Aya Yasser Kamal and Rania Nasreldin
This paper aims to define the socio-spatial considerations of apartment users in Cairo, during their decision-making process. It provides a set of socio-spatial guidelines for…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to define the socio-spatial considerations of apartment users in Cairo, during their decision-making process. It provides a set of socio-spatial guidelines for professional architecture designers that are based on regionalist sociological theories and the evaluation of participant responses. These guidelines can also help users choose better plan configurations or make socially conscious adjustments as formal residential interiors in Egypt are not arranged based on social interaction at home or the cultural specificity of the region. On the other hand, users have little clue about choosing better plan configurations for sustainable social relationships. Moreover, the private housing sector has mostly neglected the social boundaries that traditionally shaped home interiors. This is because the designers focus on physical attributes to satisfy market demand and economic aspects.
Design/methodology/approach
The research reviewed past literature on the impact of different home arrangements relative to inhabitant and social relationships. Simultaneously, preliminary open-ended sorting surveys were undertaken at the Cityscape 2020 exhibition. Based on the results, a comprehensive online survey was developed to map the socio-spatial preferences of users. Finally, a sample of 150 apartment plans was analyzed by using the justified plan graph (JPG) theory to reveal the most common arrangements in the speculative market, measuring unit depth.
Findings
The findings of this study will benefit the following: practitioners, including architects and real estate developers, will be able to learn about end-user preferences and offer better products (residential units). Designers can rely on a reference that visualizes recommended home arrangements in the form of justified graphs. This research will expose the academic theories that currently shape residential plans and those that are overlooked and need to be applied. Academics, on the other hand, will learn about the market, and the extent of the influence of architectural theory.
Originality/value
The value of this paper lies in the gathering of theoretical recommendations on traditional home arrangements and investigating the preferences of both professionals and laypeople when choosing between apartments. The open-ended study in this research will test its efficiency in the Egyptian context and serve as a reference for future social studies. It highlights the importance of cultural adequacy and how to design homes related to local residents’ natural lifestyle, by doing so, people will be able to overview the options available in the market and how to manipulate their own houses to control or encourage different social interactions.
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Anthea Tinker, Fay Wright, Julienne Hanson, Ruth Mayagoitia, Hede Wojgani and Alan Holmans
Extra care housing is seen as a popular option for older people by families, some older people, policy‐makers and practitioners. Some new build is being provided but another…
Abstract
Extra care housing is seen as a popular option for older people by families, some older people, policy‐makers and practitioners. Some new build is being provided but another option, for which grants are available, is to remodel existing outmoded buildings. This research reports on recent attempts from 10 case‐study areas in England to remodel sheltered housing and residential care homes to extra care housing. The results are mixed, with satisfaction reported by many new tenants, anger by some existing ones, challenges at every stage of the project for design and construction teams, and issues over the provision of assistive technology and care. Nearly all the schemes experienced unexpected problems during the course of construction. Remodelling is not necessarily faster or cheaper than commissioning a purpose‐designed new building. Nevertheless, remodelling may be the only viable option for some unpopular or outdated schemes. The research showed that remodelling is not a quick fix, but that it did have considerable advantages for many of the older people and support staff who were living and working in the remodelled buildings. The research concluded that remodelling should only be undertaken when other options have been carefully examined. Drawing on the research findings, advice to policy‐makers and practitioners who are considering this course of action is outlined in the discussion.
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Anthea Tinker, Hannah Zeilig, Fay Wright, Julienne Hanson, Ruth Mayagoitia and Hede Wojgani
Extra care housing has developed from sheltered housing and has increasingly been seen as a popular option by policy‐makers for a number of reasons. These include the inability of…
Abstract
Extra care housing has developed from sheltered housing and has increasingly been seen as a popular option by policy‐makers for a number of reasons. These include the inability of conventional sheltered housing to be an adequate solution for a growing population of very old people, the decline in popularity and high costs of residential care and perceived problems with older people staying in mainstream housing. There is, however, no agreed definition of extra care housing, even though a growing number of government grants are becoming available for this type of housing. This is causing confusion for providers and for older people and their families who are not sure exactly what is provided. This lack of clarity means that this form of housing has become an erratic and piecemeal form of provision.
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Ruth Mayagoitia, Els Van Boxstael, Hedieh Wojgani, Fay Wright, Julienne Hanson and Anthea Tinker
Extra care housing (ECH) is housing for older people that aims to provide flexible care while fostering independence. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact that some…
Abstract
Purpose
Extra care housing (ECH) is housing for older people that aims to provide flexible care while fostering independence. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact that some of the successes and failures in improving accessibility during remodelling had on care provision, in order to offer advice to social housing providers planning to remodel existing properties into ECH.
Design/methodology/approach
The data consisted of an inventory of accessibility features and assistive technology (AT) items in flats and common areas. The data were drawn from ten ECH schemes in different regions of England.
Findings
Most of the AT found was low-technology supporting independence, such as grabbers; some was specific to care provision, such as hoists. Even after remodelling, the design and layout of most buildings did not fully comply with accessibility standards, leading to increased provision of care for some tenants: a care-negative situation.
