Living smaller: acceptance, effects and structural factors in the EU

Abstract

This article examines limits to per capita living space (i.e. living smaller and/or sharing living space) as a measure for achieving sufficiency in housing. It studies the acceptance, motivation and side-effects of voluntarily reducing living space in five European Union countries: Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Spain and Sweden. Insights are derived from an extensive collection of qualitative empirical material collected from citizen and stakeholder ‘thinking labs’ across the five case countries. Overall, the data reveal an initial reluctance among citizens to reduce living space voluntarily. They also point to some major structural barriers: the housing market and its regulatory framework, social inequality, or dominant societal norms regarding ‘the ideal home’. Enhanced community amenities can compensate for reduced private living space, though contingent upon a clear allocation of rights and responsibilities. Participants also reported positive effects to living smaller, including increased time for leisure activities and proximity to services. This was often coupled with urbanization, which may also be part of living smaller in the future. Policy relevance Despite many challenges, European Union citizens can accept and embrace smaller living, given the right conditions. In particular, meaningful social contacts, good shared amenities and attractive neighbourhoods can lead to high satisfaction with smaller living conditions. Urbanization can serve as a major driving force to achieve this transformation, but it must be guided. Policy interventions are necessary to ensure a changing housing stock and more flexible use of the existing housing stock. Support for downsizing necessitates a reconfiguration of regulatory norms and economic incentives for building and planning. Equally important, ‘soft’ values of good community and mutual respect need to be fostered in a denser, smaller housing reality. Good governance becomes essential for housing to allow for flexibility in living situations and to manage conflicts. A shift in norms and values towards community and sharing is necessary and this requires active policymaking and good governance of urban spaces.