Quality of life and sustainability issues as seen by the population of low-income housing in the region of Campinas, Brazil

This paper presents a study on quality of life and sustainability indicators relating to site-planning parameters for low-income public housing projects in the region of Campinas, Brazil. The study is based on a post-occupancy-evaluation (POE), conducted in five housing developments. Most of these housing projects are based on a repetitive model and are devoid of urban infrastructure. Users act on their own in providing for some elements considered necessary to create an identity and community spirit. Results show that the population relates quality of life to economic factors and sustainability is associated to reduce utility bills. Houses are preferred to apartments and satisfaction with the present housing conditions is high, despite low feelings of security in the neighbourhood. This work is part of a broader study, which aims to develop design evaluation tools. Most sensitive quality of life and sustainability indicators related to site-planning should permeate these tools and establish design guidelines. The inclusion of a large number of qualitative design issues into the decision-making process and the questioning of existing standardized solutions are seen as essential means to increase local housing quality.     

It’s not just about where someone lives: educating student social workers about housing-related matters to promote an understanding of social justice

The links between housing and wellbeing are well established, and yet failings of current UK policy and practice can result in severely limited and inappropriate accommodation options for those in greatest need. Access to appropriate and affordable housing should therefore be a key area of concern for social work professionals: such access is closely linked to social justice and the promotion of human rights. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of detailed research on the links between housing and social work practice, and practitioners have reported feeling ill-equipped to support service-users with housing related needs. This paper draws on the illustrative example of a teaching session developed by the authors to argue that educating social work students about housing-related matters not only reduces this reported practice knowledge gap, but may also develop their understanding of social justice. In addition to supporting calls for further research, the authors therefore encourage those involved in social work education to ensure that practice in the context of housing related needs is covered clearly within the curriculum.     

The Wisdom of Non-Heterosexually Based Senior Housing and Related Services

Abstract

Understanding the housing needs of non-heterosexual seniors will improve the delivery of social services to more than 3 million gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors in the United States and aid in the development of new service-enriched housing models for the benefit of all service dependent populations. The feasibility and demand for non-heterosexually based senior housing and related services, however, has received negligible attention. This study is a first step and San Francisco is an ideal place to begin because of the community of non-heterosexual seniors, the City's housing market, the social service resources available to seniors, in general, and the social service delivery technology evolving in response to the AIDS crisis.     

The Effects of Ethnic Identity on Household Budget Allocation to Status Conveying Goods

The theory of compensatory consumption suggests that a possible lack of traditional avenues for fulfilling needs for social status may lead ethnic minorities to shift measures of social status from traditional indicators such as occupational prestige to consumption indicators of status conveying goods. In this study we investigate whether a household’s ethnic identity affects its budget allocation to status conveying goods. Annual budget shares for apparel, housing, and home furnishings are used for measuring status consumption. Results show that Asian American households allocate more of their budget to housing, while African American more to apparel, compared to European households. Hispanic households allocate more of their budget to both apparel and housing than European American households, but to a lesser degree compared to Asian Americans to housing and African Americans to apparel.     

The private sector in Malaysian construction

Since the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970, the rapid rate of urbanisation has meant an accelerated growth in the demand for housing. Housing needs have been identified under successive Malaysian Plans as a major social objective, where the overall goal is to ensure that all Malaysians have access to adequate housing.The responsibility for the low-income housing programme rests with the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, who have been unable to keep to housing targets set by successive Malaysian Plans. By 1985, the end of the fourth Malaysian Plan period, the overall shortfall was 56%.Today the private sector dominates the construction scene. Due to the lack of government enthusiasm for solving housing shortages and lack of funds, the private sector is increasingly encouraged by the government to build extensive areas of suburbia in and around the largest cities. In the fifth Malaysian Plan (1986–1990), the private sector is expected to supply 80% of the housing provision.The aim of this paper is: (1) to analyse the composition and structure of the private sector; (2) to discuss the current production process and government action to encourage private speculative construction; and (3) to analyse the performance of the private sector to date in fulfilling the housing targets.     

