Assessing Middle-income Residents' Attitudes about Their Urban High-rise Condominium in Contemporary American Society

Most research on high-rise housing has focused on low-income residences, and usually the psychological and social well-being of women and children. The validity of such findings are questionable for other populations since high-rise living has served other groups and their various needs in particular settings. Lack of knowledge and understanding about high-rises has represented an obstacle to the accurate representation of American urban reality in residential environments. The review of literature and factor analysis identified Important environmental factors. The survey was conducted in the selected downtown high-rise communities of major U.S. cities. Analyses revealed that there were unique characteristics of residents who prefer to live in this type of housing. It was also found that living in middle-income urban high-rise condominiums does not contribute significantly to the problems associated with high-rise living itself. Even though there were some deficiencies of social interaction and activities among residents, the middle-income condominiums were serving particular residents as maintenance-free and safe place imprinted by a positive image of sweet memories or sometimes by a window view presiding over downtown skyline.