RESIDENTIAL SATISFACTION ASSESSMENT IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HOUSING SCHEMES: EXPERIENCE FROM COLOMBO SUBURBS

Abstract

Housing is not just one of the most basic human needs, but it also serves as an indicator of the population's living standards. The satisfactory housing with adequate facilities meets the quality standards, users’ expectations and aspirations. When the government built public houses eventually the private sector also tends to build their own housing schemes to reside people. However, there is an issue regarding the satisfactory housing indicates the residents’ quality of living with residential satisfaction. Therefore, the study evaluated the residential satisfaction that means from meeting a need or goal in public housing scheme and private housing scheme in Colombo Municipal Council limits, Sri Lanka. The study measures the residential satisfaction through three indicators which were; dwelling unit feature and quality, housing supportive services and neighborhood environment. Convenient sampling adopted to select 100 households to conduct the questionnaire survey in both housing schemes. SmartPLS was used to get the quantitative findings of the study. In private housing schemes, residents are more satisfied with dwelling unit features and the housing supportive services are significantly influenced for the residential satisfaction. In public housing scheme, the residents are satisfied on neighborhood environment which makes the positive influence for the residential satisfaction. Therefore, as per the findings, it adds value to the field of research in the residential setting. In addition, this research is essential to guide the improvement of residents’ satisfaction in future housing development projects in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Residential Satisfaction, Dwelling Unit Feature Quality, Housing Support Services, Neighborhood Environment, Public and Private Housing