A major key indicator for assessing the quality of an urban residential neighborhood is the building condition. A good building condition adds value to a neighborhood in terms of aesthetics, safety, security and comfort. The Rivers State Government has in 1986 - 1998 built 12 residential estates for her staff members in the study area. The responsibility of maintenance of the buildings has been left to the owner occupiers of those houses. What is the state of those houses which has been built for over 30years? It is on this note that this study is poised to ascertain the physical condition of buildings within the public housing estates in Port Harcourt municipality. This study is a quantitative research that belongs to the class called “descriptive research design”. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 108 respondents (household heads) from the six selected housing estates. Questionnaire, physical observation and digital camera were the tools used for data collection. Analysis of findings was presented descriptively in tables, charts and percentages. Among the twelve public housing estates identified within the study area, the simple random sampling method was used to select and study six of the estates which are: 1. Aggrey Housing Estate, 2. Marine Base Govt. Housing Estate, 3. Abuloma housing estate phase, 4. Ndoki Housing Estate, 5. Elekahia housing estate and, 6. Khana Street Housing Estate. The research findings show the physical condition of buildings within the public housing estates, 81.5% of the buildings has good foundation, 92.6% of the windows are in good condition, 95.4% of the buildings have water system. 65% of the respondents considered the overall housing condition of the estates as good (needs no repair) while 35% saw the housing condition as fairly good (needs minor repair).
Assessment of Residential Buildings Condition In Government Built Housing Estates of Port Harcourt Municipality, Nigeria
