Introduction

Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is a powerful tool used to assess how well a building or urban development meets its design goals, focusing on user satisfaction, functionality, energy performance, and social outcomes. For large housing estates, POE plays a crucial role in refining urban design to better align with residents' needs and preferences.

Unlike individual buildings, Post-Occupancy Evaluation for residential and mixed use projects must address the complexity of entire neighbourhoods, capturing both physical aspects and social interactions that contribute to community well-being. 

Barriers such as budget constraints, time limitations, and a lack of regulatory incentives have made POE challenging to implement consistently. Digital innovation, such as mapping surveys, offers a potential solution by making POE more accessible, allowing for cost-effective and scalable evaluations.

What is Post-Occupancy Evaluation in Urban Design?

Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is a systematic approach to evaluating how well buildings and spaces serve their intended purpose once they are occupied. In architecture and urban planning, POE has been recognised as a mechanism to gather essential feedback that informs future projects, ensuring that both functional and experiential goals are met. The concept of POE has early roots in the RIBA Plan of Work, which first introduced structured evaluation stages to support learning and continuous improvement in building design and performance (RIBA).

For larger developments, different types of POE may be employed, which differ significantly from the more technical POE used for individual buildings that often focuses on building performance metrics. In urban design, POE must also consider spatial aspects such as community layout, accessibility, shared spaces, environmental impact, and security. For instance, in the U.K. a Quality of Life Foundation (QoLF) report for DLUHC highlighted the broadening focus of POE in urban design and housing to include neighbourhood-level evaluations, emphasising the importance of considering these broader spatial dynamics.

An international  review highlighted that various frameworks like BREEAM Communities and the STAR Community Rating System offer structured approaches to evaluating these broader spatial aspects, helping to ensure vibrant, sustainable, and community-focused urban environments.

Benefits of Post-Occupancy Evaluation for Urban Design

POE offers several benefits for evaluation of housing estates and larger developments:

• Improving Resident Satisfaction and Quality of Life: POE helps identify gaps between design intentions and real-world use, enabling improvements that directly enhance residents' comfort and satisfaction.
• Enhancing Urban Design Quality and Functionality: By gathering feedback from residents, planners can refine urban spaces to better serve the community, creating environments that are both practical and enjoyable.
• Promoting Long-Term Sustainability: Evaluating factors such as environmental impact, resource efficiency, and access to communal amenities helps align developments with sustainability goals.
• Case Examples: Successful POE initiatives have led to improved community cohesion and adaptive design modifications, contributing to better social and environmental outcomes.

Practical examples

Here are some examples of practical POEs including opportunities for strengthening the review:

Charlotte Place/Weaver View (Savills for Barratt David Wilson)

Savills conducted a post-occupancy study on 208 homes in Winsford, Cheshire, completed in 2020. In 2023, they reviewed impacts using data from the Department for Education, NHS, and Land Registry to assess school capacity, GP availability, and house prices. They also made socio-economic predictions based on resident profiles and local financial benefits.

The review mainly focused on impacts to local services, as there were no other major developments in Winsford, an isolated town. The study found that projections for schools and GPs were mostly accurate, though primary school places were in short supply, with only 21 GP slots remaining. House prices dipped during construction but recovered after completion.

The study is interesting in its choice and focus. Inviting resident feedback would have been an opportunity to enrich the findings and provide a fuller picture of lived experiences. This highlights a key opportunity for future reviews to include more resident engagement.

Woodberry Down (Notting Hill Genesis and Berkeley Homes)

The Woodberry Down Estate in north London is a long-term regeneration project, currently about 15 years into its development. In 2023, a social impact assessment was conducted to evaluate residents' experiences, attitudes, and the broader impact of the regeneration efforts. Commissioned by Notting Hill Genesis, the study included door-to-door surveys of 422 residents, in-depth interviews with stakeholders, youth engagement workshops, and walking interviews with residents of different tenures.

Key findings showed that temporary tenants often felt less included and more financially insecure compared to long-standing residents. Community events and shared facilities such as parks, community centres, and local businesses were found to play a crucial role in fostering a sense of belonging and social cohesion. However, there was a decline in residents' perceptions of their ability to influence local decisions compared to previous years, and concerns were raised about the adequacy of local facilities as the population continues to grow.

The Woodberry Down assessment highlights the importance of ongoing resident engagement and the need to ensure that benefits from regeneration are distributed equitably across different tenures and demographics. Including more resident feedback and ensuring all voices are heard could provide a more holistic understanding of community needs and support improvements in future development efforts.

