Tiny Homes Research Articles

The effect of dwelling size on the mental health and quality of life of female caregivers living in informal tiny homes in Hong Kong

BackgroundAlthough the adverse impact of substandard informal housing has been widely documented, most studies concentrated on developing societies, thereby leaving informal housing in developed regions underexplored. This study examines Hong Kong, where limited dwelling size is a distinctive feature that characterises informal housing, to explore the impact of housing informality on mental health, with a particular focus on dwelling size. It centers on subdivided units (SDUs), which are tiny compartments partitioned from a large domestic quarter, to understand how housing informality and housing size affect the mental well-being of female caregivers, who typically bear the brunt of the housework.MethodsIn partnership with nongovernment organisations in three SDU-abundant districts, this mixed-methods study conducted a survey on 413 female caregivers aged 18—65 and qualitative research combining ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews on 36 families living in SDUs in Hong Kong between 2021 and 2023. The mental health outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the participants were assessed by using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 and a EuroQol-5 Dimension-5 Level questionnaire.ResultsDepression, anxiety and stress were prevalent across the female caregivers living in SDUs (12.4%), as well as a significantly lower HRQoL compared with that of the general population (0.882 vs. 0.919). Findings showed that a total floor area smaller than 13.0 m2 was associated with increased likelihood of experiencing anxiety and depression and reduced HRQoL. Cramped living space adversely affected the caregivers’ well-being through the 1) physical, 2) relational and 3) personal aspects of home experiences. Negative experiences at home can cause housework burnout, exacerbate family conflicts and lead to feelings of repression and low self-efficacy.ConclusionsThis study contributes to the understanding of the consequences of housing informality in diverse geographical contexts and illuminates the effect of dwelling size by identifying the mechanisms through which housing size can affect the mental well-being of residents, which may vary depending on their family status. The findings yield important policy implications, including the need to establish a minimum space standard for subdivided residential dwellings and ensure equitable access to community spaces for deprived families.

“It feels like I’m a step closer to my ultimate goal of stable housing:” a qualitative study of unhoused people’s experiences in alternative shelters in Portland

ABSTRACT In recent years, alternatives to congregate shelters have emerged, including tiny home villages and motel conversions. Existing research indicates that these alternative shelter modalities are associated with positive outcomes for shelter guests. This qualitative study was conducted with 11 participants staying in three alternative shelters tailored to support specific groups: lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people, women, and medically vulnerable people. Participants reported a number of facilitators and barriers to meeting their personal goals (e.g., permanent housing, medical care). Key facilitators included the relative privacy, autonomy, and safety of alternative shelters, and support for guests with marginalized identities. Barriers included difficulty navigating housing systems, and lack of internet and mail access. Given the drawbacks of congregate shelters, these new models are promising options to support unhoused people when permanent housing is not yet available.

Analyzing Variations in Characteristics between Jurisdictions That Regulate Small, Affordable Housing Solutions in the United States

This study analyzes demographic, socioeconomic, housing, and regional characteristics of jurisdictions that permit versus do not permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs), tiny homes, and mobile homes. I use descriptive statistics and t-tests and find large differences between jurisdictions that permit versus do not permit ADUs, modest differences between jurisdictions that permit versus do not permit tiny homes, and somewhat large differences between jurisdictions that permit versus do not permit mobile homes. Jurisdictions that permit ADUs have high proportions of Asians and Hispanics/Latinos and jurisdictions that permit mobile homes have high proportions of Hispanics/Latinos, showing racial and ethnic bifurcation.

Review Paper on Study and Analysis on Low-Cost Housing

Studying and analyzing low-cost housing involves examining various aspects such as design, construction materials, location, affordability, sustainability, and social impact. Here's a breakdown of some key considerations: 1. Design: Low-cost housing often requires innovative designs that maximize space utilization while minimizing costs. This may include modular construction, tiny homes, or efficient layouts that reduce the need for excessive materials. 2. Construction Materials: The choice of materials significantly impacts the cost of housing. Analyzing alternative, locally-sourced materials that are both affordable and durable is essential. This might involve using materials like bamboo, recycled materials, or compressed earth blocks. 3. Location: The location of low-cost housing projects is crucial for accessibility to job opportunities, transportation, and essential services. Analyzing the availability of land and infrastructure in suitable locations can influence the feasibility of such projects. 4. Affordability: True low-cost housing must be affordable not only in terms of initial construction but also in terms of ongoing maintenance and utilities. Analyzing the total cost of ownership over time is essential to ensure that housing remains accessible to its intended occupants. 5. Sustainability: Sustainable practices should be integrated into low-cost housing projects to minimize environmental impact and reduce ongoing costs. This may involve energy-efficient design, renewable energy sources, water conservation, and waste management strategies. 6. Social Impact: Low-cost housing projects should consider the social impact on communities, including issues like inclusivity, community engagement, and empowerment of residents. Analyzing the social dynamics and potential benefits Key Words: Affordability, Construction material , House technique , Urbon Planning

