Post-occupancy Modification and the Effect on the Aesthetic Layout of Low-income Housing Estates in Owerri Metropolis
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: The housing units in the low-income housing estates in Owerri metropolis show significant modifications of the exterior and interior spaces as well as in the site and estate layouts. The nature of Post-Occupancy modification in four housing estates; Aladinma Housing Estate (AHE), Federal Housing Estate Egbeada (FHEE), Trans-Egbu Housing Estate (TEHE), World Bank Housing Estate (WBHE), which includes Addition of rooms, Alteration of site arrangement, Alteration of fence design, Alteration of roofing pattern. Addition of shop spaces, total modification and change of use were studied and the effect of these unauthorized and poorly planned modifications on the aesthetic layout of the study area were analyzed. One sample test of proportion was used to analyze the research hypothesis and the result showed that the post-occupancy Modification of these housing estates has significantly affected the aesthetic layout of the housing estates studied negatively. The following recommendations were made; the need for more pragmatic and proactive action by the development control of the study area in enforcing already existing building regulations of minimum setbacks and building coverage which most layouts flaunted. Future housing designs should be more flexible to accommodate some level of modifications that will be monitored for compliance by the development control.
Author: Miriam Ijeoma Chukwuma-Uchegbu
Institution: Federal University of Technology Owerri
Language: English
Subfield: Urban Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3034491567