Research limitations/implications
This multidisciplinary, original research on remodelling into ECH presents successful examples of accessibility, AT and care integration that required active tenant involvement and creative design input from care staff, architects and builders who were AT and accessibility aware. It is argued that for new and remodelled ECH buildings to be care-neutral, designers need to work towards the most inclusive model of ECH.
Originality/value
This is original research that has produced guidance for builders, developers, policy makers and other stake holders.
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Whilst Hong Kong is suffering from a limited supply of developable land in its major urban areas, some open spaces are frequently criticized as inconvenient for users…
Abstract
Whilst Hong Kong is suffering from a limited supply of developable land in its major urban areas, some open spaces are frequently criticized as inconvenient for users, consequently leading to an ineffective use pattern. How to enhance the performance of open space is therefore a critical issue faced by city planners. As the conventional accessibility model, which is mainly described with respect to maximum walking distance or service radius, is inadequate to give an account of the issue, this paper accordingly indicates an alternative approach and seeks an explanation from the urban configuration and the way it conditions pedestrian movement pattern. Through investigating the relationship between urban configuration, pedestrian movement and accessibility and use of open spaces based on the Wanchai District of Hong Kong, which particularly epitomizes various urban grids that may have different consequences on the utilization of open space, this study aims to examine whether there is a consistent relationship existing in different spatial grids or whether the relationship varies from different layout patterns. It is hoped that the findings can be employed to improve the performance of open spaces in the urban areas of Hong Kong, in addition to other similar urban environment.
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Karen Munro and David Grierson
The world’s urban population is rapidly growing, now exceeding its rural population, and is expected to reach 70% of the world’s total by 2050. Research in environmental…
Abstract
The world’s urban population is rapidly growing, now exceeding its rural population, and is expected to reach 70% of the world’s total by 2050. Research in environmental psychology increasingly supports the Biophilia Hypothesis which holds that our connection with Nature is innate. Thus, how do we maintain a human connection to Nature in an increasingly urbanising world? This paper is based on current research work and explores the boundary between built and natural environments, specifically how visual connectivity to Nature affects how people use social spaces, compared to spatial connectivity. Case study work is being undertaken at Arcosanti urban laboratory in the Arizona desert. Arcosanti construction began in 1970 to test Paolo Soleri’s Arcology Theory which proposes, in opposition to sprawling cities, a new form of urban setting which is compact with tightly restricted horizontal growth, leaving the surrounding natural environment as undeveloped “wilderness”. Through development of a Space/Nature Syntax methodology applied within a uniquely compact urban form, this research attempts to understand how designing to maintain the instinctive bond with Nature can affect social interaction and inform future design choices within built environments. This paper describes the development of, and basis for, the Space/Nature Syntax methodology, presents initial findings achieved through its recent application at Arcosanti, and outlines future work. Initial analysis indicates that visual connectivity to Nature is a significant influence on certain types of social interactions when compared to spatial connectivity, although more research is needed to verify the level of significance.
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Gareth H. Thomas, Evan J. Douglas, Jin-Ichiro Yamada and Julienne Senyard
The strategic entrepreneurship (SE) literature exists at the intersection of the strategy and entrepreneurship literatures and has grown rapidly over the past two decades. This…
Abstract
Purpose
The strategic entrepreneurship (SE) literature exists at the intersection of the strategy and entrepreneurship literatures and has grown rapidly over the past two decades. This study aims to document the proliferation of research papers and identifies the major thematic clusters of topics and other summary information for the SE research domain.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a systematic bibliometric review of 586 articles published over the period 2009–2019 in 143 journals. The inductive quantitative assessment of these articles uses meta-data driven techniques that prioritize reproducibility and rigor in the process of literature analysis.
Findings
This study identifies six main themes in the strategic literature, namely, Sustainable Competitive Advantage; Knowledge Management; Ecosystems; Strategy; Entrepreneurialism; and Organization and Management. It also reports data on a variety of issues including research techniques, country of data, co-author count and trends and differences between journals based on their journal impact factors and calls for more research in key areas.
Originality/value
An innovative original analytical tool was developed to facilitate the analysis of research papers in this growing field. This online tool allows multiple tags to be attached to each paper by multiple authors working simultaneously to identify keywords and other aspects that were subsequently used to identify six main thematic areas within the SE literature. This paper highlights emerging research trends and identifies gaps in the literature that provide opportunities for further research in this field.
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That the introduction of the Control system should have given rise to a considerable amount of criticism, both appreciative and adverse, was naturally to be expected. The…
Abstract
That the introduction of the Control system should have given rise to a considerable amount of criticism, both appreciative and adverse, was naturally to be expected. The appreciative remarks which have appeared in the press, and those also which have been privately communicated to the directors, indicate that the subject has been intelligently considered, and in some cases carefully investigated and studied. The opinions given are worth having on account of the position and influence of hose who have given them, and on account of the obvious freedom from bias which has characterised them. This is so far satisfactory, and goes to show that the success which has attended the working of the Control system abroad may well be expected to attend it in this country as soon as it is sufficiently well known to be appreciated by the manufacturers and vendors of good and genuine products, and by the general public, whose best interests it cannot but serve.