Methodology to determine housing characteristics in less developed areas in developing countries: A case study of Quetta, Pakistan

Abstract

The province of Balochistan is one of the leasts developed areas of Pakistan, facing problems of energy load shedding and rapid urbanization. On the other side the region has great potential for renewable energy sources. This paper is part of a PhD project to develop sustainable housing concepts for Quetta city. However, a first barrier is the lack of data on the existing housing stock. This paper will discuss the methodology and results of collecting housing data in this context. Considering unsatisfactory law and order situation of Quetta, an online survey was conducted to identify safe areas for a housing survey. More areas were included to make the survey more representative. In total 215 houses in 32 residential areas were then surveyed. It is found that housing in Quetta can be divided in 3 main structural types; i.e. R.C.C frame, brick masonry and sundried bricks.