DETERMINING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE EXTENT OF COMPLIANCE WITH RESIDENTIAL PLANNING STANDARDS: CASE STUDY OF BENGHAZI, AL-FATAH DISTRICT, LIBYA

This study aims to determine the factors that influence the extent of compliance with residential planning standards and regulations in an authorised urban area of Benghazi, in Al-Fatah district, Libya. Combined quantitative and qualitative methods are used in this study. Based on survey results of 359 heads of households, the statistical software PLS-SEM via Warp PLS 6.0 is used to determine the significant factors affecting compliance level, supported by semistructured interviews with five officials from planning authorities. Compliance level with residential planning standards is relatively low in Benghazi. Nine factors include the monitoring system, staff training, corruption, bureaucracy, financial facilities, housing provision, and social and physical infrastructure all have significant effects on the extent of compliance with residential planning standards. However, only the enforcement system has no noticeable effect on the compliance level. The study found that the primary driver for low compliance is economic in nature, followed by administrative considerations. With the continued availability of authorised housing and housing schemes, even without infrastructure, it is possible to achieve a high level of compliance in the future.