An assessment of housing provision process and housing quality in Lithuania

Abstract

Development implies a qualitative improvement in living conditions but in countries with a transitional economy, including Lithuania, the process of housing provision is not smooth. The process has influence on the deepening of social and economic problems. Among such problems are: lack of affordable housing for new households, low mobility of labor force, a low growth level of economics and employment, and ineffective use of energy, etc. The general tendencies in the housing situation of Lithuania reveal a broad spectrum of problems, which is also characteristic of the whole Baltic region. The main aim of sustainable development is to match up economical growth of a town and its regional progress, by focusing on an even distribution of die whole state, and maintaining the ecological balance as well as ensuring favorable living conditions for the next generation. In Lithuania, during the last thirteen years an uneven development has been on the increase and me gap between cities and peripheral towns and their regions has widened. The purpose of die research reported in diis paper was to establish the pattern of housing provisions in Lithuania, to estimate die factors that produce me pattern and evaluate the main factors that have an influence on housing conditions in Lithuanian towns and regions. The autiiors will demonstrate an application of the model mat uses a database of economic and social development of towns and regions in Lithuania. By applying multiple statistical methods die autiiors have developed a decision support system based on real data on social-economic indicators. The proposed model allows for the evaluation and forecasting of the future behavior of die process of housing provision as related to economical progress and environmental issues.