Sustainable development is a widely used term, which has been discussed thoroughly at environmental, economic and social levels. While prior researches were dominated initially by environmental issues and economic aspects, social dimension had less chance of study. Therefore, the goal of this study is to understand the physical and non-physical aspects of social sustainability and to assess its application in housing developments. In this research, a mixed method approach was used to assess social sustainability in different typologies of housing development. Two residential compounds and its surroundings were investigated. Morphological analysis for the research setting was conducted along with statistical analysis for the collected data from households. As a result, there was a salient difference between compound and its surroundings. This can be seen clearly in the case of serious trial to improve social sustainability represented by providing vital open spaces associated with a well-designed facility. This helps to create various forms of social interaction and boosts a sense of belonging which will affect positively on social sustainability. Meanwhile, poor design creates negative energy due to the absence of social sustainability parameters. So, there is a need to consider the role of social infrastructure in designing and planning residential development.
PurposeThe fundamental lifestyle changes, economic concerns, property price increase and construction cost can explain the transformation of traditional housing layouts to massive indoor planes by prioritizing indoor over outdoor spaces. That is, overlooking the effect of outdoor spaces, on life quality, to compensate for indoor spaces expansion. As a result, this study highlighted outdoor spaces and their impact on psychological wellbeing, especially through the enforcement of quarantine conditions and social distance.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve that, a spatial analysis for (70) apartments, in Amman, was undertaken to understand outdoor space in terms of spatial configuration, size, adjacent spaces and usage. An assessment for outdoor space based on both users' and professionals' perspectives to discuss the current situation condition in terms of physical layout, activities, area, spaces' treatment and associated incentives. (125) responses were collected from the head of household living in an apartment through using a structured questionnaire. In addition, feedback in terms of dynamics home components, home buyers' market trends and local regulations were collected from (22) professionals.FindingsStudy results have shown that apartments' buildings in Amman are deficient, quantitatively and qualitatively, in both apartments with outdoor spaces in general and units on typical floors without outdoor space in specific. While, quantitative deficiency is associated with the poor layout in terms of area, functionality and variety. Qualitative is related to the absence of nature inspiration that incorporates five senses. As a result, this underlines the need for formulation design guidelines and strategies considering psychological wellbeing to improve outdoor spaces as a hub for activities.Originality/valueHighlight the value of introducing post-pandemic multi-family housing that could lead to changes in building codes and design strategies to enhance psychological wellbeing of residents.
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