Research Project - Low-Cost Housing Issues

Chapter 1: Introduction

Today, humans all around the world is widely agreed that the concept of housing is very important to everyone’s quality of life and health with considerable significance in economic, social, cultural and personal sections of life. As residential is the basic needs of every human being whose home is a shelter to provide comfort and comfort to its inhabitants. The residence is also adopted as a human right.

However, residential property market in Malaysia has experienced significant price expansion over the past fifteen years with prices, at several states, expanded in higher rates. As economic theory has explained, the price movement is inherent with the regional economics and the regional demographics such as income, cost of capital, stock prices, and population change. However, sudden price change could affect home ownership to some extent. Under any circumstances, the needs of housing as a basic necessity persist. This is the reason of the presence of low-cost housing. Despite the seeming progress that have been achieved in urban cities of developing countries included Malaysia on building practices, issues in different aspect of low-cost housing is still a challenge.

1.1  Aims & Objective

This paper is aimed at deeply analyzing these practices, like space planning, architectural design consideration, material usage, and found out what the issues faced by residents of low-cost housing in one of the urban cities with Malaysia as a study area. The issues will be classified into three aspects, which were practical, psychological & emotional, and community. For practical aspect will be discuss about building structure, building material, facilities provided, and space planning. Next, under psychological and emotional aspect will be focus on the feeling experience of the users in low-cost housing. Lastly, the community aspect will discuss about the community sharing space, which mean a space for low-cost housing users spend time with their neighbors.

1.2  Research Methodology

The method used to study about the issues is reading articles about issues of low-cost housing in Malaysia, doing survey and interview to the residents of low-cost housing. Other than that, will be study precedent studies of low-cost housing in good design from Malaysia and other countries. Also listing down the solution based on the issues which has been found. However, the solution will be considered about sustainable as energy efficient building also can provide a low-cost system.

1.3 Introduce of People’s Housing Program (PPR) in Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the developing country. Various efforts have been made to develop Malaysia as a developed country. Malaysia adopts staged planning where the Malaysian approach has been planned and the Poor People Development Program (PPR) has been implemented and implemented. PPR is one of the programs contained in the Seventh Malaysia Plan (1996-2000) to eradicate poverty.

Figure 1: People’s Housing Program (PPR) in Malaysia – The Malaysian Insight file pic, June 5, 2018

PPR (Program Perumahan Rakyat), also known as People’s Housing Program was built and provided by the government, it aims to help the poor and low-income subordinates that was unable to buy and rent their own homes. People’s Housing Program (PPR) was built under the two programs, which were PPR owned and PPR rent, it was using the design specification and design of low-cost housing set by the National Housing Standards for Low Cost Housing Flats (CIS3: 2005). PPR owned houses sold at a price level between RM30,000.00 and RM35,000.00 per unit in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak RM40,500.00. For rental rates PPR sale is RM124.00 per month. Features of PPR are as follows, type terraced house between 5 to 18 levels in the areas of big cities, landed properties in coastal and suburban, the capacity is with 700 sq. ft. For the construction are having two types, which were 3 Bedroom, 1 Living Room, 1 Living Kitchen, 2 Bathrooms in a lot, and 2 Bedroom, 1 Living Room, 1 Living Kitchen, 1 Bathroom in a lot. Facilities provided are, community council for the space people, prayer room, public food stall, retail space kindergarten, playground handicapped facilities, and also open space home trash.

