Assessment of the Operational Performance of Low-Cost Housing in Ethiopia: A Case Study of Bishoftu City

Abstract

Ethiopia faces a critical housing shortage, particularly in rapidly urbanizing cities such as Bishoftu, where population growth and expansion have increased demand for affordable housing. Despite various low-cost housing schemes, the operational performance of these units, including functional efficiency, maintenance, and user satisfaction, remains underexplored. Evidence on the factors influencing performance, barriers, and their impacts is limited. To address this, the study investigates operational efficiency using three parameters derived from literature: 32 performance factors, 23 key barriers, and 15 impacts. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed. Primary data were collected from 93 households using structured questionnaires. Additional data obtained from semi-structured interviews with purposively selected community leaders, contractors, and design consultants. Quantitative data were analyzed using mean scores and the Relative Importance Index (RII), while qualitative findings provided contextual interpretation. Results indicate that maintenance factors, particularly internal air quality and maintenance cost (mean = 3.81), were the most influential, followed by construction factors such as leakage (3.72) and dampness (3.71), and design suitability, especially compatibility with occupants’ lifestyles (4.03). Critical barriers included poor aesthetic design (RII = 0.797), inadequate room sizes (0.789), and moisture and mold (0.786). These barriers led to major impacts, including high maintenance costs (mean = 3.90), reduced thermal comfort (3.76), poor indoor air quality (3.69), and reduced sustainability (3.67). Based findings, the study proposes an integrated framework linking performance factors, barriers, and impacts, providing actionable guidance for policymakers, housing authorities, and urban planners to enhance sustainable design, construction quality, and proactive maintenance in low-cost housing.