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Article
Publication date: 1 November 1998

B. Melnikas

Housing and housing facilities are defined as the object of management science. Some specific features of modernizing housing and housing facilities in Lithuania and other…

989

Abstract

Housing and housing facilities are defined as the object of management science. Some specific features of modernizing housing and housing facilities in Lithuania and other countries of central and eastern Europe are described. Major problems of achieving better quality and higher rate of innovation in this sphere as well as some marketing problems are considered. A number of suggestions concerning the improvement of housing facilities management are also made.

Details

Facilities, vol. 16 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 August 2008

Stefan Olander and Anne Landin

The public activity of controlling land use is exerted through the planning process. The purpose of this paper is to examine how housing developers perceive different aspects of…

679

Abstract

Purpose

The public activity of controlling land use is exerted through the planning process. The purpose of this paper is to examine how housing developers perceive different aspects of the planning process, and if these perceptions might act as a constraint for the development of new housing projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey, based on a questionnaire, has been conducted with housing development companies having at least one project initiated during the period 2001‐2004 and with municipal housing companies with responsibility for providing affordable rental housing. The study focused on the assertions contained in the questionnaire, which were measured statistically with a t‐test, to establish if the respondents agreed with the stated assertions. Additional information was achieved from factual and open questions to the respondents of the survey.

Findings

The study shows that the housing developers do perceive the planning process as a factor of uncertainty in the development of new housing projects. Responsibility for making the planning process less uncertain lies both with planning officials and housing developers. However, housing developers cannot directly affect how the planning process is organised and controlled. Thus, housing developers need to decrease the uncertainty by performing stakeholder and risk analysis before acquisition of land.

Originality/value

The study has found that there is evidence of reasonable concern on the part of housing development companies that should be taken seriously by planning authorities. The findings imply that greater transparency in the process would go hand‐in‐hand with a more consistent approach and thus more certain outcomes.

Details

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, vol. 1 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2017

Kyösti Pennanen, Tuulia Puustinen and Anne Arvola

The purpose of this paper is to analyse what constitutes trust for residents in the infill development context, who are the targets of trust, and does residents’ trust predict…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse what constitutes trust for residents in the infill development context, who are the targets of trust, and does residents’ trust predict their attitudes towards infill development.

Design/methodology/approach

Two studies were carried out. A qualitative study in three housing developments was followed by a quantitative study with 906 respondents in the Helsinki area, Finland.

Findings

Four stakeholders relevant to the residents’ trust were identified: the board of housing development, the housing manager, city planners, and construction companies. Three dimensions were found to constitute residents’ trust in these stakeholders (competence, benevolence and integrity). Furthermore, analyses revealed that trust in city planners and construction companies significantly predicted residents’ attitudes towards infill development.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study have implications on the management of the infill development process. More attention should be paid to how residents’ perceptions of trust towards the other stakeholders are formed in order to facilitate successful infill projects. The quantitative study was carried out in different residential areas. Based on this study, the authors were not able to analyse whether and how the characteristics of the residential areas might influence the results, which represents a limitation of this study.

Originality/value

This paper provides in-depth insights into the role of trust in explaining residents’ attitudes towards infill development. Previous research devoted to the topic is scarce, neglects residents’ perspectives and lacks empirical evidence. The discussions are mainly contemplation based on case examples. No previous studies have explicitly studied the significance of trust with large samples.

Details

Property Management, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2010

Beser Oktay Vehbi, Ercan Hoskara and Sebnem Önal Hoskara

This study1 seeks to identify and propose a model for measuring and assessing the level of sustainability in housing environments based on a range of indicators. With this…

Abstract

This study1 seeks to identify and propose a model for measuring and assessing the level of sustainability in housing environments based on a range of indicators. With this intention, the article is composed of four main parts. In the first part, the relationship between sustainability and housing is presented based on previous research; in the second part, a theoretical framework is put forward for sustainable housing. Then in the third part, sustainability indicators are discussed thoroughly within the context of indicator frameworks. In this section, the development, selection and measuring processes of indicators are also introduced. Finally in the fourth part, the model for measuring and assessing the level of sustainability in housing environments is presented. It is believed that this model will be used as a tool in the decision-making processes for the future development of existing housing settlements and their environments.

