Abstract
This paper, using survey data from 414 urban residents in Hong Kong, examines the effects of space, achieved privacy and satisfaction with living quarters on the perception of crowding. The results of this study suggest that occupants of spatial constrained dwellings do not necessarily feel crowded. While achieved privacy intervenes in the relationship between space and crowding, its effect is indirect and very moderate. Instead, the dissatisfaction with physical environment rather than with a quantity of space itself is a major cause of the feeling of crowdedness. These findings imply that architectural designs that meet the expectation of occupants may well alleviate feelings of crowdedness in situations of spatial constraint.
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Chan, YK. Density, Crowding, and Factors Intervening in Their Relationship: Evidence from a Hyper-dense Metropolis. Social Indicators Research 48, 103–124 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006944807696
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006944807696