Post occupancy evaluation of five story walk up dwellings : the case of four mass housing estates in Algiers.

Because of the acute shortage of housing in Algeria, resulting from a high
birth rate and the migration of the rural population to the cities, large mass
housing programmes have been launched since the late 1970s, providing the urban
population with dwellings and housing facilities just outside the existing urban
perimeters. The urgency of unmet housing needs has meant that certain
qualitative aspects of dwelling design, such as its adaptability to users' needs and
its social adequacy, have generally been overlooked or somewhat ill considered.
The present thesis investigates residents' reactions to the design of their
housing environment in four selected estates in Algiers. The research methodology
is based on a combination of questionnaires, interviews, photography and records
of physical traces. A sample of 128 housewives has been interviewed and different
indicators have been used in order to assess their evaluation of the various physical
and non-physical features of their housing environment. Adaptive changes made to
the original design of the dwellings have been recorded, as well as the space use
patterns of the main living areas. The relationship between residents' satisfaction
with their dwelling and their perception of the various features of their housing
environment has also been investigated.
The research findings have resulted in a number of recommendations which
are applicable to the programming, the design and the management of future mass
housing estates in Algeria