Butt, M. J., Waqas, A., Iqbal, M. F., Muhammad, G., & Lodhi, M. (2012). Assessment of urban sprawl of Islamabad metropolitan area using multi-sensor and multi-temporal satellite data. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 37(1), 101-114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-011-0148-3
Chapman, D. W., & Lombard, J. R. (2006). Determinants of neighborhood satisfaction in fee-based gated and nongated communities. Urban Affairs Review, 41(6), 769-799. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078087406287164
Coker, A., Awokola, O., Olomolaiye, P., & Booth, C. (2008). Challenges of urban housing quality and its associations with neighbourhood environments: insights and exepriences of Ibadan City, Nigeria. Journal of Environmental Health Research, 7(1), 21-30.
da Luz Reis, A. T., & Dias Lay, M. C. (2010). Internal and external aesthetics of housing estates. Environment and Behavior, 42(2), 271-294. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916509334134
Deshmukh, J. (1995). Housing satisfaction: a cross-cultural study of married student housing. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 26th Annual Environmental Design Research Association Conference. Oklahoma City, OK, The Association.
Diaz-Serrano, L. (2006, September). Housing satisfaction, homeownership and housing mobility: a panel data analysis for twelve EU countries (IZA Discussion Paper No. 2318, pp. 1-45). Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5e16/9620656c5ed813e34c9546edb32886082276.pdf
Diaz-Serrano, L., & Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2011, April). Decentralization, happiness, and the perception of institutions (IZA Discussion Paper No. 5647, pp. 1-41). Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). Retrieved from http://ftp.iza.org/dp5647.pdf
Ewing, R., Bartholomew, K., Winkelman, S., Walters, J., Chen, D., McCann, B., & Goldberg, D. (2007). Growing cooler: the evidence on urban development and climate change. Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute.
Fried, M., & Gleicher, G. (1972). Molding behaviour to fit the environment: adaptation to the familiar and unfamiliar. In Environmental Psychology (pp. 221-264). Philadelphia: WB Saunders Company.
Galster, G. (1987). Identifying the correlates of dwelling satisfaction: an empirical critique. Environment and Behavior, 19(5), 539-568. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916587195001
Gifford, R. (2007). The Consequences of living in high-rise buildings. Architectural Science Review, 50(1), 2-17. https://doi.org/10.3763/asre.2007.5002
Goudy, W. J. (1977). Evaluations of local attributes and community satisfaction in small towns. Rural Sociology, 42(3), 371-382.
Guney, Y. (1997). The evaluation of high-rise residents’ satisfaction in Turkey. Paper presented at the Proceedings of EDRA. Oklahoma City, OK, The Association.
Hu, F. (2013). Homeownership and subjective wellbeing in urban China: does owning a house make you happier? Social Indicators Research, 110(3), 951-971. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9967-6
Jaafar, M., Mohamad, O., Liza Hasan, N., & Ramayah, T. (2005). The determinants of housing satisfaction level: a study on residential development project by Penang development corporation (PDC). Malaysia: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
Jabeen, A., Sheng, H. X., & Aamir, M. (2015). Housing crises in Pakistan: review of population growth and deficiencies in housing laws and policies. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 24(3), 323-347.
Kiel, K., & Carson, R. (1990). An examination of systematic differences in the appreciation of individual housing units. Journal of Real Estate Research, 5(3), 301-318.
Lewicka, M. (2011). Place attachment: how far have we come in the last 40 years? Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(3), 207-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.10.001
Li, Z., & Wu, F. (2013). Residential satisfaction in China’s informal settlements: a case study of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Urban Geography, 34(7), 923-949. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2013.778694
Lu, M. (1999). Determinants of residential satisfaction: ordered logit vs. regression models. Growth and Change, 30(2), 264-287. https://doi.org/10.1111/0017-4815.00113
Mahsud, A. Z. K. (2007). Representing the state: symbolism and ideology in Doxiadis’ plan for Islamabad. London: Routlegde.
