SO-HAUS : RETHINKING WOMEN'S SAFETY, SECURITY AND WELFARE IN MIDDLE-COST HOUSING

There is little emphasis on women's safety, welfare, and security planning and design in housing scene in Malaysia which is often overlooked by the authority. The lack of power, differences in lifestyle, and lack sense of understanding amongst the lower-income group also affect the security as the term 'neighborhood effect' is often used to describe the simultaneous presence of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage with other social problems such as high rate of unemployment, and crime that consequently diminishes the security aspect in a low-cost housing complex. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to identify the needs for the emotional, social, and economic development of women in a medium-cost housing environment; to develop suitable program relating to the emotional, social and economic state of women in a medium-cost housing territory; and to propose a housing design that resolves the emotional, social and economic state of women in a medium-cost housing environment.