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Housing interventions, perceptions, and the quality of the built environment
Multi-sensory design – creating healthier public spaces
Wouter Poortinga, Cardiff University
@wouterpoortinga
• Place Attachment
– core research area of environmental psychology, including related concepts such as ‘sense of place’ and ‘place identity’
– how individuals develop emotional bonds with physical surroundings (Low & Altman 1992; Manzo & Devine-Wright 2014)
• Public Health – place matters for wellbeing – neighbourhood quality linked to better wellbeing, including
green spaces (Maas et al 2006) and CPTED (Cozens 2008)
• Built Environment Studies – what constitutes a good quality built environment? – how is environment perceived?
Background
• Place Attachment (PA) Research
– “A dynamic field of research that has developed over the years with a wide variety of definitions and theoretical frameworks, as well as empirical studies on the origins, development and consequences of…“ (Lewicka 2013)
– Elements that are good for health and wellbeing are also beneficial for place attachment (e.g. green spaces, defensible space)
– Place attachment acts as mediator, moderator or covariate in link between built environment and wellbeing
– Neighbourhood perceptions central to attachment
Place attachment
• CHS = Welsh Housing Quality Standard +
– investment programme of £138m in Carmarthenshire, housing improvements of 8,558 homes (2007-2015)
– extensive tenant consultation about delivery and content of improvements
• Intervention work elements: ü internal works (kitchens, bathrooms, heating system ü upgrades, electrical system upgrades); ü windows and doors (double glazing, locks etc); ü thermal insulation (walls and loft insulation); ü gardens and estates (fencing, paths)
Carmarthenshire Homes Standard (CHS)
Housing improvement programmes don’t only improve homes…
…they also have the potential to change the outlook of neighbourhoods, and act as a catalyst for wider neighbourhood
regeneration
Jones et al. (2016)
Carmarthenshire Homes Standard
Carmarthenshire Homes Standard
Revised Residential Environment Assessment Tool
REAT 2.0 ─ tool to measure of quality of
neighbourhood environment ─ mainly as a public health tool
(Dunstan et al 2005/2013) ─ poor quality NBH associated
with poor health
Dimensions ─ street-level & property level
x ─ neighbourhood condition ─ natural surveillance ─ natural elements
Street level Property level Condition (SL) Condition (PL)
Surveillance (SL) Surveillance (PL) Greenery (SL) Greenery (PL)
• The Carmarthenshire Homes Standard NBHQ Study
– part of major regeneration programme in Carmarthenshire
– 282 Postcodes assessed using REAT2.0
– Wave 1: 30 May - 8 August 2012 – Wave 2: 25 June - 6 August 2014
• The Neighbourhood Perception Study
– Postal survey sent to addresses in 279 postcodes (n=7,452)
– Response rate 14% (n=1,054; from 243 Postcodes)
– 1 August – 30 September 2014
The Research
Housing intervention & neighbourhood quality
Neighbourhood quality, perceptions & attachment
cf. Preacher & Hayes (2008)
• REAT2.0 is a reliable, easy-to-use instrument to assess quality of the built environment
• Housing intervention programme changes the outlook of neighbourhood
• Certain features associated with neighbourhood attachment (natural elements and house maintenance)
• Associations mediated by residents’ perceptions
• Social features of neighbourhood more important for attachment and wellbeing than physical features
Conclusions
Reserve slides
• Residential Environment Assessment Tool (REAT) – Developed at Cardiff University in 2001, as part of the
“Housing and Neighbourhood and Health” project
– Provide measure of quality of neighbourhood environment
– Mainly used as a public health tool (Dunstan et al 2005, 2013)
– Poor quality NBH associated with poor health, after adjustment for neighbourhood deprivation
à But not all items reliable; lengthy (20-30 minutes per
Postcode); some items complex/ambiguous/non-intuitive
à Modularise the instrument to increase its versatility
The (original) REAT
Structure and Content of REAT2.0
Weather
Weather
Neighbourhood perceptions & wellbeing
Perceived physical features
Neighbourhood perceptions & wellbeing
Perceived social features
