An Investigation of the Impact of Physical Quality and Architectural Function of Housing Interior Space on Housing Choice: A Comparison Between Stated and Revealed Preferences in Arak

Volume 22, Issue 146
August 2025
Pages 37-54

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Architecture, Ar.C., Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran.

2 Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Advanced Studies in Art and Entrepreneurship, Isfahan University of Art, Iran.

Abstract
Problem statement: The significance and necessity of the physical and functional quality of housing architecture, in consort with the demographic characteristics of the household, play a key role in housing selection. In this process, households choose their housing from available options; there might be a discrepancy between their choices and their expectations as well as subjective preferences, and such a gap may lead to some dissatisfaction.
Research objective: a) To analyze the impact of the physical and functional quality of housing architecture and household characteristics on the selection of qualitative attributes of housing (i.e. physical and functional in the current situation), and b) To identify the expected quality of housing architecture for the household, which will ultimately lead to more practical knowledge for designing housing architecture that is more appropriate to the needs of each group of housing users.
Research method: This research is applied in terms of the purpose and descriptive-analytical method. The data were collected through a survey and field data using questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, and site observations. The samples of this study included households living in houses in the city of Arak. The samples were selected via random sampling based on Morgan’s table. For the reliability coefficient, the questionnaire was distributed among 700 people. In analyzing the data, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, mean, frequency distribution, skewness, elongation, and other statistical tests and Excel and SPSS software were used. 
Conclusion: The results show that the physical and functional quality of architecture and demographic characteristics play a significant role in choosing housing. However, there are often significant differences between individuals’ subjective ideal preferences and their chosen housing, such as preference for semi-open space, flooring type, window size, location of semi-open space entrance, spatial privacy, kitchen design, etc. These findings emphasize the importance of an in-depth understanding of the subjective values ​​and housing preferences of housing residents.

Keywords

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