The Congruence between Housing Space, Social Space, and Community Space, and Some Experiments concerning its Implications

Abstract

Housing space, social space, and community space are each defined simply and discussed with respect to two concepts: housing space is defined in terms of type and quality for individual housing units; social space is defined in terms of social status and stage in the life cycle for a family unit. Contrasting with these micro-scale definitions are the constructs of community space—family status and social status—which describe census units at the macro-social level. The congruence between housing space and social space for a sample of homes and the families residing within them in Kingston and Winnipeg, Canada, is then determined statistically with the use of multivariate multiple regression procedures. The varying degrees of incongruence for a number of social groups are then analysed subjectively under three defined housing constraints. Finally, the representativeness of the two samples is examined, and directions for further research are outlined.