The Need for More Frequent and Comprehensive POE in Urban Design

Despite its many advantages, POE is still underutilised in large-scale developments. Budget, time, and resource constraints often pose significant challenges, and a lack of regulatory incentives further limits widespread adoption. In fact, studies show that only about 3% of architectural practices regularly undertake POE on housing projects in the UK (RIBA).

In 2000, CRISP commissioned three studies on the effective use of feedback. They identified a significant feedback gap, with limited connection between building occupants and those responsible for commissioning, designing, and constructing them. This aligns with findings from 'A Guide to Feedback and Post-Occupancy Evaluation' by the Usable Buildings Trust, emphasising the need for better integration of feedback throughout the building lifecycle to enhance user satisfaction .

However, there is a growing demand for data-driven improvements in urban living spaces. Digital tools are helping to close this gap, enabling more frequent and scalable POE processes that support ongoing enhancements in community design and sustainability.

Steps to Conducting a Post-Occupancy Evaluation for Housing

Here are our suggested steps for designing your POE:

1. Establish Objectives for the POE: Define clear goals such as improving sustainability, enhancing safety, or increasing accessibility. These objectives provide direction and focus for the evaluation process.
2. Design Survey Methods: Use both qualitative and quantitative approaches to gather comprehensive data. Resident surveys, focus groups, and energy metrics can all contribute to a fuller understanding of the estate's performance.
3. Engage Residents and Stakeholders: Meaningful feedback requires the involvement of developers, architects, local councils, and residents. Their input ensures that diverse perspectives are considered.
4. Collect and Analyse Feedback: Gather data from all stakeholders, using mapping-based tools and traditional methods to identify trends, challenges, and areas for improvement.
5. Implement Findings for Continuous Improvement: Use the insights gained to guide ongoing adjustments to the estate, ensuring the design evolves to meet changing community needs.

Digital Engagement Tools for POE: Leveraging Map-Based Online Surveys

Digital engagement tools, such as PlaceChangers, offer emerging, budget-friendly options for conducting detailed POE in large housing estates. These interactive surveys allow residents to provide location-specific feedback, pinpointing issues such as noise, safety concerns, or accessibility challenges attributable to specific aspects in their environment directly on digital maps.

The advantages of these tools are clear:

• Visualising Communal Areas and Designs: Mapping surveys provide a visual representation of how people use spaces, helping planners understand movement patterns and identify areas needing improvement. 
• Clear feedback potential: Interactive proposal maps can ensure that POE feedback is directly attributable to specific site features or nearby elements, allowing large projects to make timely improvements during ongoing construction.
• Cost-Effective Data Collection: Digital surveys are more scalable and affordable compared to traditional methods, making POE feasible even with limited budgets.
• Supporting Sustainable Planning: Feedback gathered through mapping can be used to design better-connected, environmentally friendly communities.

These tools allow for context-specific mapping and feedback, making it easier for residents to pinpoint issues and provide direct input on their environment. By leveraging these interactive tools, POE can become more engaging and insightful, with feedback being attributable to specific features of the site.

To implement a POE using digital mapping tools, consider the following steps:

1. Provide design or context of what was built: Import your layout of what was built and constructed, potentially with the option of anything in progress. 
2. Setup and Customisation: Create mapping-based surveys tailored to the estate's context. Include categories such as safety, accessibility, comfort, and environmental quality.
3. Data Collection: Encourage residents to provide location-specific feedback by tagging areas on the map and adding comments on aspects in urban design that they see as invigorating or irritating. If a custom framework is used, try reuse established Census categories to benchmark results. 
4. Data Analysis: Aggregate and analyse the feedback to determine which aspects of the development are working well and which need improvement.
5. Ongoing Engagement: Implement a recurring POE schedule, revisiting the evaluation every 1-2 years to track progress and adapt interventions as needed.

Digital POE tools help track long-term community needs and measure the impact of interventions over time, enabling continuous adaptation.

Future Directions and Next Steps

To establish POE as a standard practice in urban design, developers and planners should incorporate it into project timelines from the outset. Policy mandates and public funding could further support this effort, making POE a regular feature of the development process.

The future of digital POE is promising, with advancements such as AI-driven insights and predictive analytics offering the potential for deeper, more proactive urban planning. Ongoing resident engagement will be crucial to sustaining community well-being and ensuring that urban environments remain adaptable and thriving.

Post-Occupancy Evaluation, supported by digital tools such as mapping surveys, offers a practical approach to creating urban environments that respond to residents' needs. By embracing these innovations, developers and planners can foster thriving, adaptable communities that enhance quality of life for everyone.