Public Housing and Well-Being: Evaluation Frameworks to Influence Policy

Area of Science:

• Public health
• Urban planning
• Social policy

Background:

• Public housing provision is politically contentious, with policies fluctuating between divestment and investment.
• A strong evidence base is essential for sustainable, cross-party solutions to public housing challenges.
• Governments in liberal democracies face ongoing debates regarding public housing stock management and investment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop frameworks for evaluating public housing regeneration's impact on tenant well-being.
• To assess impacts at apartment, complex, and community levels.
• To inform future public housing policies with robust evidence.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a systems approach and theory of change models.
• Developed mixed-methods, quasi-experimental, before-and-after evaluation frameworks.
• Incorporated control groups for three public housing sites to ensure scientific rigor.

Main Results:

• Successfully developed three evaluation frameworks for public housing.
• Apartment-level evaluation confirmed framework viability and demonstrated minor draught-stopping measures significantly improved indoor temperature and thermal comfort.
• Complex and community-level evaluations are ongoing due to extended regeneration timelines.

Conclusions:

• Public housing is a major social sector intervention, with entities like Kāinga Ora playing a significant role.
• Evaluating public housing policies is vital for evidence-based decision-making for both public and private sectors.
• The developed frameworks provide a robust methodology for assessing public housing interventions and informing best practices.