Developing social housing and designing affordable housing complexes with a sociological-cultural approach

Mahsa Seifi¹

1) Master of Architectural Engineering from South Tehran Azad University, member of Tehran Engineering System Organization

IOI Code : AADG-AAGFCK
Publication : The second international conference on new approaches in engineering and basic sciences(icnabs.ir/2nd)
Abstract :
    In recent decades, the development of social housing has emerged as one of the most important urban and social challenges in developing countries and even some developed countries. With the increasing urban population, economic inequalities and pressure on natural resources, the need to design affordable, sustainable and culturally relevant housing complexes is increasingly felt. This scientific review article, focusing on a socio-cultural approach, provides an in-depth and systematic review of theories, models and case studies related to the design of social housing and affordable housing complexes. Using international and regional sources (including studies conducted in Saudi Arabia, China, Thailand and North America), this research shows that the success of social housing projects depends not only on technical and economic factors, but also on a deep understanding of cultural structures, social relations, concepts of home and spatial identity of communities. Key concepts such as “space syntax,” “cultural sustainability,” “meaning of home,” and “traditional architecture” are explored as analytical tools. Case studies from different regions of the world—including Jiangnan villages in China, Najdi environments in Saudi Arabia, and Inuit snow houses—show that traditional spaces, despite their apparent simplicity, have highly complex and detailed spatial structures that are aligned with the social, familial, and religious needs of communities. Combining the theories of Hiller and Hanson, the analyses of Gruffith and Dawson, and Chinese sociological studies including the work of Wei, Qi, and Du, this article shows how social housing architecture can maintain cultural identity by drawing inspiration from traditional patterns without losing economic efficiency. It also analyzes the role of Chinese philosophical concepts such as Utilitarian Confucianism and the concept of “home beyond building” in shaping residential spaces. The results of this review suggest that social housing design should have a bottom-up approach, in which the local community is recognized as the main design and decision-making body. The suggestions include developing a comprehensive framework for social housing design based on spatial syntactics, integrating traditional elements into modern designs, using local materials and low-cost technologies, and creating government policies based on sociological research.

Keywords : social housing affordable housing design cultural sociology traditional architecture