Brent New Housing Survey 2008

2

Introductions

• James Cialdea– Computer Science, Upton MA

• Douglas Heath– Civil Engineering, Andover MA

• Ryan Lawrence– Mechanical Engineering and Business,

Somerset MA

• Anthony Richardson– Civil Engineering, Haverhill MA

3

Massachusetts WPIJames

Anthony

Doug

Ryan

4

Why We Are Here

• We are here completing our Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) requirement– Part of the requirement for graduation from

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)– Gives us valuable experience working in a

professional environment

5

Outline

• Objectives

• Methods

• Findings

• Recommendations

• Acknowledgments

6

Objectives

• Research characteristics of new housing developments– Homes created within the last five years

• Specific goals were to obtain information regarding:– Household size– Overcrowding– Resident Satisfaction

7

Summary of Methods

• Postal questionnaire was distributed to all residents living in new homes– 17.3% response rate

• A cash prize draw and reminder letters were used to increase response

• Database created for quick and easy data entry

8

Postal Questionnaire

• Question Design– Easy to understand– Two page limit

• Cover Letter Design

• Address List– Over 97% of homes created in last 5 years

• Initial Mailing – March 18, 19, 20

• Reminder Letter Mailing – April 4

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Database Design

• Used Microsoft Access

• 4 main tables for storing data

• Response entry form designed for speed

• Queries for different types of analysis

Responses Versus TimeR

esp

on

ses

per

Day

Time 10

4 April 8 April

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Response• 4661 mailed• 98 bad addresses

•4563 recipients•17.27% response

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Summary of Findings

• Average household size is 2.48– Affordable housing has a larger average household

size

• Recent migrants from outside UK have higher average household size

• Overcrowding has increased in new housing– Having more children increases overcrowding

• Residents are satisfied with their homes– Providing a garden or balcony improves

satisfaction

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Average Household Size by Ownership

2.141.99

2.562.76

2.48

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

Own SharedOwnership

PrivateRental

SocialRental

All

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Household Size of Recent Migrants

Number of Responses

Avg Household Size

UK Residents of 5+ years 612 2.55Migrants within last 5 years 46 3.04

• Residents who moved to the UK within the past five years have larger household sizes– 87% confidence

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Definition of Overcrowding

• Having more persons in a household than livable rooms– Livable rooms include large kitchens, dining rooms,

living rooms or, lounges– Livable rooms do not include bathrooms or rooms

used for storage space

• Having more persons in a household than bedrooms

• We chose the first definition in our project

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Overcrowding in 2001 and 2008

69%

91%

27%

5% 4% 4%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Less than 1 1 to 1.5 1.5 or More

2008 Survey Data

2001 Brent CensusData

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Overcrowding by Ownership Type

14.08%

2.11%

22.12%

1.92%

26.63%

5.03%

31.25%

5.47%

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

Owned SharedOwnership

SocialRental

PrivateRental

Overcrowded Severely

16.19%

24.04%

31.66%

36.72%

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0.60

0.82

1.05

1.31

1.50

1.78

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00

0 1 2 3 4 5 or moreNumber of Children

Av

era

ge

Per

son

s P

er

Ro

om

Overcrowding with Children

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Satisfaction with Number of Rooms

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Amenity Space Satisfaction

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Extra Amenity Space Satisfaction

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Summary of Recommendations

• Provide more amenity space in future developments

• Increase the size of homes in new developments

• Conduct further research in the areas of:– Overcrowding– Migrant household trends

• Surveying recommendations:– Ensure adequate time– Use reminder letters– Use cash incentives

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Provide More Amenity Space in New Housing

• Our data show that having a garden increases resident satisfaction– Whether garden is private or communal

does not matter

• Providing a balcony or patio also improves satisfaction– Could be used in areas with limited space

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New Homes Need to Be Larger

• 27% of newly developed homes are overcrowded

• Many overcrowded homes have children in them– We support LDF suggestion of changing the

definition of family sized housing from two or more bedrooms to three or more

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Investigate the Effects of Overcrowding

• Satisfaction is not decreased in overcrowded homes

• Investigate other possible negative consequences of overcrowding– Spread of disease and negative effects on

education

• Look into standardizing the definition of overcrowding

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Investigate Migrant Household Trends

• Our data show with 87% confidence that recent migrants have larger household sizes

• Investigate:– Why?– Characteristics of housing developments

migrants move to– Causes for migration

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Surveying Recommendations

• Ensure adequate time is available– Time constraints limited what we could do

• Short questionnaire– Residents are more likely to fill out a

questionnaire if it will not take long

• Use reminder letters– Response rate increased after reminder

letter was mailed

• Use cash incentives

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Acknowledgements• Michael Maguire• Ken Hullock• Amy Tyler-Jones• Ben Martin• Business Administration office• Alisdair Maclean• Post Room• Our WPI advisors• Everyone else for your hospitality and support

Questions?