Assessment of the quality of life of the residents of MEHR housing, case study: Rasht city

Mehr Housing Program has been one of the most important housing policies for low-income groups. The implementation process and results of this project encountered many problems and criticisms, one of the most important of which is the lack of adequate facilities for residents and low quality of life in these residential complexes. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the quality of life of Mehr housing inhabitants and its most important determinant factors. After reviewing the research literature and extracting the quality of life factors in residential environments, a researcher-made questionnaire is applied to measure the variables from the perspective of residents. The statistical population of this study is the total inhabitants of Mehr housing in Rasht equal to 8000 households. According to Cochran's formula, the number of samples is 380 people that are selected using a simple random sampling method. The data collected from the questionnaire were first analyzed using descriptive statistical methods as well as Friedman test and then the answers to narrative questions were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis test in the PLS environment. The results of Friedman test show that among the quality of life indicators in Mehr housing, the highest score (very good) belongs to the variable of urban air quality (avg = 18.39) and then to public transportation (17.03). Job opportunities (9.98) and lack of access to facilities like banks (10.82) are the most important problems in this area. The results of factor analysis of narrative questions show that The most important factors of insecurity in the area are the appearance of addicts (0.84) and abandoned lands (0.75). Cleaning and lighting (0.88), the establishment of parks (0.84), and shopping malls (0.68) are the most important factors to increase vitality. The findings of this study show that the current approach in providing social housing needs a substantial review and the quality of the urban environment should be considered as an important criterion for affordable housing.