Neogeography and the democratization of GIS: a metasynthesis of qualitative research

Neogeography is the name given to the phenomenon of the vastly expanded Geographic Information Systems (GIS) user base. It consists of a collection of practices, tools and users generally found outside of traditional, authoritative GIS. GIS are computer applications that allow users to contribute geotagged data and to access and utilize geospatial data sets in combination with attribute information for a variety of purposes. This paper investigates questions of whether neogeography furthers the democratization of GIS and if increased access translates to empowerment or, conversely, to further marginalization. The research is interpretative and involves a literature review of the topic and a metasynthesis of recent qualitative research. Metasynthesis involves critical evaluation of data to identify an appropriate research sample and synthesis of findings by a compare-and-contrast exercise followed by reciprocal translation of each study into the other studies to reveal overarching metaphors. This is followed by conclusions and recommendations. The findings show that, depending on circumstances, neogeography can result in the democratization of GIS and geospatial data but may also constitute new methods of exclusion depending on technological and societal barriers. Neogeography can also result in empowerment, but this is difficult to define and is often highly contingent on local context.     

A spatial study of teachers’ salaries in Pennsylvania school districts

I explore the relationship among teacher salaries across Pennsylvania school districts. Using techniques developed in spatial econometrics, I find that the error terms in a salary regression are spatially correlated, suggesting evidence of omitted labor market factors. I also find evidence that salaries in nearby, financially similar districts directly influence teacher salaries in a particular district, which is evidence of pattern bargaining or more informal social comparisons across districts. Econometric specifications that ignore these factors overstate the influence of own-district variables, such as economic indicators, on salary. I thank colleagues Linda Babcock and John Engberg for very valuable contributions and for use of their data. Thanks also to Wil Gorr, who helped with some of the GIS aspects of this research. A National Science Foundation grant supported data collection.     

Removing Barriers to the Use of Community Information Systems

Abstract

Community information systems (CINS) are emerging as important tools for community, government, and educational organizations. This paper considers the training, evaluation, and outreach efforts relating to the Philadelphia Neighborhood Information System (NIS), a collection of online applications that integrate and distribute housing and demographic data. It presents an overview of the types of NIS users and uses and some specific examples ofhow the NISisbeing used for individual property inquiries, community surveys, needs assessments, and research. Finally, the paper discusses the barriers to more analytical uses and offers recommendations for social work education aimed at preparing social workers to support community organizations in their efforts to harness the potential of CINS for social change.     

Health and human development at sub-state level in India

A prominent outcome of the Indian development strategy has been disparity in well being. It is reflected in differential per capita incomes, access to basic facilities and human development indicators across Indian States. In order to analyze the factors that have led to disparities across states and to reflect upon the phenomenon of convergence and divergence and two-way causation between human development and income, in this study we focus on district level (sub-state level) for three Indian States, namely, Orissa, Karnataka and Maharashtra representing respectively a poor, middle-income and high-income state. The analysis is carried out to provide specific answers to certain pertinent questions and to suggest relevant policy implications. A comparison of state level averages and human development parameters for top and bottom districts indicates a tendency to neglect the development of poorer districts in richer states. Skewed development priorities also have favored better off districts in poorer states. Regression analysis highlights the inadequacy of social sector interventions and indicates differences in sensitivity of human development across the selected states. Our results point to the need for incorporating these differences in a more substantive way in human development planning in the states. Our two-way regressions indicate that a more suitable development strategy incorporating appropriate state intervention may lead to enhanced income, through improved skills or better quality of labor force, much faster in poorer states. With some exceptions, our results also support the hypothesis of convergence for both the rich and the poor states which varies with duration and parameter. The results support the contention that over a longer period of time an ongoing process of convergence at district level might minimize inequality provided state intervention is made to counteract divergence in identified parameters of the social and economic infrastructure policies. This could be taken care of in recommending and making use of central transfers and grants to the respective states.     

