Applying the Refined Kano Model to Enhance Youth Housing Toward User-Centered Sustainability: Insights from Three Cases in Taipei

The development of youth housing is a top priority in Taiwan to address housing justice concerns. However, planners often neglect real user needs, particularly those related to sustainability. This paper employs the refined Kano model to identify priority features for youth housing under sustainable development. Data from 327 participants, aged between 20 and 40 years, residing in Taipei City, forms the basis of this study. The findings reveal priority features for youth housing: durability and well-being emerge as high value-added features for customer satisfaction, while safety and security, well-optimized layouts, cleanliness, and maintenance should be provided as critical features. Moreover, accessibility and mobility, along with maximizing usable units, are potential features for youth housing planning. This paper assesses three cases in Taipei City based on the results of refined Kano models, revealing their strengths and improvement areas, notably in Case Alpha, where insufficient priority features hinder resident satisfaction. Resident feedback highlights concern about spatial efficiency, material durability, maintenance, and community space. Further research is needed to evaluate the quality of features, especially priority ones, to ensure long-term living quality. This study can offer valuable insights for architects, policymakers, housing developers, and researchers to enhance user-centered planning, improve existing housing quality, and design better living spaces under sustainable development principles.