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.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

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 occupants. 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. Outdoor spaces refer to spaces, which can be in the form of courtyards, porches, sit-outs, patios, balconies,  verandahs,  walkways,  outdoor  steps,  indoor-outdoor  linkage,  outdoor kitchens/dinning,  children’s  playground  and  landscaping  (Adegbenro,  and  Ogunsote,  2011). They are common appendages to a home, (Jones, et al, 2000). Outdoor spaces play crucial roles in the definition of individual and collective residential functions as posited by Okoye, (2011); whereby  the  overall  compound  provides  outdoor  spaces  for  socio-economic  and  cultural activities  such  as  public reception,  cooking,  playing,  poultry, and  gardening.  In  hot  humid tropical environments, greater percentage of residential satisfaction is derived from the outdoor spaces where several outdoor functional activities are carried out especially for the low and middle-income groups of residents due to restricted indoor spaces. Today, it is not certain if outdoor spaces were adequately provided for, and where they are provided, it has not been ascertained if they were given the required attention in their planning, design and maintenance capable of providing specific housing satisfaction of residents. There are so far no studies on the user outdoor needs and outdoor space requirements of residents especially as occasioned by today’s climate change, which demands special attention on the outdoor spaces. Many studies, that focused on completed buildings have attempted to broaden the scope of post occupancy evaluation, by applying similar terms such as “building appraisal”, “building evaluation”, “building  diagnosis”,  and  “buildings  in  use”  to  discuss  studies  that  focused  on  completed building projects but made no emphasis on outdoor space requirements. For example,

1. Preiser and Schramn, (1998) focused on evaluation process concerning building performance so as to integrate aesthetic factors with technical and economic values of the buildings.

2. Watt, (2007) also used “building pathology” as another aspect of building evaluation process dealing specifically with dilapidated building and its associated renovation works.

3. Vischer, (2002), used “Building Evaluation” in determining building defects and deficiencies and for formulating design and construction criteria, as well as identifying design errors and clarifying design objectives.

Other aspects of housing satisfaction studies dwelt on residents’ feelings about inadequate provision of their current residential environments to serve as basis for improvement of the existing situation by housing providers. (Michelson, l977; Francescato et al. 1976). For example:

1. Abdul Aziz et al, (2012) stated that inadequate space provision in low-income housing units leads to extension of buildings to take up the surrounding outdoor spaces as vital part of the existing houses.

2. Odum, (2015), carried out a study to find out residents’ view about landscaping provision with the  integration  of  naturalness  within  public  housing  in  Enugu  metropolis,  and  found  that residents were not satisfied with the level of naturalness in the whole housing estate outdoor environment especially on landscaping and provision and green spaces.

Some studies focused more on building spaces (bedrooms, kitchens, and state and quality of materials), and neighborhood infrastructure ( hospitals, schools, shops). For example,

1.Ibem and Aduwo, (2013), focused on building types, number of rooms, state of repairs, walling materials, building components, finishes and services

2. POE in Johannesburg Country Club estate by Emuze et al, (2013), in determining the level of satisfaction was centered on quality of indoor environment, covering quality of air, daylight, temperature, noise control, and thermal comfort.

3. Oladiran, (2013) carried out investigation survey of students’ hostels accommodation in University of Lagos South West Nigeria, which   focused on building facilities such as toilets, bathrooms,  bedrooms,  reading  rooms,  kitchen,  fixtures,  laundry,  meeting  rooms,  water,

electricity, natural lighting, indoor temperature, ventilation, cleaning, refuse disposal, sporting and mini-market.

In all these studies, no emphasis was made specifically on the user outdoor space need and requirements of residents as mentioned earlier, thus creating a gap that needs to be filled through a detailed research on outdoor spaces. (Bruning et al., 2004).

