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Personal characteristics, such as age, marital status, education level and gender, vary among elderly residents in residential apartments. These characteristics may influence the elderly residents’ satisfaction with the facilities provided in their residential apartments. To ensure appropriate facilities management (FM) items are provided for the different categories of elderly people, it is necessary to understand their basic needs. Therefore, this paper aims to compare the satisfaction with FM items among elderly people with different personal characteristics in private domestic (PD) buildings.

A questionnaire survey was conducted among elderly people with different personal characteristics in PD buildings to collect information about their levels of satisfaction with FM items. A total of 41 FM items and four characteristics of the elderly, namely, age, gender, marital status and education, were identified in this study.

The result shows that satisfaction with natural daylight was significantly different among elderly people of different genders, while the one-way between-groups ANOVA indicate that satisfaction with the size of bedrooms, turning spaces at doors, temperature in bathrooms and/or toilets, colour, accessibility and ease of closing or opening the doors were significantly different among elderly people belonging to different age groups and of different marital status and education level.

Designers and private developers are therefore recommended to increase the sizes of bedrooms, install windows on opposite sides of walls in the flats and ensure there is an adequate light reflection ratio for wall and floor colours, to accommodate elderly people’s special characteristics.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the progress of rehabilitation and redevelopment and review the effectiveness of the Land (Compulsory Sale for Redevelopment) Ordinance (LCSRO) (Cap. 545) and proposals that influence the urban renewal process in Hong Kong.

The study largely relies on the review of the LCSRO and the Government's proposal, and the urban renewal progress. Rehabilitation and redevelopment data was collated and analyzed to assess how effective the renewal process and the Government legislation have been in tackling the urban decay problem in Hong Kong. This study benchmarks the good practices of Singapore.

The pace of urban renewal activities in Hong Kong is lagging behind its policy goal. The implementation of the urban renewal programme has not adequately resolved the serious problem of ageing buildings. The existing legislation has not been effectively attracting private sector's participation either. The proposed relaxation of the compulsory sale threshold for specified classes of lots under the LCSRO aims to assist private sector‐led redevelopment. However, it is not a panacea for urban decay. Whilst the private sector's participation is facilitated, the Government should consider complementary measures, e.g. the relaxation of such criteria as the building age, plot ratio and height limitation for a more effective and efficient process, particularly in less attractive sites. A careful balance should be maintained in redeveloping different regions in the city. The Government should also be cautious about the negative externalities that might affect to the community.

The paper identifies the implementation gap of urban renewal in Hong Kong. Practical suggestions are made to the Government and related organizations to expedite urban renewal works.

The paper assesses Hong Kong's urban decay problem in a quantitative way. This approach has hardly been applied in a local context. It also highlights important issues relating to private sector involvement in urban renewal activities and various concerns over the proposed changes to the LCSRO. The paper will benefit local policy makers, property developers and professionals in the area. Its results will form a basis for further research on the impact of the proposals on land supply and housing prices after its implementation.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the significance and relevance of social and habitual behaviours of home occupants to the building design process. It argues that introducing quantitative measures such as daylight level alone may not result in a “healthy and functional” kitchen without appreciating or factoring‐in the impacts of the social roles and user expectations of kitchens in high‐rise and compact urban situations.

The study investigated three common types of apartment buildings in Hong Kong. Case studies suggested that it is crucial to include in a design process proper considerations of human behaviours by way of preferred approaches and modes of living, space usage, and weightings of end‐user responses that would influence architectural design in a direct and crucial way.

The study noted that daylight quality of a kitchen is perceived by most families to be not as important as building control officials and designers thought it would. Instead, it is found that social and cultural factors are more important parameters for users. The study observed that designers rely on physical and quantitative approaches such as daylight factor, window size and window‐to‐room area ratio to qualify a design solution and ignore the socio‐cultural parameters.

The paper calls for designers and building control officials to incorporate the study of functionality and socio‐cultural preferences of users groups in the building design process. The study envisages that an integrated design methodology would enhance the living environment.

Aging of building stock is emerging. Open Building as a sustainable approach to deal with the problems associated with the aging housing stock is seldom applied in high-rise, densely populated built environment. With aims to identify the constraints and seek rooms for Open Building implementation in aforementioned context, a survey of 495 building layout plans from ten major housing estates in Hong Kong is conducted. The floor plans are analysed against the Open Building characteristics and criteria laid down by Tiuri (1998). Facts and obstacles of achieving Open Building in the territory are unearthed, and opportunities for implementation are then discussed.

The layout and structure of the surveyed private residential buildings in Hong Kong are very much alike. They are in fact closed buildings without the capacity to adapt, so any change in user requirements cannot be accommodated easily. Implementing Open Building using flexible and green fittings remains a viable option that enables transformation in existing housing stock.

Property defects and building safety have been major concerns for many years in Hong Kong. The local government intends to launch a Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS) for owners of aged buildings; and instigate necessary defect rectification to enhance building and public safety (HKSAR BD, 2010). This study aims to examine the effects of the proposed enforcement actions, attain major stakeholders’ views, and to establish any unidentified problems.

The investigation will be comprised of three stages, i.e. first, a thorough review of some target buildings having received repair orders from government; second, dispatch a structured questionnaire to major stakeholders to solicit their respective views for such potential building; and third, analyze such collected data with statistical tools with proposed solutions and conclusion.

It is anticipated that this research will explore the fundamental concerns, threshold, constraints and actions to be implemented to enhance for better building safety for a potential long‐outstanding problem in Hong Kong.

The research is based on quantitative studies with originality and value attributed to major stakeholders.

This study aims to explore occupants’ perceived importance and satisfaction with high-rise students’ housing facilities’ fire safety considerations (FSCs). The specific objectives are to explore the FSCs for high-rise students’ housing facilities and assess the level of importance and satisfaction with the FSCs provided in high-rise students’ housing facilities in controlling fire outbreaks.

The study uses an exploratory sequential design with an initial qualitative phase followed by a quantitative data collection phase. Twenty FSCs were identified through the qualitative phase via semistructured interviews. Their importance and satisfaction were revealed through survey questionnaires with 168 respondents who stayed in or were involved in the operation of high-rise students’ housing facilities. Data from the qualitative phase were analyzed thematically, and those obtained from the quantitative phase were analyzed descriptively and inferentially.

The study’s findings revealed that all the 20 FSCs identified via the qualitative phase and confirmed through the quantitative phase were perceived to be very important in fighting fires in high-rise students’ housing facilities. However, only 9 out of the 20 FSCs received some satisfaction among the respondents in fighting fires in the facilities.

This study offers insight into a rare study area, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, it grants insight into the occupants’ perspective regarding which FSCs they consider essential and their level of satisfaction with such FSCs in fighting fires in high-rise students’ housing facilities.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.

Index by subjects, compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.