[http://ehome.kpkt.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/133]

List of Public Housing Program in Malaysia

No	Project	No. unit
Amount	.	24,343
1	Kampung Batu Muda PPR , Kuala Lumpur	2,132
2	PPR Lembah Pantai , Kerinci , Kuala Lumpur	1,896
3	PPR KL Linear City 2 Phase 1 , Kuala Lumpur	1,264
4	PPR KL Linear City 2 Phase 2 , Kuala Lumpur	632
5	Kampung Seri Malaysia PPR , Kuala Lumpur	632
6	PPR Kampung Malaysia Permai , Kuala Lumpur	632
7	Sungai Bonus PPR , Water Jernih , Kuala Lumpur	316
8	PPR Kampung Baru Air Panas , Kuala Lumpur	1,896
9	PPR Bukit Jalil 1 , Kuala Lumpur	1,896
10	PPR KTM Taman Kampar , Perak	29
11	PPR Buntong , Perak	416
12	PPR Balung 2 , Tawau	500
13	PPR Telipok , Kota Kinabalu	2,174
14	PPR Telipok Ria , Kota Kinabalu	2,400
15	PPR Batu 5 , Kuching	816
16	PPR Tampoi , Johor	2,252
17	PPR Tebrau , Johor	2,000
18	PPR Sri Stulang , Johor	1,500
19	PPR Pasir Pelangi , Johor	960

 [https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_Perumahan_Rakyat]

Chapter 2: Issues of Low-Cost Housing

2.1 Exterior

 

Figure 2&3: Double park at low-cost housing estates (PPR Titiwangsa) and chairs occupy parking lot (PPR Taman Ikan Emas).

Lack of parking area in the low-cost housing area is known by everyone, this problem was happening to all the low-cost housing areas. PPR is a government flat built to meet housing needs for low-income people and to relocate squatter. The big problem faced by the People's Housing Project (PPR) in Kuala Lumpur today is due to weak planning, said Federal Territorial Deputy Chairman Dr Hatta Ramli. According to Dr Hatta, the major problem faced by most PPRs in Kuala Lumpur, especially in Titiwangsa is a very limited parking space. As the figure shown above, residents are double park or even triple park at low-cost housing area. Other than that, residents also using chairs to occupy a parking lot for themselves while they are going out for working. 

Figure 4&5: Showing the plants at ground floor exterior area (PPR Taman Ikan Emas) and plants at corridor of fifth floor corridor (PPR Taman Ikan Emas).

Same as the clothes drying area, for the ground floor residents, they don’t really have the problem of planting area, but to the residents who stay on first floor or above, they are facing lack of planting area. Residents who stay on first floor and above can’t fulfill their wish to have some greenery plants around their house area, they only can plant at the corridor, but this will become part of the blocking corridor walkway object.

Figure 6&7: Playground facilities been used to hanging clothes (PPR Taman Ikan Emas) and muddy puddles field (PPR Taman Ikan Emas).

Playground area lack of maintenance. The playground area has been used to hanging clothes, and the field have become muddy puddles it causes the children has no place to have fun. This was affecting a children’s childhood memory.

Figure 8&9: Staff storage at corridor corner (PPR Taman Ikan Emas) and staircase area (PPR Taman Ikan Emas).

Ventilation system in public space can be improve as it will affect residents’ health if the ventilation not enough. The reason of this problem happening is lacking consideration of ventilation flow design and because of lack of storage, residents store their things at the corridor, it makes the public walking space narrow and small.

Figure 10&11: Missing of drainage cover (PPR Taman Ikan Emas) and survey rates about safety issue (PPR Taman Ikan Emas).

Drainage cover been stolen. Crimes and disorder cases is frequent happened in the PPR area, it caused residents afraid to going out of their house. The survey rates for safety problem is more to dissatisfied as it is depending on the low-cost housing stated location. Safety problem in psychological & emotional aspect is showing the feeling of worry safety problem happen to the residents.

Figure 12: Leaking water tank.(PPR Bandar Tun Razak)

Figure 13: Unmanaged garbage problems.

Garbage management problem and recycle area management problem. To date, over 600,000 people live in PPR houses and low-cost houses in Selangor. Among the problems faced by PPR and low-cost houses are the leaking roofs, damaged lifts, blockage pipes and unmanaged garbage problems. These management problems should be take as a priority changes in PPR area, as it will affect the user’s health.

Figure 14&15: Color of PPR building (PPR Taman Ikan Emas).