The effect of existing land tenure systems on urban land development: A case study of Kenya’s secondary towns,with emphasis on Kisumu

The Kenya Government has over a number of years pursued policies geared towards the promotion of secondary towns. Included in this strategy is the achievement of an orderly and coordinated urban land development. However, experience from these towns indicates that, planned land development has encountered a lot of bottlenecks particularly in relation to the institution of private ownership of land. This paper traces the land tenure systems that have existed in the Kenya’s secondary towns. In general, the paper examines the effects of land tenure forms on the provision of housing and the related infrastructure. The effects of existing land tenure identified include influence on housing development, influence on planned land development, cloudiness of titles, hoarding and speculation, insecurity, inflexibility and inequity. The paper concludes by making suggestions based on the observed bottlenecks that should be considered to encourage and promote systematic urban land development in secondary towns.     

Housing satisfaction in medium- and high-cost housing: The case of Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Housing policies and programs have long been implemented to ensure that all will have access to adequate housing in Malaysia. In order to achieve sustainability in the housing industry, housing providers should regulate their housing activities to suit households’ needs and wants by examining factors which account for housing satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Results showed that the degree of housing satisfaction may depend on the types of homeownership externalities that households are expected to receive, as defined by local amenities and social capital investment, and neighborhood stability of homeownership. Housing and socio-economic and demographic determinants are also found to be significant in the study. Additionally, households are generally satisfied if they are given an opportunity to purchase their homes using the Build-then-Sell 10:90 system.     

Social Capital,Interpersonal Trust,and Public Housing

Abstract

Addressing the relationship between housing tenure and social disadvantage, this research examines social capital among public tenants in Australia, concentrating on their level of interpersonal trust and confidence in a range of public institutions. Through multivariate analyses of national survey data it also profiles the social and political background of public housing tenants. As expected, public tenants tend to have lower incomes, lower levels of education, and working-class backgrounds, or do not identify with any class location at all. They are less likely to be married or in de facto relationships than people in other housing tenures, but are more likely to identify with the Australian Labor Party than with the Coalition parties. Although public housing tenants have access to secure and affordable housing, they appear to be generally less trusting than private renters or homeowners and exhibit less confidence in government institutions such as the Australian parliament. Public housing tenants express lower levels of interpersonal trust even controlling for a range of social background factors, suggesting that as a form of tenure, public housing in some ways exacerbates the disadvantage of tenants.     

Private condominiums in Luanda: more than just the safety of walls,a new way of living

ABSTRACT

Since its independence in 1975, Angola’s capital Luanda has been going through deep processes of demographic, economic, social and physical transformations. In this article, apart from introducing the case study of private condominiums in the general discussion on urban studies in the Global South, we focus on the dynamics of transformations regarding housing for the mid/upper strata, providing the background for the emergence and recent expansion of gated communities/condominiums, a phenomenon that has acquired major importance in the recent decades in Luanda. The specialised literature relates the demand for and multiplication of these residential structures in Africa with issues such as the search for safety associated with demonstrations of exclusive lifestyles. In the case of Luanda, the authors found––through a case study and qualitative data collected among residents and non-residents of condominiums––that, contrary to the results from other studies, condominiums in Luanda are essentially sought after primarily for functional reasons such as access to infrastructure and better living.     

Psychosocial Well-Being of the Elderly and Their Perception of Matured Estate in Singapore

This article explores various relationships between the elderly's psychosocial well-being and components of aging-friendly community (continuity, compensation, connection, challenge, and contribution), in order to understand their perception of a matured estate and to discuss implications in housing neighborhood urban design. Interviews with elderly residents living in Bukit Merah (Redhill), one of the matured housing estates in Singapore with a high percentage of elderly residents, were conducted to understand how eldercare infrastructure and social spaces developed within the fabric of a high-rise, high-density public housing estate can support or inhibit their psychosocial well-being, as indicated by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Our results postulate that different groups of elderly form friendships and participate in activities in both formal social service centers and informal public spaces. The friendships formed in these places and the convenience of amenities around their houses may affect their perception of their current residences. While the elderly residents are generally satisfied with physical infrastructure, a comprehensive, integrated urban design is further needed to facilitate physical activities, social interactions, and active aging in the elderly in order to enhance their psychosocial well-being.     