Understanding the Housing Preferences of Older Adults: Insights from a Study on Micro-Housing in Salt Lake City, U.S.

The main objective of this research was to investigate what older adults think about the idea of living in micro-housing as an affordable housing option in Salt Lake City. By conducting interviews with 20 individuals over 65 years old, we discovered that they prefer Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and micro apartments. Participants expressed concerns about tiny homes. The participants highlighted the importance of having a sense of community and access to amenities when choosing their housing. Additionally, they still preferred single-family homes because of space and financial factors. These findings offer insights for housing developers, architects, and policymakers who aim to create cities that are both sustainable and livable for people of all age groups.

SteFib ECC Built a Resilience Infrastructure

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 9 calls for resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation. Echoing this vision, construction industries have prioritised resilient structure and sustainable design while optimising economic and wealth growth. The use of steel fibre (SteFib) as scattered reinforcement in building design and construction had been explored. SteFib has been designed as reinforcement in the structural components of the building namely, raft foundation, floor and roof slabs, wall panel and column. Prototype of an Industrialised Building System (IBS) with two (2) bedrooms, one (1) living area and linked to a small kitchen was constructed using hook ended SteFib, 60 mm long and 0.7 mm in diameter mixed in grade 40 concrete. The prototype has successfully proven that the SteFib is able to stand as fully reinforced structure through this tiny home project. The structural performance analysed and verified using Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis. The analysis results show that steel fibre house has higher stress, forces and moment compared with normal concrete house.

Balancing Urban Development: Literature on the Nexus Between Affordable Housing and Urban Sprawl

The complex relationship between affordable housing and urban sprawl has major implications for cities all over the world. While urban sprawl offers lower housing costs and increased space as benefits, it also does present serious environmental, social, and economic issues. Undoubtedly, the rising cost of housing in the urban centers has forced the no income and the low-income populations to the periphery and thus increasing economic inequality and displacement. The growing urban sprawl has given rise to environmental degradation, social isolation, and economic inefficiency, which is further intensifying the displacement of low-income individuals and their families. This again is the remote cause of overcrowding as it restrains upward economic mobility. The aim of this research is to examine the complex relationship that exists between affordable housing and urban sprawl, and to propose ways to balance these dynamics. Key objectives include analyzing the adverse impacts of urban sprawl on the environment, societal fabric, and economic productivity; investigating the driving forces behind rising housing costs and their repercussions on low-income households; evaluating existing policies and strategies addressing affordable housing and urban sprawl; and proposing innovative solutions for sustainable urban development with equitable access to affordable housing. With the use of a literature review methodology, this study offers a comprehensive strategy. Stronger land use planning and zoning, improved public transportation and active transportation infrastructure, the expansion, building and preservation of more affordable housing, the promotion of social justice and community involvement and the use of technology and data-driven approaches are policy recommendations. The adoption of micro-units and tiny homes, co-housing and shared living arrangements, adaptive reuse and mixed-use development, community land trusts and housing cooperatives are some of the innovative recommendations. By striking a balance between affordable housing and sustainable urban development, these strategies hope to foster inclusive and thriving cities. Keywords: Urban sprawl, Affordable housing, Sustainable urban development, Low-Income Households, Land-Use Policy, Compact city planning, Community engagement

Homely mobilities: between ‘immobility’ and ‘mobility’ through tiny homes

This paper seeks to contribute to current discourse at the intersection of mobility and architecture studies, by examining the divide between immobility and mobility through the lens of tiny homes. While home is the archetypal image of stasis, belonging, and rootedness, recent mobility studies have considered the potential of architecture as mobilizing, rather than purely permanent, animated through mobility. Our focus on tiny homes highlights the shifting relations between ‘immobility’ and ‘mobility’ as ‘homely mobility’ to create a sense of homeyness and happiness. We examine this homely mobility through an analysis of the YouTube channel Living Big in Tiny Homes, which challenges static conceptions of the home and allows us to emphasize the multi-scalar and multiple forms of homely mobility, spatially and temporally, through micro and macro movements. This paper has a particular interest in how bodies-with-tiny-homes transform and are entangled in movements and flows, but also how the ideas of tiny homes, or ideals of homes generally, stay, are sticky or get stuck.

