Developing a Framework to Evaluate the Social Value Impact of Residential Property Development Projects in Kuwait

Residential development in Kuwait is shaped by a state-led housing system, rapid urban expansion, extreme climatic conditions, and socio-cultural practices that influence how residents experience housing and neighborhoods. Existing social value and sustainability frameworks provide useful principles for evaluating development outcomes; however, they may require contextual adaptation to address issues that are particularly relevant to Kuwait, including housing allocation, intergenerational living, privacy, maintenance, access to essential facilities, and culturally appropriate communal space. This study develops a stakeholder-informed framework for evaluating the social value of residential property development in Kuwait. A sequential mixed-methods design was adopted. First, a literature review identified five preliminary domains: Political, Social, Economic, Environmental, and Urban and 25 initial indicators. Second, 28 semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight supply-side stakeholders and 20 demand-side stakeholders. Thematic analysis was used to refine the indicator set, resulting in six additional context-specific indicators and a 31-indicator framework. Third, the same participants completed a structured questionnaire using a six-category scale from 0 to 5 to provide exploratory priority ratings. The Urban domain received the highest exploratory weight (24.33%), followed by Social (22.60%), Environmental (20.85%), Economic (18.06%), and Political (14.16%). The highest-ranked indicators were schools, clinics, mosques, and playgrounds (4.34%); accessibility for people with disabilities (4.21%); and resident satisfaction with safety and identity (3.83%). The findings indicate differences between supply-side emphasis on infrastructure delivery, maintenance, and governance and demand-side emphasis on affordability, housing access, environmental conditions, and lived residential experience. The framework is intended as a context-sensitive, exploratory decision-support instrument that can complement established social value approaches in Kuwaiti residential development. Its practical performance and external validity require testing through independent application to completed or live residential projects.