A series of studies in public housing neighborhoods in Israel explored a widespread phenomenon of user-initiated expansion of small units. The residents of these neighborhoods were working-class families of below average income, who usually function as passive users in the services of the welfare state, including housing services. However, when these people gain control over their housing, when physical conditions enable it, when the social environment encourages self-improvement, and when the administrative institutions do not inhibit it, a considerable portion of them turn into active, participating users, contributing to their own welfare as well as to that of the public in general. The results are significant amelioration in both objective dimension (maintenance) and subjective dimension (satisfaction), which leads to alleviation instead of deterioration of housing conditions and elevation of neighborhood status.
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