Summer 1979, Vol 4, No 1

Abstract: This article describes and evaluates a new and innovative method of measuring local housing conditions. In contrast to traditional on-site inspections that rely on semantic survey techniques, the pictorial housing survey employs a photographic portfolio, indicative of various housing conditions, to evaluate the physical condition of dwelling units. The results of preliminary field testing in Dallas, Texas indicates that this procedure can not only validly discern local housing conditions, but, more importantly, leads to greater consistency in housing quality ratings among field workers than semantic survey techniques.