Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Author-Name: Alejandro Orgambidez-Ramos
Author-Name: Fernando Relinque-Medina
Author-Name: Yolanda Borrero-Alés
Author-Name: Manuela Fernández-Borrero
Author-Name: Octavio Vázquez-Aguado
Title:  Entorno residencial percibido y atracción por el vecindario: Un modelo explicativo en  barrios andaluces con dificultades sociales
Abstract: Resumen:Diversos estudios han mostrado las relaciones existentes entre satisfacción residencial y vinculación con el vecindario. Sin embargo, las relaciones entre la percepción de riesgo social, la satisfacción residencial y la atracción hacia el vecindario apenas han sido estudiadas. El objetivo de este estudio es examinar el papel predictor de la percepción de riesgo social sobre la atracción por el vecindario. Se obtuvieron datos de una muestra de 404 residentes de promociones de viviendas sociales de Andalucía. Los resultados mostraron que las experiencias y percepciones del entorno de los residentes de promociones de viviendas sociales son importantes predictores de la satisfacción residencial y de la atracción por el vecindario.Abstract:Introduction
Since the 1990s, interest in housing policy and social environments has grown considerably in Europe, as reflected in the 2014 Green Book on Housing and numerous EU directives (Eurofound, 2014). This has led to the proliferation in Spanish cities of social housing projects aimed at families with low economic resources and special difficulties in accessing accommodation. Since the onset of the economic crisis in 2008, the suspension of new social housing construction and the halt in the growth of cities has given rise to a social and political debate on the design of this type of estate and its role in the social integration and quality of life of its residents (authors, 2016).
In this context, the characteristics of neighborhoods have been shown to be important predictors of the physical and mental health of their tenants and other residents (Gapen et al., 2011). Furthermore, the design of social housing estates is key to residents' social integration and quality of life (Barnes et al., 2006). Well-designed and maintained (i.e., clean and well-lit) areas boost social inclusion, good citizenship and social cohesion, whereas poor-quality areas (noisy, dirty, with the presence of drugs) increase the likelihood of antisocial behavior (Vargas & Merino, 2012).
One ofthe most widely used indicators of residential quality isattraction-to-neighborhood, which is considered one of the dimensions of social cohesion (Buckner, 1988). Attraction toward the neighborhood is related to people's enjoyment of the area in which they live, their intention to remain there and their attachment to it (Bonaiuto & Alves, 2012) and is strongly influenced by residents’perceptions of the area's possible social risks (Vargas & Merino, 2012) and their residential satisfaction (Bonaiuto et al., 1999; Bonaiuto et al., 2003; Debek & Janda-Debek, 2015; Feldman & Steptoe, 2004; Höfelmannet et al., 2013). Given the importance of investigating these relationships in the context of social housing, the objective of this study is to verify a structural equation model (path analysis) in which the perception of social risk (drugs, the environment and prostitution) and residential satisfaction (housing, the environment and green areas) predict attraction-to-neighborhood among a sample of social housing tenants in the south of Spain.
Research design and methods
An ex post facto study was conducted on a single group using multiple measures (Montero& León, 2007). The study population was the total group of social housing tenants in the Spanish region of Andalusia. The final sample was composed of 404 participants (confidence level 95.5%, error margin 4.47%), distributed proportionately across the social dwellings in the estates registered in the Andalusian Housing and Rehabilitation Agency database. Of the total sample, 55.64% were women, and the average age of the participants was 46.47 years (SD = 15.36). Of the total, 92.31% of participants were married, and 46.40% were unemployed (without work and seeking for a job).
Findings
Preliminary analyses
Since the data obtained from the study werebased on self-reported questionnaires gathered over the same period of time, the CMV associated with the method could have either over- or underestimated relationships between variables (Podsakoff et al., 2003; Podsakoff et al., 2012). Therefore, Harman's single-factor test was conducted to test the possible effects of the CMV in this study (Podsakoff et al., 2003). All items of residential satisfaction, perception of social risk, and attraction-to-neighbourhood were subjected to exploratory factor analysis using the method of principal components with varimax rotation and forcing the extraction of a single factor. If there had been a problem with the variance associated with the method, the factor extracted would have explained more than 50% of the variance of the factor. The results of the exploratory factor analysis yielded one factor that explained 22.76% of the total variance. Therefore, although the effects of common variance cannot be completely ruled out, it does not appear to significantly affect the relationship between variables.
Descriptives and correlations
Table 1 shows the descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis) and the correlations of the variables studied as well as the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients of the scales. The correlation analyses revealed that all the dimensions of residential satisfaction except satisfaction with services were positively and significantly related (p < 0.01) with attraction-to-neighborhood: r = 0.31 with satisfaction with housing, r = 0.37 with satisfaction with appearance, and r = 0.15 with satisfaction with green areas. Further, perception of social risk had a significant negative correlation (p < 0.01) with attraction-to-neighborhood, with Pearson r values of -0.31 for drugs, -0.27 for environment, and -0.25 for prostitution.
