Post-occupancy evaluation of user satisfaction: a case study of “old” and “new” public housing schemes in Bangkok

For more than 40 years public housing has been associated with Thailand's development policy for low- and middle-income people, implemented by the National Housing Authority. Two significant periods of housing development, old and new schemes in Bangkok, were investigated with regard to how residents perceive their building and environmental conditions. A total of 740 questionnaire responses from Klong Chan Flat (old project) and Buengkum Baan Eur Arthron (new project) were analysed to understand the residents’ satisfaction with existing conditions through post-occupancy evaluation. 30 variables associated with dwelling, building and community features, revealed that residents’ satisfaction of Buengkum Baan Eur Arthron was higher than that of the Klong Chan Flat Project. The results of this research provide unique information from which improvements in future housing projects could be made. This may enable relevant stakeholders, such as the National Housing Authority, to identify ways of improving the quality of life for residents and also the sustainability of new housing developments.