ZEMCH 2019 International Conference Proceedings April.2020 | Page 448
3.2 Post occupancy processes
The post‐occupancy processes identified in this research were divided into two categories: social
assistance and renovation processes.
In relation to social assistance, what is guaranteed in these neighbourhoods is the social work
which must be done as part of the financing process. This is usually done by social workers and starts
a few weeks before the families move into the new neighbourhood. It consists of meeting with the
families to prepare them for the new challenges of formal living and assist in creating a community
association. They also gather information to decide on which workshops will be offered. Once the
families move in the social workers hold regular meetings in the community and organize the
workshops. These workshops are aimed at providing the inhabitants with a skill which will provide a
source of income to the families. Popular workshops include beauty related skills, such as nail styling
and make up, and fixing mobile phones. Usually this social assistance lasts one year and offers three
workshops. In some cases, further assistance was offered through non‐governmental organizations and
university outreach programs.
Regarding renovation processes, it is expected that the families will start changing and expanding
their units after moving in. There are many factors that influence the need to make these changes,
including the desire of owners to differentiate themselves from the neighbours, increase their sense of
safety in the unit, make room for business, and accommodate extended family in the same unit. Often
the changes made include increasing the initial floor area, considering that the initial units are so small.
However, because the units are not built with flexibility in mind, it is even more difficult and expensive
for the families to make these changes [8]. Post occupancy studies show that after some time almost all
units expand beyond the initial floor area. Data from Anglo neighbourhood shows that three years after
its implementation 80% of the units had already been changed and 90% of the families used part of
their unit for some business activity.
It is important to highlight that most of these expansions are carried out illegally often resulting in
inadequate situations such as encroaching onto the public space, having no ventilation and lighting,
and blocking off windows of the initial unit. These can result in negative consequences not only for the
families but also for the city, such as increasing health problems and the burden on the city to provide
health care and limiting the city authorities’ access to public services such as public lighting, provision
of electricity, water and sewage for example. The example in figure 2 illustrates some of the issues that
emerge from these self‐designed and built expansions. This example is from the Anglo neighbourhood
where many families demolished expensive areas of the house, such as bathroom and kitchen, in order
to expand to the back where they had to rebuild these areas. Other issues that can be seen in this
example include the dangerous proportions for the staircase, poor ventilation in several rooms, and the
opening of a window directly into the neighbour’s lot.
The way the units were changed and resulting problems identified in the Anglo case is consistent
with post‐occupancy studies from other cities in the southern region of Brazil [12]. Furthermore, many
of the interviews done for this research, with architects, engineers, and social workers, had similar
statements saying that for house unit neighbourhoods it is unavoidable that the families will expand
the units even when it is not allowed.
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ZEMCH 2019 International Conference l Seoul, Korea