Exploring an Analytic Model of Urban Housing Strata

Abstract

An analytic model of urban housing strata based on Morris's and Winter's 'Housing Adjustment Model' is examined to investigate housing conditions and housing behavior of urban families. Family-related variables as well as physical conditions of housing are incorporated into the model through the concept of housing norm which is expected to vary with family characteristics. Housing strata

are grouped by collapsing housing strata scores into four categories: upper, upper middle, lower middle, and lower strata. Housing strata are highly correlated with respondents' housing characteristics and socioeconomic attributes such as husband's and wife's education and family income, but not highly associated with family characteristics. This study suggests that the housing stratum is more useful than other status variables in explaining housing behavior.