Housing Satisfaction and Willingness to Move to Low-cost Rental Apartments of Slum Dwellers in Semarang Urban Area

Abstract

Abstract. This article examines one of the approaches commonly taken by the government to reduce the number of slums in urban areas, namely the provision of subsidised/affordable rental apartments. This article focuses on the assessment of to what extent the approach is relevant to the perceived problem (needs) of the target group (low income family) and what are the socio-economic characteristics of those living in slums and what are their preferences for moving to affordable rental apartments or remains to stay in the current slums. Since the problems are complex and dynamic, the case study research methods has been utilised and the low-income families living in slums in surrounding areas of Rusunawa Kaligawe (affordable rental apartment) in Semarang have been used as the unit of analysis.

Live-Work Housing Concept for Rusunawa in Indonesia: Is it Possible?

“…They were afraid of facing the significant risk that came with moving to a new place, especially related to their economic and social situations. Fear of job loss, fear of having no employment opportunities, fear of change of livelihood and social kinship were among the reasons why they were reluctant to move into Rusunawa (Diharjo, 2018;Manaf, Wahyono, Sari, & Aprilia, 2018;Syafruddin & Adi, 2017;Tuti & Mawar, 2018). Empirically, relocation to Rusunawa causes economic challenges to many residents.…”

Relationship of the relocation decision and job location of Klong Toei community's residents

“…For disadvantaged groups, high social capital, strong bonding, and trust connect counterparts with similar socioeconomic status (T.-K. . For example, in Semarang, Indonesia, Manaf et al (2018) point out that social environments, such as relationships with neighbors, relatives, family, and community activities, lead to the highest satisfaction in the context of factors affecting housing satisfaction and willingness to move out of the informal settlement. Likewise, Badmos et al (2020) survey in Lagos, Africa, attempting to understand the factors that make slum dwellers choose where to live and what drives their decision to stay in a slum after moving in.…”

“…Similarly, Samuel and Nisar (2021) opine that jobs, schools, and markets are the primary factors that make residents choose to stay in informal settlements. Furthermore, a study by Manaf et al (2018) shows that 72% of respondents are not interested in moving to an affordable rental apartment because of their connection with family and friends. On the contrary, Prashker et al (2008) test the relationship between working distance and age.…”

“…According to various perspectives on measuring willingness to relocate by residential satisfaction (Bayrau & Bekele, 2007;Manaf et al, 2018;Samuel & Nisar, 2021;Speare, 1974), this study seeks to identify the relationship between job location and the willingness to relocate of the Klong Toei residents. A dependent variable (Y) is the willingness to relocate by measuring a four-Likert scale from very improbable, improbable, probable to very probable to evaluate the degree of residents' willingness or the probability of an individual's perception to move or stay.…”

“…Age indication between the generation of individuals' perceptions may differ in relocation decisions (Bayrau & Bekele, 2007;Manaf et al, 2018). For example, Wolpert (1965) emphasizes age as an essential variable in studying the personal factors of migration.…”