Housing Satisfaction and Preferences Towards Indoor Quality Related to the Environmental Factors in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Covid-19 had changed the way we perceived our living environment. As people now spent more time inside, indoor quality especially in terms of environmental factors is considered important in future housing. It is not just one of the indicators for healthy housing, but also green housing. The purpose of this study is to investigate Indonesian's housing satisfaction and preferences towards indoor quality in terms of environmental factors in the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The environmental factors indicators used in this study were daylight, air, acoustic, view, and green space quality. This quantitative study used an online questionnaire to collect data. The data analysis compared mean values and gap differences of values for each indicator. The results showed residents were satisfied enough with almost all of the indicators in their current living environment during the pandemic. As for residents' preferences, daylight quality, air quality, and green space are the top priorities needed to be considered for their dream houses. As for gap differences, it was found that green space, air quality, and acoustic quality needed to be improved, as respondents' expectations are higher. Understanding housing satisfaction and preferences from the residents' perspectives in the context of Covid-19 pandemic is considered important, as their demand can motivate developers and other stakeholders to adopt healthy and green building practices. It is hoped that the results of this research can support the studies on future healthy and green housing, especially in terms of environmental factors quality.

Effect of Housing Quality on the Mental Health of University Students during the COVID-19 Lockdown.

COVID-19 outbreak imposed rapid and severe public policies that consistently impacted the lifestyle habits and mental health of the general population. Despite vaccination, lockdown restrictions are still considered as potential measures to contrast COVID-19 variants spread in several countries. Recent studies have highlighted the impacts of lockdowns on the population's mental health; however, the role of the indoor housing environment where people spent most of their time has rarely been considered. Data from 8177 undergraduate and graduate students were collected in a large, cross-sectional, web-based survey, submitted to a university in Northern Italy during the first lockdown period from 1 April to 1 May 2020. Logistic regression analysis showed significant associations between moderate and severe depression symptomatology (PHQ-9 scores ≥ 15), and houses with both poor indoor quality and small dimensions (OR = 4.132), either medium dimensions (OR = 3.249) or big dimensions (OR = 3.522). It was also found that, regardless of housing size, poor indoor quality is significantly associated with moderate-severe depressive symptomatology. Further studies are encouraged to explore the long-term impact of built environment parameter modifications on mental health, and therefore support housing and public health policies.