Residents’ Demands for Urban Retail: Heterogeneity in Housing Structure Characteristics, Price Quantile, and Space

A thorough understanding of residents’ demands plays an important role in realizing the rational distribution of urban retail (UR) and promoting the habitability of cities. Unfortunately, these demands for UR are currently under-researched. To solve this problem, this study aims to quantify the capitalization effect of UR on housing prices and explores the impact of heterogeneity in housing structure characteristics, price quantile, and space on the residents’ demands for UR according to the hedonic price model, quantile regression, and geographically weighted regression in Chengdu. The results of these models show the following: (1) good property management and building sound insulation can reduce the negative influence of UR on residents’ lives; (2) only the owners of low-price houses are willing to pay a premium for UR; and (3) residents’ demands for UR increase from the central area to the peripheral area of Chengdu, and an inverted U-shaped relationship was found between housing prices and the UR level. A comprehensive analysis of the heterogeneity of residents’ demands for UR can provide a reference for planning departments, real-estate developers, and UR owners and promote the sustainable development of UR.

Mapping the Wildland-Urban Interfaces for Forest Fire Prevention in the Province of Mila (Algeria)

Areas where the habitat is in contact with the forest represent danger and become a real concern for managers who need location tools to act and limit fire risks in these territories. In this context, our study focuses on determining and mapping the different types of wildland-urban interface (WUI) existing in the Zouagha forest. The methodology integrates four types of a housing structure, limited to a radius of 100 meters around each house and three classes of vegetation aggregation. The GIS tool maps and identifies twelve types of WUI in the study area. Our results show that WUI areas in the Zouagha forest increased rapidly over the last decade. New houses were the main cause for new WUI. In 2019, the number of buildings in the study area was 51% higher than in 2009. These urban areas are more exposed to wildfire risks due to their proximity to flammable fuels. The spatial analysis allows highlighting the WUI type most sensitive to a fire risk that needs the interventions of environment protection institutions to limit the damage of wildfires.

Housing in an Example of Low - Rise Residential Structure in Debar Maalo, Skopje

From city quarter with urban villas, yard houses and pittoresque ambient values, Debar Maalo in Skopje in recent time, is turning into a construction site of the intense rise of the building mass and filling in on every potential void, where the typology of multifamily residential buildings is dominant. But, can it be different? The marginalized forms of single-family housing, once a dominant lifestyle in Debar Maalo, single family yard houses, houses with ground contact are the remains of a passed image of this city quarter that should be the referent milieu of this research. This typology of a low-rise residential structure, should represent the renovation tactics of the the single-family dwelling in this part of the city of Skopje. The creation process of the new urban landscape of housing with characteristics of a dense and low-rise structure will be through the forward two stages: analysis and design. The location of interest will be analysed through architectural project of a housing block with the typology of a low-rise housing structure that should provide high urban density of 120 houses per hectare. The suggested typology of the housing structure should provide housing that will meet the new lifestyles and will achieve diversity of the houses according to their size, structure, and comfort. This thesis should refer to the idea of rethinking and reminiscing on the elementary architectural city image, low rise housing structure typology as a building type at the level of the morphology of the city of Skopje.

Housing structure and occupant behaviour to increase the environmental and health co-benefits of housing: Insights from expert interviews in New Zealand

Both housing structure and occupant use of homes influence health outcomes and carbon emissions. However, it remains unclear how these elements interact. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 technical experts in the New Zealand housing and health sectors. We applied the general inductive method for qualitative data analysis and generated frameworks for ‘housing structure’ and ‘occupant behaviour’ including: (i) issues or barriers, (ii) solutions or facilitators and (iii) potential interventions. Addressing the location, aspect and design of the house were seen to offer the greatest gains in energy efficiency, indoor temperature and air quality. Insulation, heating and ventilation were the most critical technologies for promoting health. Raising consumer expectations of housing standards was thought to be critical to boost demand and drive supply for better quality housing. Participants proposed that sharing personal stories, combining information with active strategies (demonstration, skill rehearsal) and providing incentives were promising strategies to realise the full potential of health-enhancing home design. Schools and the local community were identified as suitable settings. We conclude that public health interventions should not only aim to build homes that maximise health and environmental outcomes but must also pay attention to how occupants behave and interface with their houses.