Neoliberalism, Climate Change, and Displaced and Homeless Populations: Exploring Interactions Through Case Studies.

There is a growing attention to neoliberal policies and practices as they relate to climate change and housing within academic literature. However, the combined effects of neoliberal political and economic decisions on the interaction between climate change and displaced and homeless populations have not been substantially explored. In this paper, we identify and focus on three key re-emerging themes prevalent within neoliberal discourses: economic considerations, individualization, and short-termism. To examine the intersecting influence of climate change and these themes on vulnerable populations, the following case studies are discussed: displaced populations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, refugees in Kenya, and tiny homes programs in the U.S. and Canada. The diversified contexts and levels of analysis allow for more nuanced understanding of the variety of ways in which neoliberal influences and climate-induced events impact the most vulnerable populations. We argue for the need to change the framing of these issues, which are often presented in neoliberal terms and are driven by neoliberal logic. We then present potential avenues for resolving the identified issues, such as through systemic changes, development of long-term solutions, and focusing on community-based adaptation (CBA) programs.

A tiny home of one's own

The home occupies a prominent place in our popular and material imagination. The ideal home is a powerful image because it is understood to be a haven from the ills of the world and a material expression of our true selves. This article considers how home, as a tiny home, is framed through two YouTube channels, Living Big in Tiny Homes and Kirstin Dirksen. Extending Sara Ahmed's work on affect, we present this framing as twofold: first, through a sense of ‘with-ness’ where YouTube facilitates an intimate storytelling with materiality; and second, a sense of ‘against-ness’ where both channels facilitate the notion of the materiality of home as separate and bounded. The study draws on detailed analysis of 42 video episodes and accompanying written comments to consider how materialities, affects, and experiences of tiny homes are intersected with the constraints of the ideal of a stand-alone home.

Are ‘tiny homes’ good for the environment? Focus on materials, land-use, energy and carbon footprint

Material consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are rising in building stocks. At the same time, the floor area of residential buildings per capita has been increasing. New houses can be very energy efficient but are often built from energy and emission-intensive materials. We investigated the potential of tiny homes for reducing material use, energy consumption, and associated emissions, as well as land use. For this study, comparative life cycle assessments and energy simulations were conducted on tiny homes, detached houses, and apartments in the context of Finland, Northern Europe. The results allow comparison between different building types. The studied tiny homes had lower energy consumption and carbon footprints than the reference buildings when comparing these indicators per capita or per building. However, when using floor area as a unit of comparison, the tiny homes perform worse. When looking at land use efficiency, tiny homes and apartment blocks performed better than detached houses. We conclude that, as tiny homes are strongly related to individual lifestyles, their overall relevance for lowering environmental impacts should be compared in relation to consumption habits and use of public services. Furthermore, the environmental benefits of tiny homes need to be interpreted in a broader sustainability context, especially in relation to indicators of social and economic sustainability.

Evaluating Tiny Houses as a Solution to the Housing Affordability and Environmental Crises

Tiny houses have captured the attention of North American media, with HGTV, the major cable television channel, alone showing three tiny-house related shows: Tiny House Hunters, Tiny House Builders, and Tiny House, Big Living (“HGTV Canada”). One of the first results to appear is the official “Tiny Homes in Canada” website, which claims that tiny homes sit at “the intersection of the housing crisis and the climate crisis” (Tiny Homes in Canada). Notably, this website also proclaims that the tiny home community is a “culturally idealistic response to financial desperation” (Tiny Homes in Canada) and sustainability. Much scholarly research supports the notion that the two primary drivers for tiny house living are affordability and sustainability (Evans; Shearer and Burton). In this paper, I evaluate the actual potential for tiny houses to serve as a solution to the housing affordability and environmental crises, especially in Ontario, Canada. I find that though tiny houses have the potential to be a solution for the housing affordability and environmental crises, they are not a current solution because Ontario legislation renders them somewhat inaccessible. I also explore the lifestyle choices and social conditions associated with tiny house living, as a housing option that is both idealistic (presented as a solution to the overwhelming housing affordability and environmental crises) and pragmatic (financially feasible).