Marans, R. W. (2003). Understanding environmental quality through quality of life studies: the 2001 DAS and its use of subjective and objective indicators. Landscape and Urban Planning, 65(1-2), 73-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(02)00239-6
Mohit, M. A., Ibrahim, M., & Rashid, Y. R. (2010). Assessment of residential satisfaction in newly designed public low-cost housing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Habitat International, 34(1), 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2009.04.002
Morris, E. W., & Winter, M. (1978). Housing, family, and society. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
Mulvihill, R. (1977). The relative importance of elements of low-rise hosuing estates (Planning Division Working Paper 1). Dublin, Forbartha.
Nadim, H. (2014). Land mafia and housing societies. The Express Tribune. Retrieved from https://tribune.com.pk/story/703320/land-mafias-and-housing-societies/
Onibokun, A. G. (1976). Social system correlates of residential satisfaction. Environment and Behavior, 8(3), 323-344. https://doi.org/10.1177/136327527600800301
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. (2017). District and tehsil level population summary with region breakup. Retrieved from http://www.pbscensus.gov.pk/sites/default/files/bwpsr/islamabad/ISLAMABAD_SUMMARY.pdf
Peck, C., & Kay Stewart, K. (1985). Satisfaction with housing and quality of life. Home Economics Research Journal, 13(4), 363-372. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077727X8501300403
Potter, J., & Cantarero, R. (2006). How does increasing population and diversity affect resident satisfaction? A small community case study. Environment and Behavior, 38(5), 605-625. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916505284797
Rahman, M. S., Hussain, B., Uddin, A. M., & Islam, N. (2015). Exploring residents’ satisfaction of facilities provided by private apartment companies. Asia Pacific Management Review, 20(3), 130-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2014.12.012
Rapoport, A. (1997). Human aspects of urban form: towards a man–environment approach to urban form and design. Contemporary Sociology, 8(2), 313-314. https://doi.org/10.2307/2066198
Rent, G. S., & Rent, C. S. (1978). Low-income housing: factors related to residential satisfaction. Environment and Behavior, 10(4), 459-488. https://doi.org/10.1177/001391657801000401
Rioux, L., & Werner, C. (2011). Residential satisfaction among aging people living in place. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(2), 158-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.12.001
Rohe, W. M., & Basolo, V. (1997). Long-term effects of homeownership on the self-perceptions and social interaction of low-income persons. Environment and Behavior, 29(6), 793-819. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916597296004
Roscoe, J. T. (1975). Fundamental research statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). New York : Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Sawas, M. A., Anwar, N. H., Iqtidar, H., & Viqar, M. S. (2014). Urbanization, gender and violence in Rawalpindi and Islamabad: a scoping study. UK: Department of Geography, King’s College London.
Tran, T. Q., & Van Vu, H. (2018). A microeconometric analysis of housing and life satisfaction among the Vietnamese elderly. Quality & Quantity, 52(2), 849-867. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-017-0492-9
Varady, D. P., & Preiser, W. F. (1998). Scattered-site public housing and housing satisfaction: implications for the new public housing program. Journal of the American Planning Association, 64(2), 189-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944369808975975
Varady, D. P., Walker, C. C., & Wang, X. (2001). Voucher recipient achievement of improved housing conditions in the US: do moving distance and relocation services matter? Urban Studies, 38(8), 1273-1304. https://doi.org/10.1080/00420980124918
Vera-Toscano, E., & Ateca-Amestoy, V. (2008). The relevance of social interactions on housing satisfaction. Social Indicators Research, 86(2), 257-274. "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-007-9107-5
World Bank. (2018). Project appraisal document on a proposed credit in the amount of SDR99.6 million US$145 million equivalent to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for a Pakistan housing finance project. World Bank.
Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: an introductory analysis (2nd ed.). New York City, U.S: Harper and Row.
Yakas, O. (2001). Islamabad: the birth of a capital. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Yeh, S. H. (1972). Homes for the people: a study of tenants’ views on public housing in Singapore. US: Government Printing Office.
Yeh, S. H. K. (1975). Public housing in Singapore: a multidisciplinary study. Singapore: Singapore University Press.
Yi, C.-c. (1985). Urban housing satisfaction in a transitional society: a case study in Taichung, Taiwan. Urban Studies, 22(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/00420988520080011
Zhu, L. Y., & Shelton, G. G. (1996). The relationship of housing costs and quality to housing satisfaction of older American homeowners: regional and racial differences. Housing and Society, 23(2), 15-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/08882746.1996.11430239