Evaluating the level of physical transformation of houses in gated communities in Ghana

Abstract

The upsurge of real estate housing within Accra has resulted in all manner of gated communities springing up across the city scape. These seek to provide housing services to the desperate urban dweller. The quality of their services has however been brought to question due to lack of a proper regulatory body to oversee their work. Recent studies indicate the emergence of physical transformations. This research sought to investigate the conditions and reasons underlying these housing transformations. A case study approach, with a mix of both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted in determining the conditions of the houses. The relative important index was also used in ranking the various factors that led to these physical transformations. The study revealed that 41% of the houses have undergone transformations with external works, fenetrations, and mechanical and engineering services being most parts affected. Major reasons given for transformation were poor ventilation and lighting. The study recommends amongst others that the government should institute a special regulatory body backed by law with regular assessment from the occupants in order to check the performance of real estate developers.

Housing Transformation Process in Government Provided Rehabilitation Project: A Study of Bhandarpara Ashrayan Prokolpo

“…Most of the literature on the physical transformation of housing from the global south shows that the targeted people are not consulted about their housing preferences and their socio-physical livability during prerehabilitation stages (Aduwo & Ibem, 2017;Carrasco et al, 2016;Danquah et al, 2015). Policymakers in rehabilitation process, often neglect the socio-spatial aspects, which results in the destruction of the organic spatial texture of rural settlements and hinders the inheritance of the traditional rural spatial form.…”

“…These users initiated transformation in government rehabilitation program are very common in global south. These transformations are a result of a number of factors, including environmental factors like local climate, socio-cultural factors like local lifestyle, economic factors like income generation, and demographic factors like density (Abed et al, 2022;Al-Naim & Mahmud, 2007;Carrasco et al, 2016;Danquah et al, 2015;Mahmud, 2013;Tipple & Ameen, 1999).…”

Towards Long-Term Sustainable Performance of Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction: Second Life for Temporary Housing

“…The short-term effects of disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction are getting more attention, which includes providing temporary housing, assisting in rebuilding the original house and permanent relocation to special schemes designed for reconstruction (Rahmayati, 2016). Previous studies signify the failures of many reconstruction projects done by the government and other donor funding agencies without the consideration of the requirements of the relocatees (Danquah et al, 2015;Rahmayati, 2016). Post-disaster relocation may have negative impacts on the livelihood of the survivors including, disruptions to daily habits, interruptions to socio-cultural networks, and conflicts with host communities in the relocated area (Wijegunarathna et al, 2018).…”

“…The physical transformation refers to a change in the physical appearance of a house from its original appearance after occupation. This phenomenon is a typical manifestation of the privatisation of public housing (Danquah et al, 2015). The human agent is at the heart of the system, with varying functional demands that are the subject of various design strategies.…”