The persistence of substandard housing in many older Canadian cities has prompted the Federal government to intervene in the private process of renewal. Early public programmes concentrated on neighbourhood redevelopment, as had private enterprise. However, a recent revision in Federal policy has led to a greater emphasis on rehabilitation, the goal being to preserve elder residential areas through a programme cf Neighbourhood Improvement (NIP) and Residential Rehabilitation Assistance (RRAP). This change in policy has implications for the future character of declining areas and the evolution of the urban spatial structure. Since participation in BRAP is voluntary, the success cf this programme and the ultimate improvement of these neighbourhoods depends on residents1 attitudes towards rehabilitation and their eagerness to renovate. The purpose of this study is to examine factors influencing the owner's decision to rehabilitate his property. The conversion zones cf the three Vancouver inner city neighbourhoods of Kitsilano, Cedar Cottage and Grandview have been selected for the purpose of this investigation. In the past, these zones have been considered impermanent and their redevelopment seen as inevitable. However, they are now to be conserved, although at the time of the research, only Kitsilano and Cedar Cottage had been designated for Federal assistance through NIP and RRflP, The data for this study were principally collected through a questionnaire survey conducted in January and February, 1976. Resident homeowners were interviewed, while a small sample of absentee owners were sent mail questionnaires. Non-parametric statistics were used to analyse the data. The survey indicated that the decision to rehabilitate is based not only on financial considerations, but also owners' attitudes towards their neighbourhood, their property and the notion of improvement. While lower income residents having to make mortgage payments did encounter financial constraints to home improvements, income per se did not significantly affect rehabilitation activity. Possible property tax increases nevertheless did constitute a disincentive to improvement for many owners, profit oriented landlords also being discouraged by Provincial rent controls. However, most respondents supported the notion of residential rehabilitation and wanted more improvement in their neighbourhood. Kitsilano residents feared that further decline would lead to the disintegration of their community and culminate in apartment redevelopment, while Cedar Cottage respondents were concerned for the social status of their area. A small proportion of homeowners in these two neighbourhoods considered further deterioration inevitable and perceived this as a disincentive to rehabilitation. However, most regarded residential improvement as an effective means of maintaining the desirability of these neighbourhoods and protecting them from further undesirable changes. In all areas, respondents exhibiting pride and confidence in their neighbourhood and a sense of personal efficacy achieved the highest levels of rehabilitation. Many resident owners were also motivated by pride in their property. However, for most absentee landlords, the incentive to improve was purely economic. Despite a generally positive attitude towards improvement, few perceived ERAP as an incentive to rehabilitate. Landlords disliked the associated rent controls and many homeowners were discouraged by the financial burden of a REAP loan, pride in their self-sufficiency, and a negative attitude towards the neighbourhood and improvement. REAP therefore seems unlikely to significantly contribute to the improvement of older, deteriorating neighbourhoods, although recent programme revisions may stimulate more activity. Some of Vancouver's declining inner city neighbourhoods have at least temporarily been upgraded through residents' efforts to rehabilitate and government controls on redevelopment. The positive attitude of most respondents suggests that private rehabilitation will continue as long as owners remain confident in the future of their area. Neighbourhoods that would otherwise have been redeveloped have hence been preserved. However, unless the government continues to intervene in the deterioration process, private redevelopment will likely ensue and the urban spatial structure continue to evolve as before. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

