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br Acknowledgements This research work was made
Acknowledgements
This research work was made possible by grants from the Utah Brain Institute Pilot Program in Imaging Research (April 2009), the Obert C. and Grace A. Tanner Humanities Center – Sponsorship of Research Interest Group (2010), and The Catholic University of America Research Grant-in-Aid (March 2012). Our appreciation also goes to the study subjects who generously offered their time and patience to participate in this study.
Introduction
The roles and performances of housing design professionals, especially architects, in identifying the housing problems of a nation are of paramount concern (Olotuah and Ajenifujah, 2009). The assumption that the needs of residents are adequately addressed when the residential space dimensionally accommodates them would be untrue if the behavior of residents in this space is misunderstood. Therefore, ensuring that the needs of residents are met in the design of houses exerts positive effects on the level of satisfaction of residents. Housing is one of the most important basic needs of man, and house designers must ensure that users are satisfied with their houses as much as possible. Another reason that makes housing important is that man spends most of his life in his house.
Resident participation is a means of ensuring that housing environments suit the lifestyles of users to achieve residential satisfaction. Ensuring that users participate in house design is a major means of guaranteeing that the housing needs of users are met. Moreover, designing houses that suit the lifestyles of users leads to a high level of user satisfaction. However, Jiboye (2012) indicated that in developing countries, such as Nigeria, the majority of public and private residential projects are unsuccessful because the requirements of residents are not sufficiently considered or their residential needs are not met. The participation of residents in house design is not a norm in Nigeria but an exception; this condition usually results in low residential satisfaction.
Satisfaction with living conditions indicates that only a few or no complaint is received about housing units because the needs and aspirations of residents are fulfilled (Abdul-Ghani, 2008). Household satisfaction is an indication of the quality of life because it purchase EZ Cap Reagent GG (3\' OMe) means the aspirations and needs of residents are met (Waziri et al., 2013). It also refers to the level to which residents are satisfied with what their homes offer. A high level of residential satisfaction indicates that residents are highly satisfied with their houses. A high level of resident participation in house design generally leads to a high level of housing satisfaction. Conversely, a high level of housing dissatisfaction exerts an undesirable impact on the comfort of a family (Husna and Nurizan, 1987). Failed projects could result from unsatisfactory environments, and this scenario might lead to other problems, such as abandonment.
Several studies (Aduwo et al., 2013; Adegbehingbe, 2011; Adegbehingbe et al., 2010) have shown that when people are dissatisfied with their houses, channels abandon or modify them. Modification, especially when not approved by relevant authorities, results in slum conditions, which degenerate the environment. Involving people in the development of their living environments could reduce the occurrence of this phenomenon. Similar to all living organisms, people wish to choose their living environments; hence, they need to participate in the design of such environments. The attempt of users to modify an unsuitable living environment to suit them is a manifestation of low housing satisfaction. Low housing satisfaction can be reduced or prevented if houses are built around residents’ activity systems and lifestyles through resident participation.
The aim of this study is to analyze the nexus between the participation of residents in house design and the level of residential satisfaction in Akure, Nigeria. It investigated the aspects of design participation that significantly predict the level of residential satisfaction in this context. Emphasis was placed on private housing. To achieve its aim, this study identified the level of resident participation in house design, examined the level of residential satisfaction, and analyzed the relationship between the level of resident participation in house design and residential satisfaction in the study area. Previous studies (Onder and Der, 2007; Erinsel-Onder et al., 2010) showed how participation in general affects residential satisfaction. However, the present study showed how the participation of residents in several individual aspects of house design affects residential satisfaction in the Nigerian context.