QUALITY OF LIFE IN HOUSING

QUALITY OF LIFE IN HOUSING

It is very clear that housing plays an important role in providing quality of life to people. Housing is central to the everyday life of human beings, being the core of social, cultural, community and economic activity. MacCall (1975) stated the best way of approaching quality of life measurement is to measure the extent to which people’s `happiness requirements’ are met – i.e. those requirements which are a necessary (although not sufficient) condition of anyone’s happiness – those without which no member of the human race can be happy. 

How do we measure the extent to which people's "happiness requirements" are met? First, we must identify what are the happiness requirements of people. Since no two people are the same, there must be different requirements for different people. These requirements are very subjective. But we can zoom in or narrow down our focus on the context of our discussion. If we are to talk about housing, then what are the requirements of housing? The requirements that would be necessary to make the residents happy. What would be the most basic elements? For a town planner, the very core element would the adequate housing units. How adequate would a house be to make the person living inside it to be happy?

Then comes the basic utilities and infrastructure like water supply, provision of electricity, proper sanitation, adequate sewerage system and efficient garbage disposal. Other important elements would be the availability of public and social services such as the provision of schools at every level, the space for recreation, a place for public worship, a place for community meetings, a place for burial, medical services, public transportation and security measures. There are also other requirements that are equally important such as the availability of shopping outlets and job opportunities. We can therefore summarize that the happiness requirements for a resident would be those that would provide comfort, convenience, accessibility and safety for them.  

Just for discussion sake, what constitute happiness? Aristotle the Greek philosopher claimed that happiness as being the ultimate end of man. Happiness in all its degree is good and there is nothing more valuable than happiness. Happiness expresses itself in moral virtues (courage, temperance, liberality, magnanimity, love of honour, mildness, truthfulness, friendship and the higher of them all justice) and also manifests itself in intellectual virtues (Sharif 1963).  This ancient philosopher has stated that everything that is good will constitute happiness. And it goes without saying that everything bad will make people unhappy. Yet there many examples of very bad people that died without turning good. On the surface we see as if they are happy by killing people, torturing people, stealing and plundering. But we can hold to the philosophy of Aristotle because there many definitions given by many people regarding the positive effects of being good. 

From the viewpoint of Islam, happiness is the feeling that resides in the heart. It is characterized by peace of mind, tranquillity, a sense of well being, and a relaxed disposition. It comes as a result of proper behaviour, both inward and outward, and is inspired by strong faith (Science ISLAM).

The Dictionary of Human Geography (Johnston, 2000) defined quality of life as the state of social well being of individuals or groups, either as they perceive it or as identified by `observable indicators’.  What are `observable indicators'? Most quality of life studies concentrate on aspects of the human condition. Thereafter the term social well being is explained as the degree to which a population’s needs and wants are being met. This is one of the most important concepts of QOL where it constitutes the well being of the population. And in the context of this study, the need and wants must be in accordance with the need and wants of the residents in housing regardless for those living in a expensive housing or those living in low cost flats. 

A quality housing environment for people to live in gives pride and respect for their homes and neighbourhood. Unlike the poor quality housing environment with poor quality spaces, dirty streets, abandoned cars and incidents of anti-social behaviour give cause to stress and unhappiness amongst its residents. Those who are able to leave do, property prices fall, and new residents are reluctant to move in, and many of those who remain in the area feel trapped in a vicious circle. As frustration grows, misuse of facilities increases, speeding degeneration and fuelling low-level crime, graffiti, vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Concerns about relations between the housing conditions of people and its effects on their well-being has been recorded over several centuries by architects, medical practitioners, novelists and social reformers (Lawrence 2002). Today, following the results of many studies in a range of disciplines, the residential environment is known to be an important determinant of quality of life and well-being (Burridge 1993; Lawrence 2002; ODPM 2004; Smith 1989).

References:

Burridge, R. & D. Ormandy. Eds. 1993. Unhealthy housing: Research, remedies and reform. London: E & FN Spon.

Johnston R.J. et. al. 2000. The dictionary of human geography. Oxford: Blackwell.

Lawrence R. 2002. Healthy residential environments’. In: Bechtal R., Churchman A., eds. Handbook of Envronmental Psychology. New York: John Wiley.

MacCall, S. 1975. `Quality of Life’. Social Indicators Research 2.pp. 229-248.             http://www.gdrc.org/uem/qol-define.html   [14 October 2004]

ODPM - Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. 2004. The impact of overcrowding on health and education: A review of the evidence and literature. London:     ODPM.

Sharif, M.M. 1963. A history of Muslim Philosophy. Volume 1. Wiesbaden: Otto             Harrassowitz.

Smith, S. 1989. Housing and health: A review and research  agenda. Glasgow, Scotland: The centre for housing research. A discussion paper No. 27.