Associated with the rapid increase in the proportion of multiple-family dwellings in Canada during the 1960's, was the practice of locating apartments in single-family residential areas. As suburban apartments increased, homeowners became more vocal in their opposition to mixed housing. Problems arose over mixed housing due to the fact that homeowners, developers and local government officials all had their own ideas as to where apartments should be located. As there was not adequate data on the subject to unequivocably state the correctness of one point of view over another, much more information was needed regarding the economic, political and the social implications of mixed housing. This study focuses on some of the social implications of locating apartments in single-family residential areas. Emphasis is placed on the examination of four issues related to this topic. They are: (1) The role of single-family housing and its environment in providing for the housing needs of a large segment of the housing market. (2) The growth of multiple-family housing and the need for effective apartment location policies and practices. (3) The feasibility of mixing people who possess different social and demographic characteristics in the same neighbourhood. (4) The validity of homeowners' opposition to mixed housing. The method used in this study is a combination of the library research approach, and a sample survey of homeowners' attitudes towards mixed housing. The first three issues were examined by the library research approach while the fourth was examined by the sample survey approach. The interview schedule was administered in three survey areas located in two Metropolitan Vancouver municipalities. These municipalities were North Vancouver District and Surrey. The findings show, first of all, that there is a need to conserve some single-family housing areas as they play an invaluable role in providing a type of housing for persons who want to purchase their own home, want a high degree of privacy, prefer to live among people with similar interests and backgrounds, want a large open play space for their children and who desire some degree of exclusiveness. Secondly, apartment location policies must be formulated and adhered to to reduce homeowner opposition to mixed housing by providing some degree of assurance that apartments will or will not be constructed in their neighbourhoods. These policies must not only articulate what is commonly referred to as "the good of the whole community", but also reflect the attitudes and values of smaller groups of residents who form an integral part of the community. Thirdly, while it is theoretically appealing to think of the benefits to be gained by mixing people of differing economic status and demographic characteristics, the findings of studies on this topic indicate that in no case have the ends to be achieved by a social mix ever been accomplished. The usual result has been the social isolation of persons or groups in the minority by those forming the majority. Lastly, the findings of the sample survey show that in mixed housing situations, homeowners generally approve of the appearance and type of apartments built in their neighbourhoods, and they do not perceive them to be the cause of the most of the problems normally associated with apartments. An inconsistency appears in the homeowners' attitudes in that homeowners who were living in the areas when apartments were built, continued to oppose mixed housing, while homeowners who had moved into the area after the apartments were built, approved of mixed housing. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Two deterministic simulation models were developed to assess the economics of swine nurseries. The first model assessed the emergency needs of swine nurseries by simulating the temperature response during a short term power failure. The failure model accounted for heat exchange by conduction, convection, radiation, and air infiltration. An existing sub-model was used to predict swine heat and moisture loss. The failure model was validated using a nursery constructed of concrete block. It performed well for cases with constant solar load, but tended to overpredict temperature changes during periods of no solar load. Validation indicated accurate wall-characteristic and wind velocity estimations were crucial to obtain accurate model results. The second model was developed to describe the normal operation of swine nurseries by predicting pig growth and feed consumption, building fuel consumption, and cost per unit of gain produced. lt was based on an existing swine model that was converted to an hourly basis. An optimization option was incorporated into the operational model to allow minimization of the cost per unit of gain. The operational model was validated and found to accurately predict feed consumption and growth during a one week time frame. Fuel consumption was less accurate. The optimization mode predicted considerable cost savings for operation at lower temperatures. / Ph. D.

The study hypothesizes that the working class have evolved a distinctive life style, in terms of stable and recurring activity and behaviour patterns. It is argues that thorough knowledge and understanding of these patterns can provide meaningful design requirements for the planning of new residential areas or for the redevelopment of the present "grey" areas in central cities. A review of literature pertinent to the working class and low income housing suggested that the housing priorities of the working class revolve first around attaining home ownership and secondly around locating conveniently near basic contacts, that is, work, stores and friends and relatives. Without an adequate supply of low income housing, the possibilities of home ownership are negligible. Thus, the thesis investigated two obstacles hindering increases in the low income housing supply. They are: (1) the hesitancy to accept non-convential construction techniques and (2) the lack of governmental initiative in creating direct increases to low income housing supply. In general terms, it is suggested that large scale industrialized building will provide a promising solution to the problem of high housing costs but also that, in accepting mass system housing, the necessity of thoroughly studying the people for whom the housing is constructed must be recognized. Innovative governmental programs, for example, the turn-key techniques, show possibilities of satisfying the high priority need of the working class, that is, the security of tenure or more simply, home ownership. The literature reviewed also indicated that the locational preferences of the working class were dependent upon transportation availability and costs to work, the nearness to employment opportunities and the convenience to social, commercial and other local facilities. These factors are, therefore, considered important requisites in the location of low income housing. A study of working class activity and behaviour involved an appraisal of their attitudes and preferences. A short over-view of existing literature investigating working class attitudes in the areas of the family, the home, the neighbourhood and consumer behaviour is presented. The primary analysis involved a detailed study of working class activities and behaviour. Basically four studies were used to document the stable and routine activity patters of the working class. The use of information culled from these studies is subject to many limitations. However, it is felt that the material does indicate several spatially significant working class activity patterns. A comparison of activities and existing physical planning criteria is used to suggest the areas of compatability and conflict between the activities and the criteria. The comparison also gives evidence of characteristic working class activities that are not generally considered in terms of the spatial arrangements that the activities suggest. It is suggested that the descriptive evidence provided is sufficient to indicate the distinctiveness of working class activities and behaviour. From a planning point of view, the implications derived from the spatial patterning of their activities suggest distinctive design criteria for the planning of low income working class communities. To conclude, planning which focuses on integrating the surrounding neighbourhood and the local facilities with the home area would accommodate the familiar activity patterns of the working class. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

by Kai-Fu Wong. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 90-99.

