The aim of this thesis is to compare specific parts of the value systems in Hungary and Taiwan. Although there have been many cultural comparisons between Asia and Europe these are often undertaken with a broad focus such as comparing ¡§east and west.¡¨ The decision to focus the current study on Hungary and Taiwan was made because these two countries have not been included in direct comparisons, meaning that an opportunity to contribute new knowledge is a real possibility. The two countries are different in that while Taiwan is only a third of the size of Hungary, it has nearly two and a half times the population of Hungary. This huge difference in population density contributes to differences in housing values, but the main focus of this study is value differences. This study investigates the Budapest and Kaohsiung housing market using hedonic price functions (HDF) in order to investigate whether hypothesized differences in consumer preferences are reflected in market price data. Suburbanization is a process that is occurring in Hungary, much as it is throughout the rest of Europe despite the fact that Hungary¡¦s earlier history as part of the communist east block makes the nation slightly different from Western Europe. While this process is based on doing what is necessary to find larger living quarters at an affordable price, similar consumer activity is not typical of Taiwan¡¦s housing market. One characteristic of Hungary that differentiates it from Western Europe is that it has one of the highest percentages of single-family housing in Europe. In contrast, this type of dwelling is very uncommon in Taiwan. Differences in data availability for the cities involved make precise comparisons difficult, but these difficulties can be partially redressed through the use of hedonic price estimation.

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Lifestyle is a popular concept used to understand consumers' behaviors; however, the lifestyle concept rarely has been applied to housing studies. Although renting a multifamily dwelling is a non-normative housing choice in the United States, many people prefer to rent multifamily housing units for reasons other than financial. The purpose of this study is to identify the housing preferences of multifamily housing residents as determined by their lifestyles. The model of influences on housing choice was used as a theoretical framework for the study. Fifty nine housing activity, interest, and opinion (AIO) statements were developed as a lifestyle measurement for this study. A total of 211 responses were collected from residents of nine selected apartment communities in Charlotte, N.C., through two phases of questionnaire surveys. The respondents were represented by young single-person or couple households with high income and college degrees or higher education. Four lifestyle factors (Well-being, Social, Spaces, and Envirotech) were derived from housing interest and opinion items, and the respondents were grouped into four lifestyle clusters (Community Cluster, Basics Cluster, Home Cluster, and Environment Cluster) on the basis of the lifestyle factors. The relationships between the lifestyle clusters and their housing preferences were tested and the model of influences on housing choice was partially supported. Households in the Community Cluster had a strong downtown-orientation and the weakest perception of homeownership, and preferred to have security features. Households in the Basics Cluster had the weakest preferences for apartment home and community features and the second weakest perception of homeownership. Households in the Home Cluster had the strongest perception of homeownership and relatively strong feature preferences, including preferences for upscale interior design features. Households in the Environment Cluster had a strong suburban-orientation and preferred to have outdoor parking spaces in front of the building, plant watering service, and an on-site car care center. The findings from this study can be applied to the design and management of apartment communities and to marketing strategies that are sensitive to lifestyle concepts. Because of the unique sampling framework, the results from this study cannot be generalized. Instead, it is recommended that further research studies test the housing AIO statements with different groups in diverse markets. / Ph. D.

My diploma thesis deals with social housing issue and its building approach in Tábor and Prague, furthermore it monitors current system setting in "the capital" in comparison with "the municipality with extended competence". In both observed areas my research is based on work of carefully selected Non-Government Organisations which focus on the social housing issue. Moreover my diploma thesis examines realization opportunities of social housing and its cooperation with self-governing institutions. The main part describes long and difficult formation of legal framework and final face of Act on Social Housing as well as ideas and attitudes of all key counterparties in Czech Republic during its negotiation. Finally my thesis describes different views of social housing issue in selected European countries and shows its funding options.