Housing

A house is a man-made physical structure which is designed to provide shelter to human beings.

A house should be built using appropriate materials to meet the physiological and psychological needs of the occupants

A house should also be sited away from potential source of hazard like refuse dump, source of noise, pollution of any kind (water, soil and air)

A house is expected to provide shelter, comfort and protection to the occupants. Any house that can provide all these is referred to as a good house

1. Provide basic physiological needs
2. Provide basic psychological needs
3. Protection against infection
4. Protection against accident and intruders

• Building site: size, land scape, avoid swamp, riverine and sloppy areas
• Climatic conditions
• Available building materials
• Culture and custom
• Access to infrastructural facilities
• Purpose personal use or commercial rentage
• Emergency and safety
• Building regulations
• Security

These are laws put in place to ensure that building does not endanger lives during and after construction, and promote health and safety of the occupants and neighbors

The laws provide for standards on design, materials, size and space and facilities

Regulations comprised of federal and state laws depending on locations.

Some of the regulations include:

• Size of building relative to land size (high density 70% land use, medium density 50% land use, low density 40% land use)
• Room size: minimum of 10 by 12 feet (120 square ft)
• Ventilation: window area should be at least one-eighth of floor area and must provide for cross ventilation
• Minimum Height from the ground should be 1.68M
• Occupancy: 2 adults of same sex per room, one adult and 2 children <10years. 2 consenting adults of different sex
• Entrance and exit facilities
• Approved building plans by town planning authority

• Approve building plans
• Enforce house construction is within the laws and regulations
• Allocation of social amenities
• Access land needs of people (for residential, industrial, agricultural and waste disposal) and make provision

1. It leads to air and noise pollution.
2. High prevalence of diseases
3. Poor housing leads to accidents
4. Poor housing leads to excessive heat and cold
5. Homelessness and insecurity.
6. Poor educational attachment deprivation.

1. Air and noise pollution
• When there are no adequate windows and doors in a house, it interferes with the normal air exchanging in a dwelling resulting to pollution.
• Also, houses that are constructed and located near factories, airports, roads or land prone to flooding are exposed to noise pollution and this may result to deafness, conjunctivitis, lungs cancer, hearing loss etc.
• All these occur as a result of receiving and inhaling dangerous fumes released from automobile and other chemical equipment used in such establishments.
2. High prevalence of diseases
• Poor housing design triggers the occurrence and spread of diseases e.g. poor surface drainage in the house with stagnant pools encourage the breeding of mosquitoes and other disease carrying vectors which attack and transmit diseases to humans in their cause of feeding.
• Overcrowding and ill-ventilation also serves as a route in the transmission of respiratory or infectious disease such as tuberculosis, asthma, influenza, etc.
3. Accident
• Most injuries and poisoning in a house is as a result of poor condition of the home, such as presence of dilapidated walls, cracked walls, broken floor etc. which result in vehicular accident, drowning, falls, accidental burning.
• These effects can also occur as a result of lack of different activities e.g. sitting-rooms, dining rooms, toilet, bathroom, etc.
4. Excessive heat and cold
• Poor housing design causes exposure to excessive heat during the day and cold in the night.
• This is as a result of absence of ceiling or sagging ceiling and absence of DPC in the house as a result of stress, the occupier exercise during the night, his social activities are been disrupted in attention to make up for the loss sleep.
5. Homelessness and insecurity
• The use of non-durable material in houses has resulted to many structural failures which expose the occupier to inclement weather and lack of security.
• The risk of violent attacks are high in poor houses compared to well-built environment not only directly impacts our health, but also factor in less direct complex ways into the health of individuals residing in single family homes, housing projects, blocks, neighbourhoods and entire cities and communities.
• Homelessness causes depression when it occurs, the individual capability towards performing his social activities are reduced to residential environment, but can also found in commercial environments as far as housing is concerned
6. Poor educational attainment and deprivation
• The poor design and the materials used for constructing a house (school) often can render the environment unconducive for learning especially during extreme weather condition.
• These factors have serious health implications with attendant social and economic consequences including school absenteeism.
• Most children in poor house are more likely to underachieve in school compared with those from organised and improved areas.