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Interactive Audio Lesson
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Understanding Use Value
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Today we’re going to discuss use value in housing. Can anyone explain what use value means?
Isn't it about how useful a house is for the people living in it?
Exactly! It’s about the practicality and the satisfaction that residents gain from their homes. This contrasts with market value, which refers to how much a house would sell for.
So, if someone adds a vegetable garden, that increases the use value to them, right?
Right again! Use value is personalized. Can anyone recall an example from our readings?
The upgrades by homeowners like adding doors and windows for ventilation!
Perfect! So the modifications reflect their needs rather than market expectations. Remember: 'The house is a process, not a noun.'
To summarize, use value is shaped by individual needs and modifications which enhance the living experience.
Market Value vs Use Value
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Now, let’s dive into the differences between use value and market value. Who can delineate these concepts?
Market value is about the price a buyer is willing to pay, right?
Correct! Many homeowners prioritize personal needs over market expectations. Can you think of a situation that illustrates this?
Like when people sold plastic sheeting to afford better materials?
Exactly! They re-prioritized their resources based on their personal requirements rather than market demands.
So, in the end, their decisions are based on what the house means to them?
Yes! It reflects their lived experiences. The takeaway is that use value significantly influences how we define housing.
Incremental Housing Improvements
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Let’s explore the concept of incremental housing improvements. Why do you think 53% of homeowners upgraded their shelters quickly?
Maybe they wanted better living conditions right away rather than waiting for a better market price?
Absolutely! This quick change reflects personal prioritization of comfort and safety. What does this tell us about community resilience?
That people can adapt quickly when they see immediate benefits!
Exactly! Also, how does this relate to what Christopher Alexander said about housing as a process?
It evolves based on people's needs.
Well summarized! Remember, incremental improvements are essential for tailoring homes to fit individual needs.
Introduction & Overview
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Quick Overview
Standard
The section compares use value and market value in housing, illustrating how homeowners prioritize practical needs and modifications to their shelters. It highlights observations from scholars like Christopher Alexander and John F.C. Turner, focusing on the incremental, individualized process of transforming a house into a home, thereby emphasizing the significance of user-driven modifications over market valuations.
Detailed
Use Value vs Market Value
In this section, we explore the distinction between use value and market value in the context of housing, particularly in transitional shelter projects. Here are the key points covered:
- Upgrade Initiatives: A substantial percentage of homeowners (53%) began upgrading their shelters within a month, prioritizing improvements such as doors, walls, and windows to enhance ventilation and comfort. This reflects a strong inclination towards personal needs over market-driven aesthetics.
- Individual Economies: The text illustrates that beneficiaries made economic choices tailored to their circumstances, such as purchasing timber for walls and utilizing available resources creatively – including selling or repurposing plastic sheeting and tools for various purposes.
- Scalable Housing Projects: Following the successful incremental upgrade process, government initiatives led to the construction of low-cost houses, signifying an understanding of scalable housing solutions based on user-derived needs.
- Process over Product: Christopher Alexander’s view posits that housing is an evolving process rather than a static noun, emphasizing user personalization. John F.C. Turner reinforced this by stating that the derived use value from housing is fundamentally more important than its market value.
- Theoretical Constructs of Housing: The section introduces the framework of tissue, support, and fit-out, indicating how each element of the housing system changes over time and can be addressed at different governance levels for optimal housing solutions.
- Layers of Buildings: Ian Bentley discusses buildings as composed of six time-bound layers that influence how they are modified for personal use and community needs, underscoring the importance of recognizing user-driven change.
- Enabling Factors for Housing: Finally, the section points toward financial access, land tenure security, material availability, and participatory governance as crucial factors that enable a successful, user-driven construction process in transitional and permanent housing contexts.
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Incremental Upgrades with Reclaimed Materials
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And also, this is a kind of partial upgrade with reclaimed materials they have the developed with the kind of whatever, they have able to procure from the past site or with their feasibilities, they have made some modifications to their shelters. And within a month 53% of the house owners have started to upgrade their shelters and this is very quick, within a month if this kind of change is 53%.
Detailed Explanation
This chunk discusses how homeowners are making upgrades to their shelters using reclaimed materials. Within just one month, 53% of the homeowners have started these upgrades, indicating a rapid response to improving their living conditions. This reflects how quickly people can adapt and enhance their environments when given access to materials and resources.
Examples & Analogies
Think of when people do DIY (Do It Yourself) home projects. If someone gets some old wood from a friend to build a shelf, they can quickly improve their home. Just like that, in this context, homeowners are utilizing available materials to upgrade their shelters fast.
Prioritizing Shelter Upgrades
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The priorities were first doors, second walls and the third is windows, so the ventilation aspect. And some beneficiaries bought their own timber for walls, doors and windows as we have seen in this complete set is in a timber.
