Means-End Chain Model Framework for Measuring Housing Environment Choice Behavior

Housing and housing space has been a place for personal development, recreation and self accentuation. The need for housing and housing space quality can therefore not be overemphasized. The need for housing remains a constant index for all societies through the ages. Housing is a complex and heterogeneous product in its setting, the cognitive structures of housing users for housing attributes is also complex as well as their choice behaviors. Means-End Chain （MEC） model has been found to be very effective and potent in measuring these complexities. This conceptual paper explores from literature the MEC model and attempts to propagate its use as a research model for housing research, environment-behavior studies and person-environment congruence. It also presents the methodology employed by MEC for data collection and data management. It will suggest an extension to the traditional methodology that MEC utilizes. The possibility of extending the previous methods and their applicability in design process is herein presented; and to make a case for the usability of MEC model as a research tool for housing researchers. In dealing with user preference of housing, there is a need for research for a development of a technological tool for the identification of user needs and preference, and the kind of decision support that are required to identify these needs.

Urban Redevelopment, Gentrification and Gentrifiers in Post-reform Inland China: A Case Study of Chengdu, China

Since its process evolved in recent years, the definition of gentrification has expanded to cover different forms of social upgrading, new spaces and new actors around the world. Studies on gentrification in Chinese cities began to take off in the 2000 s. However, they all mainly focused on the newly emerging global cities and there has been a lack of investigation on provincial cities. Furthermore, discussions on gentrifiers′ profiles and their motivations for housing choice are absent from literature on Chinese gentrification. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the relevance of the broad definition of gentrification in provincial Chinese cities through empirical research on urban redevelopment projects in Chengdu, and to examine the characteristics of gentrifiers(as new incoming residents) in it. The results show the rationality of gentrification processes as urban redevelopment in Chengdu, and reveal original outcomes on the corresponding gentrifiers′ profiles and the motivations behind their housing choice, which are different from the general features of gentrifiers in standard Western gentrification research.

Artificiality and Naturalness:Semi-underground Houses and Their Role in the Construction of a Sustainable Urban Landscape

The contemporary interest,on one hand for a renewed relationship between city and natural landscape,on the other for settlement typologies intrinsically efficient from an energy standpoint took back the attention on the design of the dug city,or rather,almost completely excavated.This is an emblematic model of the requirement that deals with the factors of its environment,like sun,wind,ground,shadow and flora,forcing some designers to migrate from usual design methodologies,indifferent to these design parameters,and they are careful only to the“laws of form”,in search of criteria and fine calculation tools to optimize the configuration and the structure of buildings,in order to ensure that they can be managed as“passively”as possible.What it means,with the minimum contribution of plants to ensure the best satisfaction of comfort and psychological needs of users:not only lighting,sunbathing,ventilation,thermal comfort in summer and winter,acoustic comfort,but also view characteristics,quality of lighting and sociological aspects.In general dialectic between artifice and nature,the theme of dug architecture today is faced not only as one of the most interesting and rich suggestions,but also as one of those,in which the reflection on objectives,methodologies and tools is longer necessary,to the identification of a new way of urban living and effective solutions against energy consumption.

中国城镇居民住房产权与类型选择

The rapid growth in the number of urban migrants in China has brought about a lack of housing for migrants.The housing preferences and factors influencing those for urban migrants in China are examined using data from the China Migrant Dynamic Survey(CMDS)conducted in 2017.This study demonstrates that urban migrants in China typically rent their homes and that factors such as household life cycle,education,hukou type,occupation,range and duration of movement,and social integration have a major impact on these decisions.Large households,high levels of education,accompanying family migration,marriage,non-agricultural hukou,employment in state-owned enterprises,and high levels of societal integration with local society all increase the likelihood that migrants will purchase houses.Migration-related housing decisions are significantly influenced by regional disparities in economic growth.Because housing is more expensive in the economically developed eastern areas than in the central and western regions,migrants there are less likely to be able to buy a home.To preserve the rights of migrants,local governments should progressively change their housing policies,and housing developers should pay closer attention to the trends and preferences of migrants in terms of housing choice.