Effects of dwelling floor level on factors related to reidential satisfaction and home environment in high-rise apartment buildings /
The wider context for this study is the premise that high-
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1997.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=736796291&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | The wider context for this study is the premise that high- rise apartment living has negatively contributed to a variety of problems related to the physical conditions of existing apartment buildings. Critics of high-rise housing attack the very concept of apartment living. Regarding high-rise living environments, building height is an important physical dimension of a resident's perception. The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to residential satisfaction and home environment, and to examine the effects of dwelling floor level on these factors and personal characteristics. The review of literature and factor analysis identified six important environmental factors: physical quality of dwelling unit, safety/security, social interaction, self-expression/place-identity, physical qualities of neighborhood environment, and management/maintenance. Seven hundred and fifty subjects were randomly selected from eight high-rise apartment communities in major U.S. cities. Three hundred and ninety- six residents responded to the mail survey. The average respondent was an unmarried, over 40, female, employed, Caucasian with at least one college degree. This group had typically lived in their current high-rise for 6 to 9 years and had an annual income, ranging from $40,000 to $59,999. Contrary to general assumptions about high-rise apartment buildings being inappropriate housing alternatives, these groups of residents reported a high degree of satisfaction with their high-rise residences. An examination of dwelling floor effects on the six factors indicated that the physical qualities of the dwelling unit was the only significant relationship. It was also found that no personal characteristics except gender and type of tenure were significantly related to the dwelling floor level for this specific group. Multiple-regression analysis found that both physical quality of dwelling unit and management/maintenance were important predictors of residential satisfaction and home environment on all floors. Although this study investigated the effects of dwelling floor level on factors explored, only a small portion of these relationships were significant. "Living on a different floor" in high-rise apartment buildings does not contribute significantly to the problems associated with high-rise living. Therefore, blank condemnation of high-rise dwellings that does not consider specific contexts should be questioned. When the buildings were well-designed and well-maintained, these particular residents showed a high degree of satisfaction at all floor levels. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Architecture". |
| Physical Description: | xiv, 224 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 167-177. |