Detailed Explanation
In upgrading their shelters, the homeowners prioritized their needs: first doors for security, then walls for enclosure, and finally windows for ventilation. This shows a logical progression in enhancing their household conditions, focusing on essential elements that enhance livability.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine if you moved into a new apartment. You'd probably want to secure the front door first, then ensure the walls are stable for privacy, and finally add curtains to the windows for light control. This illustrates the same prioritization in shelter upgrades.
Economic Feasibility and Community Response
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And some beneficiaries bought their own timber for walls, doors and windows as we have seen in this complete set is in a timber. For the outset and used the plastic sheeting provided to the line of the walls, so they covered with a kind of partial covering with a plastic sheet. Others sold a plastic sheeting and hired the local artisans to build adobe walls.
Detailed Explanation
Homeowners were resourceful in their upgrades. Some purchased timber while others utilized plastic sheeting to cover walls temporarily. Those who sold the plastic sheeting were able to hire local artisans to create more stable adobe walls. This highlights how community resources and economic decisions impact shelter improvements.
Examples & Analogies
Consider how a group of friends might pool their money together to buy supplies for a project. They might decide to make a temporary improvement first and then save up to do something more permanent later, just like these homeowners did.
Transition from Shelter to Home
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As Christopher Alexander describes a house is an activity which is ‘created gradually, as a direct result of living which is happening in it and around it’ by people who spend only what they can afford.
Detailed Explanation
This illustrates the concept that a house becomes a home through personal experiences and the ongoing efforts of its inhabitants. These modifications are not just physical but also reflect the social context and individual needs, emphasizing that housing is a dynamic process instead of a static product.
Examples & Analogies
Consider how a person adds personal touches to their new home over time, like painting walls or arranging furniture. These changes make the space feel more like 'home'. Similarly, homeowners in this context are shaping their spaces based on what they need and can afford.
Use Value vs Market Value
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John F.C. Turner talks about the use value derived from this approach was more significant than the market value, as what housing does for the user is more important than what it is.
Detailed Explanation
Turner emphasizes that the beneficial aspects of housing—how well it meets the needs of those who live in it—are far more crucial than its financial market value. This suggests that accessibility and adequacy of housing are paramount, prioritizing people’s needs over economic perception.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a used car that is affordable and reliable for someone. Its market value might be low, but its use value is high for the owner because it serves their needs for transportation. Similarly, the focus here is on how well homes serve their inhabitants rather than their potential resale prices.
Three Levels of Decision Making
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John Habraken supports on 3 levels of decision making; one is the tissue and the support which is the base building. The tissue refers to the urban fabric and the support refers to the base building and the fitout refers to the infill, what the people have done in their houses.
Detailed Explanation
Habraken outlines three crucial levels in housing: 'tissue' refers to the overall environment, 'support' to the fundamental structure of a building, and 'infill' to the personalized elements that residents add. This framework illustrates how individuals and communities interact at varying levels to shape their living environments.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a cake. The 'tissue' is like the cake structure, which is the same for every cake (the recipe), the 'support' is the frosting that makes it look appealing (the base building), and the 'infill' consists of the toppings that personalize it (individual changes by residents).
Definitions & Key Concepts
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Key Concepts
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Use Value: The personalized importance of a home to its residents.
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Market Value: The financial price assigned to a home based on market factors.
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Incremental Process: A gradual approach to housing improvement tailored to individual needs.
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Tissue and Support: The underlying frameworks that influence housing designs over time.
Examples & Real-Life Applications
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Examples
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An example of use value is a family modifying their shelter for better ventilation and safety based on their specific needs.
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A market value example is a house listed for sale at a price that reflects current real estate trends, not necessarily what it provides to the current occupant.
Memory Aids
Use mnemonics, acronyms, or visual cues to help remember key information more easily.
🎵 Rhymes Time
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'Use is what I value most, market price is just a boast.'
📖 Fascinating Stories
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Once there were two homes: one built quickly for sale, the other lovingly upgraded over time. The latter became a warm refuge, while the first was just a transaction, highlighting how emotional investment creates true value.
🧠 Other Memory Gems
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Think of 'U' for Use Value and 'M' for Market Value. 'Use' changes with you, 'Market' is a number.
🎯 Super Acronyms
Remember 'UM'
- Use Matters! It signifies that your personalized adjustments matter more than just the market listing.
Flash Cards
Review key concepts with flashcards.
Glossary of Terms
Review the Definitions for terms.
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Term: Use Value
Definition:
The practical and personal value derived from a house based on individual needs and satisfaction.
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Term: Market Value
Definition:
The sale price of a property based on market conditions rather than personal satisfaction.
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Term: Incremental Housing
Definition:
A process of gradual improvements made by homeowners to adapt their living environments.
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Term: Tissue and Support
Definition:
The framework of housing that is influenced by urban fabric (tissue) and base building structures (support).