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 Algeri