Consequently, no template has been developed in connection with user requirements within the residential environment, a situation that could only be resolved through a detailed research into ways and means of adapting outdoor spaces to user-needs. To date, there are no standards in the State that spell out specific detailed guideline on outdoor spaces in general except the Enugu State Planning Bye-laws that dealt on few items such as setbacks, plot coverage, zoning regulations and building lines. Also The Draft National Building Code of Nigeria promulgated in

2006  has  not  been  passed into  law,  as  such, Nigerian  designers  use  American  and  British standards. For example, Regulation requires developers to use 33.3% of their total land area for construction in residential areas and 40% for commercial concerns. The conventional size of building popular within Nigeria occupies more than 33.3% of normal plot size (15x30m or 20m x 30m) Moreover, some other advanced states like Lagos allow up to 60% for residential and

70% for commercial.

This study has also observed increasing need of outdoor spaces in residential housing in Enugu, as evidenced by forced post-occupancy modification, re-adaptation and extension of existing buildings. The study having observed the disorderly and chaotic manner the existing housing units and their surrounding spaces are being re-planned, to their increasing use, intends to evolve a design template to make those spaces properly guided. This study is focused on the nature of outdoor spaces in relation to users’ satisfaction through post-occupancy surveys targeted at the residents’ of public houses in Enugu metropolis developed between 1963 and 2017. During the period of the surveys, (2012 and 2016), 4028 housing units specifically selected for this study from 10 estates occupied by the middle-income residents were identified for the purpose of this study.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

A common observed phenomenon in public housing estates in Enugu is the inadequacy of what appears as outdoor spaces within residential areas. This emanates from the fact that they are not planned or designed with due considerations for the socio-economic and cultural needs of the housing residents. Indeed, no prior empirical studies have been carried out to determine such users’  needs.  According  to  Ononugbo  et  al,  (2010)  urban  estates  in  most  Nigerian  cities including Enugu City are in unsatisfactory conditions because dilapidated buildings with inadequate outdoor spaces plague their surroundings. The immediate consequences of this are increased residential dissatisfaction, which might have led to response-reactions of outdoor re- adaptation and modifications as observed by researchers. Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) becomes necessary as a means of determining residents’ level of satisfaction in the existing estates specifically on the quality and adequacy of the outdoor spaces. There are so far no studies on  the  user  outdoor  needs  and  outdoor  space  requirements  of  residents,  which  focused specifically on the outdoor spaces. Available studies focused more on the building envelop quality of materials, indoor air quality and recreational facilities. For instance, Adesoji, (2012), dwelt on visual quality, quality of estate roads, maintenance, structure, services, detailing and location quality; POE on Residential buildings of Public Housing Estates in Ogun State Nigeria, also on users’ satisfaction by Ibem et al, (2013), focused on building types, number of rooms, state of repairs, walling materials, building components, finishes and services, POE in Johannesburg  Country   Club   estate  by   Emuze  et   al,   (2013),  was   centered   on   Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) covering air quality, day lighting, temperature, acoustic control, and thermal comfort. In all these studies, little emphasis was laid specifically on the user outdoor space needs and requirements of residents, thus creating a gap that need to be filled through a detailed research on the subject.

This poses enormous challenge what this study is set out to achieve. The outcome of this is capable of enhancing measures towards appropriate design and planning of outdoor spaces for overall housing satisfaction of middle-income residents of public housing estates in Nigeria.

1.3 AIM OF STUDY

The aim of the study was to evaluate the post-occupancy conditions of outdoor spaces for housing satisfaction of the middle-income residents of public housing estates in Enugu Metropolis.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The specific objectives were:

To determine the extent of modification/re-adaptation of outdoor spaces in the studied housing estates

To determine the residents’ level of satisfaction of the existing  outdoor spaces in the study area

To determine the outdoor space-needs for the residents in the study area.

To determine the mean functional space requirements (m2) for the outdoor activities of the residents in the study area.

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.  What is the extent of modifications and re-adaptations of the outdoor spaces in the study area?

2.  What is the residents’ level of satisfaction of outdoor spaces with the existing outdoor spaces in the study area?

3. What is the residents’ outdoor space needs in the study area?

4. What is the mean functional space requirement of the outdoor activities of the residents in the study area?

1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The Null hypotheses and based on the topic and research questions are as follows:

Hypothesis One

Ho1: The extent of modifications and re-adaptations of the outdoor spaces in the studied housing estates is not significant.

