ABSTRACT
The prolongation of the Pandemic COVID-19 has undermined the healthcare system and negatively impacted the economy and social development on a global and regional scale. At the human settlement level, responding to the pandemic situation has altered the broad spectrum of our daily routine down to the family and individual levels. Prior to the lockdown popularly known as the Movement Control Order (MCO), which the government introduced, the public was urged to limit outdoor movements and stay at home hence, encouraging the adoption of Work From Home (WFH) for employees and Home-based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) for the academic community and school students. Other than technological readiness for online working and teaching, the new normal also prompted new challenges for households in utilizing indoor spaces at home, especially for quarantine as well as for WFH and PdPR activities. In this light, a series of household surveys using questionnaires to determine the preference and usage of indoor space among households have been conducted in 39 locations/settlements across peninsular Malaysia. A total of 504 respondents participated and fieldwork and interview processes. Findings of the study indicated a majority of respondents have to designate indoor spaces/rooms for home quarantine (58%), and the three indoor spaces, in particular, have been monitored regularly by respondents during the pandemic, namely living areas (39%), kitchen (25%) and bedroom (21%). During MCO, most of them spent 1 to 4 hours per day for PdPR (43%), and 47% of respondents have a designated learning space at home for PdPR. In summary, pandemic COVID-19 has raised awareness among households regarding the selection and usage of indoor space to conduct various activities while they have to stay at home.
ABSTRACT
By the end of 2021, it is expected that the coronavirus (COVID-19) will shift from pandemic to endemic phase as the number of vaccinated people is increasing over time. It gives us hope as the endemic phase will allow us to live together with the virus. During the Covid-19 situation, people have become more creative and innovative for familiarising themselves with the New Normal. The next question is how is the existing housing for the low-income group ready to be suited with this situation? Therefore, this study will examine the concept of space design in housing units for the lower income group. The study adopted a case study approach based on housing layout from Kuala Lumpur, Bandung and Buckinghamshire. These housing layouts were analysed using the Space Syntax method for describing the meaning of space layout from a low-income perspective. This study found two consideration points, (1) the willingness of space to accommodate small business activities and to avoid the spread of epidemics in the domestic space, and (2) the willingness of the government to educate the public to cultivate small home entrepreneurship with the existing low-income routine and limited domestic spaces.