Value systems and housing design : an examination of the correlation between layout design and "sense of community"

Abstract

Architecture is an art, which gives appropriate solutions for user needs and it makes or rearrange the natural environment to comfortable living space. In other words it dwells the user in an artificial environment in which the user will have to live behave and act. Therefore eventually the built environment will be impact on the user and therefore, the identification of user needs and values are very essential, in order to produce good Architecture. Shelter is a basic need for human being and most Architects are getting involved in giving solutions for that particular problem. Interrelationship between the house and the human being may be the strongest one, compare to the other relationships. Because people spend their most part of their life within the house, and this interrelationship between built environment and user will be more complex when it goes from house to housing schemes. But it is seems to be that Architects see the architecture of housing in terms of material values rather tan human and social values. These human values are the needs of a society, which enhance the quality of life, and preserve the stability of the society. However "sense of community" is such an important value, which acts as a key binder of the society. Therefore community space in a residential neighborhood is the most vital ingredient contributing to strengthen the sense of community. In creation of community spaces housing layout designs have a major role to play. But it has been difficult due to various external forces, which shapes the built environment such as generators of architecture. These generates contribute to the vast variation of layout designs in housing. The communal life in modem society is very complicated. Hence, for an individual, life is an ongoing process between public and private spheres, which is always shaped by alienating forces. It is a challenge to achieve a stable community within such a complex situation. Due to the diversity of features in housing layout designs and complexity of user values and their complex relationship to the housing layout design, it is much more important to study the relationship between the features of layout