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Low-Carbon Affordable Houses for Sustainable Societies

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 15556

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan
Interests: passive cooling techniques; natural ventilation; adaptive behavior; indoor thermal comfort; indoor air quality and urban heat islands
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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge, 1-5 Scroope Terrace, Cambridge, UK
Interests: built-environment modelling; urban spatial analysis and data science; urban form and climate science; computational social science; slum rehabilitation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, the majority of countries and cities with rapid population growth rates are located in hot regions such as Asia and Africa. In these developing countries, housing backlog is often the most urgent issue and, thus, affordable houses are in high demanded. On the other hand, when considering the Paris Agreement, all signatory parties—including developing countries—are now required to declare their “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) and to put their best efforts toward combating climate change for a sustainable low-carbon future. The developing countries are thus required to achieve both “affordability” and “low carbon” at the same time as part of their housing provisions. This Special Issue will focus on themes that deal with innovative methods for achieving comfortable conditions, ranging from indoor thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor environment quality under poverty. Mitigating the limitations of resource constraints in the upcoming houses of the Global South is a challenge that requires innovations in building science.

Dr. Tetsu Kubota
Dr. Ronita Bardhan
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • low-carbon houses
  • affordable housing
  • energy efficiency
  • sustainable houses
  • developing countries
  • passive design

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 4432 KiB  
Article
Energy Justice in Slum Rehabilitation Housing: An Empirical Exploration of Built Environment Effects on Socio-Cultural Energy Demand
by Ramit Debnath, Gianna Monteiro Farias Simoes, Ronita Bardhan, Solange Maria Leder, Roberto Lamberts and Minna Sunikka-Blank
Sustainability 2020, 12(7), 3027; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12073027 - 9 Apr 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 6184
Abstract
The interaction of energy and buildings institutes a complex socio-technical system that influences the eudemonic well-being of the occupants. Understanding these drivers become even more necessary in impoverished areas where occupants struggle to avail essential energy services. The literature indicates that energy injustice [...] Read more.
The interaction of energy and buildings institutes a complex socio-technical system that influences the eudemonic well-being of the occupants. Understanding these drivers become even more necessary in impoverished areas where occupants struggle to avail essential energy services. The literature indicates that energy injustice can be addressed through provisioning of comfort, cleanliness, and convenience (3Cs) as critical cultural energy services in low-income areas. This study investigates the socio-architectural influence for slum rehabilitation housing (SRH) on cultural energy services that can promote distributive justice. The methodology adopts an empirical route using data from 200 household surveys from SRH in Mumbai, India, and João Pessoa, Brazil. A model between the 3Cs and socio-architectural elements was established using Firth’s binary logistic regression. The survey results showed that the SRH in Brazil had twice the appliance ownership as compared to the Mumbai SRH. There were distinct energy service preferences in the study areas, despite common poverty burdens. The empirical results showed that the lack of socio-architectural design elements like open spaces, privacy, and walkability in the study areas demanded specific comfort and convenience appliances as a counter-response. A critical policy implication drawn was on the need for socio-architectural inclusive energy planning for distributive justice in poverty. Mitigating rising energy demand through appropriate built environment design of slum rehabilitation housing can contribute to fulfilling the UN’s SDG 7 (clean and affordable energy) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities) goals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon Affordable Houses for Sustainable Societies)
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22 pages, 3836 KiB  
Article
Factors Affecting Residential Satisfaction in Slum Rehabilitation Housing in Mumbai
by Bangkim Kshetrimayum, Ronita Bardhan and Tetsu Kubota
Sustainability 2020, 12(6), 2344; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062344 - 17 Mar 2020
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 8551
Abstract
Affordable housing for the low-income population, who mostly live in slums, is an endemic challenge for cities in developing countries. As a remedy for the slum-free city, most of the major metropolis are resorting to slum rehabilitation housing. Rehabilitation connotes the improved quality [...] Read more.
Affordable housing for the low-income population, who mostly live in slums, is an endemic challenge for cities in developing countries. As a remedy for the slum-free city, most of the major metropolis are resorting to slum rehabilitation housing. Rehabilitation connotes the improved quality of life that provides contentment, yet what entails residential satisfaction in such low-income situations remains a blind spot in literature. The study aims to examine the factors affecting residential satisfaction of slum rehabilitation housing in Mumbai, India. Here, the moderation effects of sociodemographic characteristics between residential satisfaction and its predictors are elaborated using a causal model. Data on residents’ perception of the residential environment were collected from 981 households in three different slum rehabilitation housing areas spatially spread across Mumbai. The causal model indicated that residential satisfaction was significantly determined by internal conditions of dwelling resulting from design, community environment and access to facilities. Gender, age, mother tongue, presence of children, senior citizens in the family, and education moderate the relationship between residential satisfaction and its predictors. The need for design and planning with the user’s perspective is highlighted to improve the quality of life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon Affordable Houses for Sustainable Societies)
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