Measuring the Residential Satisfaction as a Guide for Planning and Design Process in Housing Projects (Case Study of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia)

This study sought to enhance the planning process of housing projects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by measuring residential satisfaction. To achieve this goal, the study conducted a survey of 3,568 household heads in four public housing projects and analyzed 342 responses using descriptive statistics. The survey consisted of forty-three indicators across six dimensions: residents' demographics, housing, social environment, physical environment, accessibility to services, and efficiency of services. The results of the survey revealed that while 49.6% of the residents were satisfied with their social relationships with neighbors, friends, and family, 59.4% of respondents were unsatisfied with the sense of safety and security within the projects, 78.7% were dissatisfied with housing project management, 68.8% with the physical environment, and 76.9% with access to public facilities such as mosques, schools, health and commercial centers, workplaces, relatives' homes, and the efficiency of housing project services was dissatisfied rated at 77.5%. Overall, the majority of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the housing projects as a place to live. To address these findings, the study developed a conceptual framework and approach based on residents' satisfaction as a means of improving the planning and design of housing projects in Saudi Arabia. The study also reviewed best practices for planning housing projects worldwide to inform the conceptual framework and approach. These findings and suggestions can inform future efforts to improve the residential satisfaction of housing projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.