Details

Open House International, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 September 2016

Asnawi Manaf, Suharnomo, Hendri Yuzal and Micah Fisher

The purpose of this paper is to understand the dynamics of inclusive approaches to housing development programs directed at supporting low-income communities.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the dynamics of inclusive approaches to housing development programs directed at supporting low-income communities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a mixed-methods approach by employing a combination of case study and survey methods, whereby the development process is studied through qualitative approaches and specific determinant comparisons of quantitative Z-tests. This study provides data from key informants: end-users (ten occupants), leaders of community-based organizations (2), and supporting non-governmental organizations (2).

Findings

These results indicate that an inclusive approach is more likely be able to provide low-income households with access to a variety of key resources that are identified as housing development priorities, particularly when compared with the supply-side approaches currently being promoted.

Practical implications

This study helps to encourage policymakers to think about more targeted and facilitative processes to meet the needs of public housing in Indonesia, a challenge that has resulted in ironic effects, and has not met the important challenges in providing access that is adequate for the people of Indonesia.

Originality/value

The current study provides data that provide evidence of positive value of inclusive approach to response the equitable issues in housing provision, particularly in Indonesia.

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2015

Mark William Massyn, Robert McGaffin, Francois Viruly and Nicole Hopkins

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the economics of providing well-located housing in the inner city of Cape Town. The paper emphasises the need to maintain an…

1686

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the economics of providing well-located housing in the inner city of Cape Town. The paper emphasises the need to maintain an appropriate balance between the viability and affordability of the product offered to the market and overcoming the value versus cost challenges. While developers have limited influence over value, they do have influence over cost structures through the development approach that is chosen. Moreover, local authorities influence the viability of projects through standards and regulations. The conclusion drawn from the research has considerable implications for the formulation of market-driven housing policy interventions.

Design/methodology/approach

In addition to the review of urban economics theory and the literature on the drivers and costs of inner-city, higher-density residential development, a series of interviews with inner-city residential developers was conducted to access current property development cost data and to identify the parameters that determine the viability of inner-city, high-density residential development.

Findings

Cape Town, like other South African cities, suffers from being inefficient and inequitable largely due to its low density and sprawling nature. As a result, most planning- and housing-related policy interventions advocate the provision the higher-density, more affordable residential housing in well-located areas such as the inner city. However, to date, these policies have, on the whole, been unsuccessful in achieving these outcomes. This paper argues that this is because these policies largely do not take urban economics into account and fail to address the value versus cost tension that needs to be overcome to allow for the provision of such accommodation. Based on the viability calculations provided, the research illustrates the main cost drivers associated with higher-density, inner-city residential development and makes certain recommendations as to how these cost barriers can be reduced.

Research limitations/implications

Financing arrangements and taxation implications have not been accounted for as these are often specific to the developer and thus cannot be generalised.

Practical implications

The solutions put forward by the paper offer lower-income households the ability to successfully compete with higher-income households and other land uses for well-located space in Cape Town’s inner city.

Social implications

The findings of this research illustrate the type of interventions that the public and private sectors can consider to improve the viability and affordability of affordable housing units in city centres located in emerging countries.

Originality/value

While traditional urban economic concepts are drawn upon, the paper contributes to addressing the challenge of providing higher-density, more affordable accommodation in South African inner cities. It does this by applying these well-known concepts to the inner city of Cape Town and draws on current data and developer views to accurately diagnose the problem and, in turn, to offer pragmatic solutions.

Details

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1986

Cedric Pugh

It was not until the late 1960s that housing attracted much attention from academic social scientists. Since that time the literature has expanded widely and diversified…

4912

Abstract

It was not until the late 1960s that housing attracted much attention from academic social scientists. Since that time the literature has expanded widely and diversified, establishing housing with a specialised status in economics, sociology, politics, and in related subjects. As we would expect, the new literature covers a technical, statistical, theoretical, ideological, and historical range. Housing studies have not been conceived and interpreted in a monolithic way, with generally accepted concepts and principles, or with uniformly fixed and precise methodological approaches. Instead, some studies have been derived selectively from diverse bases in conventional theories in economics or sociology, or politics. Others have their origins in less conventional social theory, including neo‐Marxist theory which has had a wider intellectual following in the modern democracies since the mid‐1970s. With all this diversity, and in a context where ideological positions compete, housing studies have consequently left in their wake some significant controversies and some gaps in evaluative perspective. In short, the new housing intellectuals have written from personal commitments to particular cognitive, theoretical, ideological, and national positions and experiences. This present piece of writing takes up the two main themes which have emerged in the recent literature. These themes are first, questions relating to building and developing housing theory, and, second, the issue of how we are to conceptualise housing and relate it to policy studies. We shall be arguing that the two themes are closely related: in order to create a useful housing theory we must have awareness and understanding of housing practice and the nature of housing.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 13 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2009

