The aim of this paper is to strengthen the importance of social sustainability for social housing and to propose design recommendations that have the potential to qualify social housing. The quality of architectural solutions involving the aesthetic and functional aspects of social housing design determines the effectiveness with which such design meets the needs of its users. Housing estates for low-income populations of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre have been used as study objects. The analysis of the data obtained through questionnaires, interviews, observation of behavior and physical traces, and physical measurements allows the production of the necessary information. The results reveal the importance of considering the physical-spatial aspects of quality and the resulting sustainability of the social housing design. For example, the relationship between buildings and open spaces tends to affect the use and suitability of such areas, and consequently the existence of a socially sustainable residential environment.
Housing design; Social housin; Social sustainability