Alternative Hypothesis

H1: The extent of modifications and re-adaptations of the outdoor spaces in the studied housing estates is significant

Hypothesis Two

Ho2: The residents’ level of satisfaction of with existing outdoor spaces in the housing estates is not significant.

Alternative Hypothesis

H2: The residents’ level of satisfaction of with existing outdoor spaces in the housing estates is significant

Hypotheses Three

Ho3: The residents’ outdoor space needs in the housing estates cannot be significantly identified and classified.

Alternative Hypothesis

H3: The residents’ outdoor space needs in the housing estates can be significantly identified and classified.

Hypotheses Four

Ho4: There is no significant variation in the mean functional space requirements (m2) of the outdoor activities of the residents in the housing estates.

Alternative Hypothesis

H4: There is a significant variation in the mean functional space requirements (m2) of the outdoor activities of the residents in the housing estates

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY:

The scope of the study covered outdoor spaces of 4028 housing units of different prototypes built by State and Federal governments between 1963 to 2017. They include detached and semi- detached bungalows, storey buildings, and flats which were randomly selected and qualified for this study. The estates include Greenland Estate Phases I, II & III (2005-2006) Maryland Estate Phase I (2005-2006). Ehocol Estate Phase II, Republic Layout (I990). Trans Ekulu Housing Estate Phases I, II, III, IV, and  V developed in old Anambra State (1979 – 1983); Trans Ekulu Housing Estate Phase VI (1987 – 1988); Riverside Housing Estate Phases I&II Abakpa Nike (1966 –1967) and  Real  Estate,  Uwani  (1963-1964). Others include  Federal  Housing  Estate Phases I&II Trans Ekulu (1983-1984); Ebeano Housing Estate, (1999-2000), Golf Course Estate Phase I, GRA, (Year 2000). Consequently, 10 housing estates were selected out of 11 according to Polit and Hungler criteria, which stipulate that residents must live within a minimum of 10 years to justify satisfaction. Excluded were all “Sites and Service Housing Scheme” and all housing units built by individuals and private property developers, where both the design and the layouts of the housing units were not made in accordance with the approved prototypes. Therefore, Coal City Gardens Estate, GRA (2007-2012) was excluded from the list.

1.8       LIMITATIONS OF STUDY:

1. The number of housing units counted in the layout drawings obtained from government ministries and agencies were in variance with the number of the units counted physically on site. This is because some of the houses have been demolished, modified or converted to mixed uses in some areas. However, the researcher resolved this problem by personal observations and interactions with the residents who helped in identifying and marking out the affected buildings.

1.9       SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

There is need to enhance for the residents in the area a functional spaces within the building surroundings. The success of this study will;

1. Encourage future research on the subject matter.

2. Provide neat healthy outdoor spaces

3. Establish mean space requirements for outdoor activities of the housing residents.

4. Enhance advancement of knowledge by promotion of post-occupancy evaluations

1.10     JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY:

Post occupancy evaluation and modification if applied successfully will stand as a useful tool with which comfortable public residential estates are created for the residents of Enugu.. Generally,  it  is  essential  to  undertake  performance  studies  of  occupied  buildings  and  their outdoor spaces in view of the quest for more efficient housing being built in future to meet occupants’ satisfaction.

1.11 AREA OF STUDY:

The study area is Enugu City, the capital of Enugu State.

1.11.1Geographical Location of Enugu Metropolis

Enugu Metropolis lies between latitude 60, 23’ N to 60, 38’N of Equator and longitudes 70, 26’E to 70 37’E of Greenwich Meridian. (Fig.1). It covers about 72.8 km2 (Ofomata, 2002). Development westward is restricted by rigged scarp land, therefore urban expansion progresses southwards towards Agbani and eastwards towards Abakaliki, (Onokola, 1982).

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