Residential Satisfaction in Low, Medium and High-Density Neighbourhoods: The Case of Eldoret Municipality, Kenya

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue IX, September 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Residential Satisfaction in Low, Medium and High-Density Neighbourhoods: The Case of Eldoret Municipality, Kenya

 Alima Tovesi Dennis , Kiplagat Andrew
Department of Environmental Planning and Management, University of EldoretP.O. Box 1125-30100, Eldoret, Kenya.

Abstract: Residential satisfaction, that is the feeling of contentment when an individual has or realizes what he or she desires in a house, has been fundamental in predicting individual’s perception of general quality of life, evaluating the success of housing developments by both the private and public sector, predicting potential residential mobility and determining inadequacies in residential neighbourhoods. This study sought to determine residential satisfaction in low, medium and high-density residential neighbourhoods of Eldoret Municipality. A mixed research design was used where a combination of both quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used to collect and analyse data. It was found out that residents in Eldoret municipality expressed a moderate level of residential satisfaction with a mean index of 77.5965%. However, satisfaction with dwelling unit component of residential environment was higher (82.4090%) compared to satisfaction with the neighbourhood component (74.158%).

Key words: Satisfaction, Residential Satisfaction, Residential Satisfaction Index.

I. INTRODUCTION

While an understanding of people’s satisfactory evaluation of a product or a service is believed to be vital in bringing forth improvements to better a product or service (Abidin et al., 2019), emphasis is hardly laid on the satisfaction of ‘to be occupants’ of housing projects. This is true especially in the developing nations where there’s little research on residential satisfaction in housing projects and development of housing policies (Aigbavboa&Thwala, 2018; Springer, 2000). This scarcity of information on residential satisfaction has often led to planners and policy-makers into making assumptions in housing development projects and policies that do not always coincide with those of the residents hence leading to challenges in the housing sector (Van Noppen, 2012). Housing development, specifically the process of ensuring accessibility, affordability, maintenance of existing residential neighbourhoods and related infrastructure in habitable conditions has been a major government agenda in developing nations (Aigbavboa & Thwala, 2018). Enshrined in policies and programmes, governments world over have made efforts to ensure that they meet the right to adequate housing as stipulated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Under Kenyan law, the right to accessible and adequate housing and reasonable standards of sanitation is guaranteed in section

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