Residents who rated for dissatisfied to the overall building ambiance comment that the existing color is too strong for them. Almost 80% of residents rated that they are more prefer to the warm color palette, to feel more comfortable in their psychology and emotional aspect.

Figure 16&17: Survey response show the frequentcy of residents meet their neighbour and public food stall (PPR Taman Ikan Emas).

More than 40% of residents are meeting with their neighbor in everyday. The location for them to spend time with each other except the public food stall is downstairs of PPR. They do not have a proper place for them to sit down and relax talk and sharing things with each other.

2.2 Interior

Figure 18: Survey response show the unable climb stairs percentage.

Over 40% residents who stayed in low-cost housing are old aged, the old aged who stayed above first floor were rarely or try to avoid going to downstairs. As the reason of they are difficult to climb stairs. The low-cost housing architecture design should consider that some of them might unable to climb stairs. This is an important issue as the old aged avoid to step out their house just because of unable climb stairs will affect them have psychology issue, such as break down communication with social, and they can’t go out meet their friends so they have no one to talk, to release their stress or problems met in life.

Figure 19&20: Survey response show the percentage of residents who wish to have a small business in their house and one of the residents having a small business in house (Taman Ikan Emas).

More than 50% residents have a mind to have some small business in their house, so they can make it as part-time to increase their income. Some of them also can serve the small business with their hobby, so they can do something their like and express their emotional.

Figure 21: Toilet facilities (Taman Ikan Emas).

Residents who rated dissatisfied to toilet facilities mentioned other than not enough space, water dripping also the problem they faced. 

Figure 22&23: Kitchen facilities in different house but having a same problem (Taman Ikan Emas).

None of the residents are rate satisfied to the kitchen area as they are really lacking space in the kitchen area, comment from residents is the limited kitchen space is even worse than limited toilet space.

Figure 24&25: Rate of satisfaction of dining area and dining area at corridor (Taman Ikan Emas).

Most of the residents are not satisfied with the dining area, as they don’t have any dining space in their house. Most of the residents just having their meal at living room area or the corridor of house. This is not a healthy way to them, as some of them who dine at the corridor have to carry others people using a weird vision to look at them, this will affect their emotional.

Figure 26&27: Using high cabinet for storage usage but blocked the windows area (Taman Ikan Emas).

Part of the residents not really satisfied to the interior ventilation is because of they place a high cabinet to block the windows as not enough storage.

Figure 28: Clothes dry area at first floor and above (Taman Ikan Emas).

For the ground floor residents, they don’t really have the problem of clothes drying area, but to the residents who stay on first floor or above, they are facing lack of clothes drying area problem. They only can hang their clothes at the corridor balusters but the chance of clothes losing is very big, as the clothes will fly over if the winds come.

Interior human flow problem mostly faced by residents who are staying with more than 3 people in a house.

To residents who stay with more than 2 people in a house, individual privacy is a problem as the low-cost housing has only had 2-3 small space rooms. Residents do not have an individual space to do their own things. They can’t release their stress in their own space. Or even talking a phone, the content also can be heard by the others member in a same house.

Figure 29: Children have no space to study and have fun in PPR houses.

A Unicef survey finds that Eight out of 10 children or 81% studied in their living rooms, while 15% had no place to study. This showing in low-cost flats have no conducive space to do homework or study. A study of urban child poverty and deprivation in low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur. Children living in low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur lack of conductive place to do their homework and often face distractions while trying to study, a Unicef study found.

 [https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/39940]

Children live in a place without study or having fun space is a serious issue. As it will cause the study effective decrease and will affect their future. Other than that, they do not have a good childhood memory, their childhood memory will be playing at the corridor, and maybe because too excited and scold by the neighbor.

Figure 30: Hobby in house – feed a pet (PPR Taman Ikan Emas).

For the residents who have a hobby with planting or pets, they are facing the problem with leaving a space for it, but for some of them they just plant it on the corridor walkway. Moreover, it actually having a hygiene problem if the way of having plant or pet in house is not correct.