Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

Journal of Geographical Studies of Mountainous Areas

The Problem of Mass Housing; The Challenges of Apartment Living(A Phenomenological Study of the Experience of Living in Mehr Housing in Borujerd City)

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Ayatollah Boroujerdi University, Boroujerd, Iran
Abstract
1.Introduction
In recent decades, due to demographic changes after the Islamic Revolution and the mass migration of the population from villages to cities, the demand for housing in cities, especially metropolises, has increased.It must be said that housing is one of the basic human needs, but what has raised the issue of housing as an important issue in Iranian society is the rapid growth of the urban population, the lack of sufficient investment in the private and public sectors, and the lack of a culture of residence in this ecosystem.In Iran and other parts of the world, the issue of housing is a serious issue, because building housing is not only related to construction and providing infrastructure, but also brings with it cultural, political, and economic issues that must be addressed.In addition to being able to bring about social protests, the lack of housing and the lack of suitable housing can also bring about problems in economic, political, and cultural dimensions.For example, it can be said that the lack of suitable housing can spread "marginalization" and, consequently, the issue of poverty in society can also increase.On the other hand, the lack of housing can also be problematic for the younger generation, especially those of marriageable age, and the lack of shelter for young couples can lead them to permanent celibacy. Finally, it can be claimed that housing is also related to psychological issues and the psychological security of society. In other words, having shelter, and more importantly, appropriate housing, can largely control the psychological pressures of individuals in society and restore psychological security to Iranian families.
 

Methodology

One of the basic characteristics of phenomenology is the study of "pure experience", for phenomenologists, humans have a structured consciousness, based on which they categorize and organize data based on their senses. In the phenomenological perspective, humans experience the world in the form of classifications (Iman, 2015: 6). The study population includes people who live in the Maskan Mehr residential complexes of this city. The unit of analysis is the members of these cooperatives. The sampling method was "purposive" and "theoretical", in this method the basis of sampling is the problem of "theoretical saturation". This research reached theoretical saturation with 21 individuals residing in Mehr Housing. “In-depth interviews” were used to collect data. “Thematic” analysis and “coding” techniques were used to analyze the findings related to the interviewees. Accordingly, the findings were identified in three main categories, the first category refers to “semantic units” that the interviewees talk about in a tangible and exemplified manner, the second category is “common themes”, which is a more complex level than the first level and the code related to it is presented in a specific and meaningful category, and finally, “main themes” related to each category that refer to the main and fundamental factors affecting the category under study in the research. It is also important to note that “MaxQDA 12.” software was used to analyze qualitative data.
 

Results

Of the 21 participants in this interview, 13 were female and 8 were male. The age range of the interviewees is 15 to 65 years, with the highest frequency being those in the age range of 30 to 39 years and the lowest frequency being those in the age range of 20 to 29 years. On the other hand, 11 of the interviewees are employed, and in terms of education level, those with a diploma are the most frequent. Also, in terms of type of residence and ownership, 14 of the interviewees are owners and 7 are tenants, and in terms of residence, the highest frequency is for interviewees who have lived there for more than 10 years. the total frequency of codes from this study is 50 codes. The highest frequency of these codes is related to the common themes of the two categories of "psychological and mental insecurity" and "inefficiency of cooperatives", each with 8 codes. This means that most of the problems and challenges of the residents of Mehr Housing are related to psychological problems and the lack of efficient cooperatives, each of which is composed of different semantic units. Also, the lowest frequency of codes is related to the category of "lack of tolerance and social tolerance", which is also composed of different semantic units.
 

Discussion

Housing is one of the basic needs of every human being, which is now considered a citizen's right with the development of modern societies. In every society, the mechanisms for enjoying the right to housing and shelter are different. Without a doubt, housing is one of the current issues of Iranian society, which is an important part of the current government's policies to resolve this issue. Lorestan province is also one of the regions that has been affected by these policies. Given that an important part of Iranian society, which includes young people on the verge of marriage and low-income people, building quality housing at a reasonable price for different citizens of the society and paying attention to this issue is essential, therefore, paying attention to the role of housing cooperatives and the concerns of Mehr housing residents should also be seriously placed on the agenda of the authorities. It should not be forgotten that Lorestan province is one of the five deprived provinces of the country, which should be given more attention in various cultural, political, and economic fields.
 

Conclusion

Accordingly, using the findings of this study can play an important role in understanding the challenges of cooperatives that are involved in the national movement, and on the other hand, paying attention to the needs of Mehr housing residents can also be effective in improving the national housing project and reducing the problems facing this project. The Mehr housing construction projects, with all the opportunities they have brought to create housing for the underprivileged segments of society, have also brought with them sociological disadvantages that this article attempted to address. Based on the lived experience of the residents of Mehr Housing in Borujerd County, it should be stated that living in the Mehr Housing space has faced issues that require special attention. The inefficiency of Mehr Housing cooperatives as a type of institutional-social structure has caused the quality of Mehr Housing buildings to decrease, such a matter should be reconsidered in the future for housing cooperatives and its damages should be minimized. Living in the Mehr Housing space has brought with it psychological and mental insecurity, because living in a busy space brings with it different preoccupations for individuals that make life difficult for individuals, and also providing the costs of Mehr Housing for residents causes psychological suffering for them. On the other hand, the Mehr housing space has been associated with a decrease in social capital and interpersonal interactions for its residents, which has contributed to a decrease in individual participation and has made their lives difficult in the long term. Inequality in access to urban spaces has become one of the main concerns of the residents of Mehr housing in Borujerd, so the creation of recreational and welfare places in the Mehr housing space in Borujerd is felt more than ever before. The existence of such measures by the responsible institutions helps to increase the quality of life in the urban space and in the long term reduces distrust in living in Mehr housing in this city. Another concern of the residents of Mehr housing in Borujerd is the lack of social tolerance and the decrease in social interactions.
 
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my special gratitude and appreciation to all those who helped the researcher in conducting this research, especially the residents of Maskan Mehr, Borujerd County.
Keywords

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