Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Outdoor Spaces of Public Housing Estates for Housing Satisfaction of Middle Income Residents In Enugu, Nigeria

Abstract

In Public Housing Estates in Enugu, outdoor spaces within residential areas are not planned or designed with due considerations for the social, economic and cultural requirements of residents. This is always evident by the haphazard and chaotic nature of the residential outdoor spaces which are predominantly occupied by the middle income residents in the housing estates. No prior empirical studies have been carried out to determine such outdoor users’ needs. Previous studies on Post Occupancy Evaluation of completed buildings focused on indoor spaces and the exterior envelop of the buildings, but paid no attention to the outdoor space needs of the residents. This encourages modification/re-adaptation of such outdoor spaces thus creating a gap that needs to be filled through a concerted research on the subject. There is no existing template for such outdoor space needs and their design, hence the need for the study. The aim of the study was to determine the post-occupancy conditions of outdoor spaces for the satisfaction of the middle-income residents of government housing schemes in Enugu Metropolis. The objectives include: i determination of the extent of modification/re-adaptation of outdoor spaces have taken place in the study area; ii the residents’ level of satisfaction of the existing outdoor spaces in the study area iii the outdoor space-needs of the occupants in the study area and iv the mean functional space requirements m2 for the outdoor activities taking place in the study area. m2 for the outdoor activities of the residents. The study adopted the survey design. Personal observations and pretested questionnaire were used to generate the required data. The population of study consisted 4028 units in 10 estates that were purposively selected for the study. The 10 estates used for the study include: Greenland Phases I-III, Maryland Phase I, Ehocol Phase II, Trans Ekulu Phases I-VI, Riverside Phases I-II, Golf Course Phase I, Real Estate Uwani, Federal Housing Phases I-II, Ebano and Fidelity. Krejcie & Morgan established mathematical equation was applied to determine sample size of 421.houses for the survey.339 copies of questionnaires 81% were retrieved. The questionnaire was designed in 5-likert scale format. Determination of the validity of the instrument was done by a statistician and two research fellows in the Department of Architecture. Split-half test applied to determine the reliability of the instrument using Cronbach’s Alpha method gave a value of 0.741 coefficients. The data were analyzed with PCA and ANOVA. The level of modification/re-adaptation of outdoor spaces in the study area was averagely high 77%. They include outdoor recreation 19.078%. outdoor games 14.377%, informal sector activities 10.340%, outdoor parking 4.815%, small scale formal enterprise 4.419, home base enterprise 4.252%, playground 4.219%, ramp for physically challenged people 4.206%, animal husbandry 3.731%, schools 3.472%, sanitation equipment 3.028%. The residents’ outdoor space needs were equally high 76%. The mean outdoor space requirements were determined for 2bedroom bungalows 240.67m,2; 2/3Bedroom Block of Flats 298 m2; 3bedroom bungalows-311m2;4 bedroom bungalows 323 m2; 4 bedroom Storied houses 400 m2; and5 bedroom Storied houses 501m2.