Resmiye Alpar Atun and Hifsiye Pulhan

This study attempts to assess housing developments on the island of Cyprus by referring to the various actions taken and policies implemented during different periods as a result…

Abstract

This study attempts to assess housing developments on the island of Cyprus by referring to the various actions taken and policies implemented during different periods as a result of changing socio-economic and political dynamics. From this perspective, the methodology of the study is based on an assessment of housing developments throughout periods which coincide with certain socio-political thresholds in the history of the island, such as the year 1974, which resulted in the division of the island into two as Northern and Southern parts, and the year 2004, in which the overall setting is changed as Southern part of the island became member of EU. The overall developments and transformations in housing developments are considered as a mirror image of the actors, actions and associations in building activity throughout the periods referred to in this paper. Nicosia as the capital city of the island, has experienced different spatial transformations, and is comprised of a diversity of housing schemes ranging from the low cost housing units of urban workers, located next to the centers of traditional employment, to the large refugee housing estates and to the institutionalized social housing settlements. In this regard, the study aims to understand, interpret and learn from past experiences in the field of housing developments in order to provide lessons which will serve to support future sustainable living environments, since the current situation is at a critical point, and is currently requiring the interest and attention of the responsible authorities.

Details

Open House International, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2019

Anthony Owusu-Ansah, Kenneth W. Soyeh and Paul K. Asabere

This study aims to document the major underlying forces prohibiting housing development in urban Ghana. Previous studies in Ghana have not empirically examined these constraints…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to document the major underlying forces prohibiting housing development in urban Ghana. Previous studies in Ghana have not empirically examined these constraints, but an empirical examination of these factors would help to formulate proper policies to address the housing shortage problems in Ghana. This paper fills this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a purposive sampling technique, the authors surveyed the chief executive officers (CEOs) of private real estate development companies within Accra and Tema with a Likert scale questionnaire to measure the severity of the factors hindering housing development in these areas.

Findings

The results show that real estate developers consider the supply problems in housing to be driven mainly by formal and informal institutional factors. A large percentage of the CEOs reported that land tenure arrangements, lengthy procedure involved in securing building permits and process of land acquisition and registration in Ghana were the major factors that significantly affected housing supply. The difficulty in accessing development funds, underdeveloped mortgage market and high interest rates were some of the market-based factors constraining housing development.

Originality/value

This study empirically examines the factors that hinder housing development in Ghana, making a clear distinction between the market and institutional forces. The paper proposes policy recommendations for a more effective and direct government intervention to improve urban housing supply.

Details

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2010

George Okechukwu Onatu

High rates of urbanization have concentrated housing needs in urban areas. This has resulted in a large‐scale housing and service backlog. The rapid growth in housing demand…

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Abstract

Purpose

High rates of urbanization have concentrated housing needs in urban areas. This has resulted in a large‐scale housing and service backlog. The rapid growth in housing demand represents a mammoth task for both the present and future housing policy in South Africa. Local government in an effort to address this challenge has placed a high premium on informal settlement formalization and mixed‐income housing development. The rationale behind these two approaches is to address urban poverty, segregation and redevelopment. The purpose of this paper is to appraise mixed‐income housing development with the objective of integration along racial and social grounds and to denounce the negative perception that the poor and rich cannot live side by side, as well as to provide evidence‐based public‐private partnership (PPP) in development.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigation will be based on primary and secondary data with great emphasis on the analysis of the findings of Shift, an NGO, in reviewing the success and challenges of mixed‐income housing development. Both published and unpublished literatures were used equally in the study, as well as focus group discussion and interviews with the beneficiaries as well as the principal developers and City of Johannesburg representatives. These findings will be contextualized to Cosmo City in Johannesburg because this happens to be one of the municipalities with a high rate of migration and attendant housing shortage.

Findings

Integration of the poor into the urban system is achievable with effective and efficient PPP. This investigation also finds that the mixed‐income housing development can lead to an inclusive city and bring about change in the paradigm of criminalization of the poor as being not suitable to live side by side with the rich. Poverty and marginalization can be addressed through carefully planned housing typology.

Originality/value

For mixed‐income housing development to be successful and sustainable, this paper shows there is a need for interactive participation of the end user or beneficiaries. Integration along social and racial lines can be achieved through appropriate housing typology. There is a need for inter‐sectoral collaboration and partnership between the public and private sectors in addressing informal settlement challenge and urban poverty in developing countries.

Details

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, vol. 3 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8270

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 88000