Understanding choice behaviour to advance sustainable development in housing production

Abstract

Sustainable development requires us to change our construction technologies in order to avoid negative environmental and economic impacts. However, evidence shows that stakeholders in the field are still choosing housing construction materials and methods that do not advance sustainable development. This problem has been attributed to their underlying choice determinants. Therefore, this thesis investigates the inherent values and choice processes that determine the choice decisions of housing user and housing practitioners, as well as the relationship between these choice determinants and the requirements of sustainable development. The empirical investigation is an exploratory behavioural study in the social sciences and uses a qualitative research strategy. A case study investigation is conducted in Uyo, Nigeria, as a context that is instrumental to understanding the inherent choice behaviour of stakeholders in the field when faced with a choice of housing construction technologies. Choice decision theories provide the analytical framework. The outcomes of the empirical research are:  An emerging theory of stakeholders’ choice behaviour, identifying the values and describing the processes that determine their choice of housing construction materials and method; and  A propositional model of the relationship between the egoistic, preference-based requirements of housing users; the deontological, performance-based requirements of housing practitioners; and the wider welfare requirements of sustainable development. From this model, the study predicts how these stakeholders themselves would choose change, and thereby advance sustainable development, without the need to alter their normal choice values and processes. This new knowledge contributes to choice behaviour theory. The findings also inform needed alterations to sustainable development policy, innovation and impact assessment. Further research is prescribed to test the propositions, conclusions and recommendations made here. The study also supports the call for further research into behavioural areas in the field of housing production that are crucial to sustainable development.