Social capital and leaving the nest: Channels and housing tenures

Young adults in Europe sometimes have trouble moving away from their parents and obtaining a home of their own, which is considered an important step in the transition to adulthood. This paper investigates whether nest-leaving is affected by individual social capital and parental economic capital. The paper also examines how these resources are related to the type of housing tenure obtained and whether the housing was acquired through informal channels. In addition, the paper assesses whether differences in access and returns to social capital can explain the later nest-leaving of the children of immigrants. The study uses a Swedish two-wave panel survey of young adults aged between 19 and 22. Individual social capital is operationalized as an extensive social network measured with the position generator, while parental economic capital is estimated with registered disposable income. The results show that individual social capital is positively related to prospective nest-leaving, but parental income is not. Nevertheless, both individual social capital and parental economic capital are related to the obtained housing tenure type: social capital is linked to informal ‘second-hand’ rental agreements often acquired through contacts, whereas having high-income parents is linked to obtaining owned housing tenure. The children of immigrants are found to be more likely to live with their parents, but this is not explained by lower access or return to social capital.     

Critical indicators for assessing the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban-rural development in China

It is widely recognized that the coordinated development between urban and rural areas can not only narrow gaps in infrastructure between urban and rural areas, promote balanced development in rural areas in terms of society, economy and environment, but is also an effective way to address issues facing agriculture, rural areas and farmers. In line with this, development of infrastructure projects has been an important means for promoting coordinated urban-rural development in developing countries (such as China). However, there is a lack of indicators that can be used to assess the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban-rural development. This paper thus attempts to present a set of critical indicators for evaluating the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban-rural development in the particular context of Chongqing, Western China.First, a list of optional indicators that are with potential for assessing the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban-rural development is presented based on examination on related project feasibility reports, official reports and literature. Then 42 indicators are identified from the optional list through a questionnaire survey. By using the data collected, the relative level of significance of each indicator is derived. Finally, an indicator system consisting of 19 critical indicators is established based on results of principle component analysis. The applicability and significance of the identified indicators for assessing the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban-rural development are discussed as well.     

我国保障房资金缺口问题及其解决途径

面对保障性安居工程巨额的资金需求,各地政府纷纷尝试多种保障房建设融资模式,其融资途径涵盖银行贷款、地方债、私募债、公积金甚至是企业债,保障房发展的资金困境似乎正在化解。但这又产生了新的问题：一是发债资金使用流向的监管,二是保障房债券的偿还。保障房项目利润率低,建设周期长,单纯依靠财政投入难以为保障房建设提供长期稳定的资金来源。应该发挥政府动员社会资源的能力,构建以地方政府为主体、多方参与、风险共担与风险规避的保障房投融资平台,吸引民间资本、住房公积金增值收益、银行信贷、信托、保险、社保等具有不同风险偏好的资本参与保障房建设,使建设资金来源多元化,从源头上解决融资难的问题。     

Community-based participatory action research on rheumatic heart disease in an Australian Aboriginal homeland: Evaluation of the ‘On track watch’ project

Strategies to date have been ineffective in reducing high rates of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australian Aboriginal people; a disease caused by streptococcal infections. A remote Aboriginal community initiated a collaboration to work towards elimination of RHD. Based in ‘both-way learning’ (reciprocal knowledge co-creation), the aim of this study was to co-design, implement and evaluate community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) to achieve this vision. Activities related to understanding and addressing RHD social determinants were delivered through an accredited course adapted to meet learner and project needs. Theory-driven evaluation linking CBPAR to empowerment was applied. Data collection comprised focus groups, interviews, observation, and co-development and use of measurement tools such as surveys. Data analysis utilised process indicators from national guidelines for Aboriginal health research, and outcome indicators derived from the Wallerstein framework. Findings include the importance of valuing traditional knowledges and ways of learning such as locally-meaningful metaphors to explore unfamiliar concepts; empowerment through critical thinking and community ownership of knowledge about RHD and research; providing practical guidance in implementing empowering and decolonising principles / theories. Lessons learned are applicable to next stages of the RHD elimination strategy which must include scale-up of community leadership in research agenda-setting and implementation.