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering, 1980 / Bibliography: leaves 441-455. / by Peter Douglas Hall. / Ph. D. / Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering

Inclusion of home ownership in national housing policy indicates that home ownership should be available to everyone. National housing policy is assumed by the author to be contained in the Housing Act of 1949: a decent home and suitable living environment for all Americans. Findings are that preferential treatment of homeowners embodied in the U.S. tax and financial structure conflicts with restrictive monetary policy and with a full employment fiscal policy. Home ownership does not meet the needs of contemporary lifestyles or of low income families. Fiscal zoning restricts access to housing for low income families. The conclusion of this thesis is that home ownership is not available to all Americans under the present federal housing programs, and therefore should not be included in national housing policy.

Thesis (MSc (Consumer Science)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The issue of housing choice and preferences has been and still is the subject of much academic attention from researchers in many different disciplines. Stellenbosch, the oldest town in South Africa second to Cape Town, is undoubtedly the most scenic and historically well-preserved town in Southern Africa. With this plurality of attractive features, the housing market in Stellenbosch has become one of the most active and expensive housing markets in South Africa. In this specifically booming housing market, it is indispensable to conduct a housing preference and priorities study to determine residents’ tastes and preferences, in order to help those concerned, residents, real estate agents or people related to housing, to make better housing decision. At the same time, considering the affluent housing market in Stellenbosch, sellers and real estate agents are facing the problem of appraising the actual market value of houses. There is an apparent lack of a normative method to evaluate houses, and it is noteworthy that assessments almost always depend on the subjective experience of sellers and real estate agents.

<p>Housing is an issue that affects all individuals in society. People have firsthand experiences with housing daily. Housing is also a macro issue that is affected by and has implications for the nation’s economy and public policy. Despite the centrality of housing for individuals <i>and</i> society, few scholars have examined media coverage of housing issues and housing policy. This gap is especially problematic when considering the critical role of the housing market collapse in the 2008 Great Recession, the landmark housing policies instituted during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the media's potential to shape perceptions of housing policy and the economy. In this study, I use content analysis to examine the media agenda-setting and framing of housing and housing policies from 2005 to 2010 and 2020 in the <i>New York Times</i>. I investigate whether housing is framed in episodic or thematic ways and how housing media frames changed in response to the economic collapse and the pandemic. I also examine the context of media agenda-setting using housing topics. Lastly, I pay particular attention to whether housing media frames and housing topics are racialized. The data for this project was collected from the <i>New York Times</i> between 2005 - 2010 and 2020. The search terms used to identify relevant news articles were housing policy, subprime, affordable housing, foreclosure, homeownership, and eviction. The articles identified are all from the front page of the <i>New York Times</i>.</p>

The housing problem in South Africa is complicated by the cultural diversity and the rapidly changing nature of the population. This indicates a need for research to help to determine "what appropriate housing is" for various sectors of the South African population. Social researchers and design professionals therefore have to combine their efforts to provide house designs that will be appropriate to the housing needs and values of a variety of future occupants. This study focuses on the impact of rapid change in the sociophysical environment (modernization) on people's experience of the quality of their relationship with their home environments. An approach is proposed through which groups of individuals, who share similar needs and requirements regarding their housing, can be identified for inclusion in a process of participatory design. A theoretical framework is developed to account for the variety of perspectives of participants (users, researchers and design professionals) in the design process. Through application of the theoretical framework, a novel approach to the determination of "what to design for whom" is developed. The "modernity fit" concept is introduced to describe the quality of the relationship between people and their housing in terms of a rating of the modernity of both human and housing characteristics. It is proposed that the quality of the relationship or "fit" between the modernity of human characteristics and the modernity of the physical characteristics of the house influences people's experience of their houses. Results of this study indicate that the "modernity fit" concept opens up new avenues for research to assist in the design of housing in developing countries. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)