Analysis of the model
To obtain an overall representation of the relationships amongperception of social risk, residential satisfaction, and attraction-to-neighborhood, we devised a model of relationships in whichdrugs, the environment and prostitution as social risks were exogenous predictor variables. Residential satisfaction (with housing, services, appearance, and green areas) was the endogenous and mediator variable, and attraction-to-neighborhood was the endogenous and result variable (Acock, 2013). Applying Hayes's (2013) recommendations to the study, it was found that three conditions needed to be met to verify the mediating role of residential satisfaction: (1) the significant relationship of perception of social risk to residential satisfaction must be demonstrated; (2) the relationship of residential satisfaction to attraction-to-neighborhood must be demonstrated; and (3) the significant relationship between perception of social risk and attraction-to-neighborhood must be reduced if the influence of residential satisfaction was limited. This model was validated empirically with a structural equation analysis using the path analysis method. Following Acock's (2013) recommendations, the analysis was undertaken in two phases: (1) the design of an over-identified model and (2) the redesign of the model based on the significant coefficients found in the previous step.
Figure 3 shows the standardized coefficients, the levels of significance obtained from the structural equation model using the maximum likelihood method to estimate parameters, and the values of the explained variance (R2) of the variables relating to residential satisfaction and attraction-to-neighborhood. The path analysis showed that the adjustment of the final model was appropriate in terms of the reference values indicated by Hu and Bentler (1999). The chi-square value was not significant, X2(4) = 478, p = 0.31, and the CFI (Comparative Fit Index) and TLI (Tucker-Lewis Index) were above 0.95 (both at 0.99). The SRMR (Standardized Root Mean Square) value was 0.02 and the RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) coefficient was 0.02 [90% IC = 0.00 - 0.08], both below the recommended level of 0.08 (Hu & Bentler, 1999).
In addition to drugs as a social risk variable, the environment and prostitution were significant (p < 0.01) and negative predictors of satisfaction with housing (β= -0.26 and β= -0.12, respectively) and satisfaction with appearance (β= -0.26 and β= -0.14, respectively). These two dimensions of the perception of social risk explained 10.12% of the variance in satisfaction with housing and 10.76% of the variance in satisfaction with the appearance of the area. Regarding attraction-to-neighborhood, drugs as a social risk, satisfaction with housing and satisfaction with the appearance of the area were found to be significant predictors (p < 0.01), with β values of -0.28, 0.14 and 0.25, respectively. The final explained variance for attraction-to-neighborhood was 21.65%. Regarding the mediating role of residential satisfaction (Table 2), the influence of the environment and prostitution as a social risk on attraction-to-neighborhood was mediated by satisfaction with housing and satisfaction with appearance, with β values of -0.10 (p < 0.01) for the environment as a risk (z = -4.74, p < 0.01) and -0.05 (p < 0.01) for prostitution as a risk (z = -2.86, p < 0.01). Finally, the perception of drugs as a social risk had a direct effect on attraction-to-neighborhood (β= -.25, p < 0.01).
Conclusions
Emerging social and urban ordinance problems, segregated neighborhoods and urban conflict have made the study of social housing a growing concern among the member states of the European Union (Eurofound, 2014). The provision of housing to a group with socioeconomic problems is not enough to improve that group's social integration and participation. It is necessary to further study community, social, and urban development processes to make the most of social housing schemes as an opportunity for community integration and cohesion. In this context, residents' experiences and perceptions of their housing project environments seem to be important predictors not only of residential satisfaction but also of attraction-to-neighborhood. Consequently, the design of public areas and other urban development initiatives should encompass not only objective factors (e.g., population or traffic density, surface area of gardens) but also residents' perceptions toward their environment. The appearance of the neighborhood (e.g., maintenance, cleanness, lighting, quality of buildings) determines, to a great extent, the degree of attractiveness of the area. Another area of intervention in social housing estates is related to the perception of drugs (consumption and sale) as a social risk given their impact on attraction-to-neighborhood. This factor should be approached from a multidisciplinary perspective that ranges from socio-educative initiatives to prevent drug consumption among the most vulnerable residents (i.e., children and adolescents) to police action to prevent drug dealing.
Classification-JEL: R1
Keywords: Atracción Por el Vecindario, Satisfacción Residencial, Conciencia Del Entorno, Viviendas Sociales, Attraction-To-Neighbourhood, Residential Satisfaction, Situational Awareness, Social Housing, 15m Movement
Pages: 149-175
Volume: 2
Year: 2020
File-URL: http://www.revistaestudiosregionales.com/documentos/articulos/pdf-articulo-2595.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:rer:articu:v:2:y:2020:p:149-175