The institutionalization of ‘tiny home’ villages in Portland: Innovative solution to address homelessness or preclusion of radical housing practices?

Within the context of rising rents and growing unhoused population, public authorities are compelled to adapt their own practices, to create low-cost social policies and sometimes to draw inspiration from informal housing practices. Through the analysis of the institutional adoption of the ‘tiny home’ village model in Portland as a means of sheltering the homeless, this article examines the extent to which these informal practices spread into public policies and reconfigure the governance of homelessness. It points out that, although political struggle and advocacy have been crucial in the regularization of the first homeless villages by public authorities, the way the village model is currently being institutionalized tends both to depoliticize the way they are operated and to reproduce some of the constraints associated with congregate shelters.

Shrinking domesticity: Are ‘tiny homes’ the perfectly packaged answer to the global housing crisis?

Shrinking domesticity: Are ‘tiny homes’ the perfectly packaged answer to the global housing crisis?

Regarding the Ruins: Dehousing and the Places Where Nothing Remains

This paper seeks to reframe the way we think about the rise of “dehousing” (Hulchanski et al., 2009, p. 3) in Toronto. Outsourced private security and militaristic, colonial policing by the state (Kanji & Withers, 2021) displace people from warm air vents, tiny homes, tarps, tents, and other secluded places of refuge. Rather than see empty public space or fenced off parks as neutral ground amidst a housing crisis, I propose that these sites constitute a “ruin.” How might the ruins bear witness to the violence of dehousing? I frame my analysis through Crane’s premise (2021) that Nothing must be seen as a Something. She reveals how photography can help us in the documentation of Nothing (Crane, 2021). With the help of photographs, this paper attempts to animate the pedagogical witness of the places where Nothing remains. Rather than being conceived as a natural result of some “generic human tendency” (Crane, 2021, p. 121), ruins can be understood as part of presently existing unjust systems that must be changed. The “ruins of dehousing” turn us toward histories of colonial displacement, our relationship to public space, and our obligation to become conscious of Nothing.

Emplacing category dynamics: Houselessness and the emergence of transitional micro-housing villages

Recent studies suggest a critical yet unexplored role for local places such as cities and communities in category research. In this study, I investigate how places, as the nexus of cultural, political, and material influences, can shape category dynamics, especially in the early phases of category emergence. I synthesize insights from category work with recent conceptualizations of places as geographically bounded spaces, imbued with meanings and material forms. I conducted an in-depth qualitative field study of the emergence and expansion of a new category, transitional micro-housing villages, also known as Tiny Home Villages, in Eugene, a mid-size city in the United States in 2011–2019. The study unpacks the role of nested places in triggering, enabling, and constraining actors and their work to create, legitimate, and expand a category. Specifically, I highlight the role of local material forms and how actors can mobilize local spaces, technologies, and practices to advance their goals in contested category dynamics.

Housing: A Critical Contributor to Kidney Disease Disparities.

Housing: A Critical Contributor to Kidney Disease Disparities.

Promoting Safety and Connection During COVID-19: Tiny Homes as an Innovative Response to Homelessness in the USA.

Using an international human rights framework, this study explores how tiny home villages have provided unhoused individuals with critical shelter necessary for preserving health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, while attending to the needs of social connection and community maintenance. The gaps and inadequacies of conventional shelter systems in the USA for people experiencing homelessness have been highlighted by COVID-19. Physical distancing can be challenging for people experiencing homelessness due to the crowded congregate shelters and encampments. Furthermore, closed agencies and limited transportation can increase risk for isolation. People experiencing homelessness are more likely than the general population to have health risks, such as diabetes and heart disease, both of which can increase the risk of death for people who test positive for COVID-19. Through qualitative analysis of 32 open-ended survey responses of experts working and/or living in tiny home communities addressing homelessness, we explore how these leaders in the field responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two primary themes emerged through analysis: (1) villages prioritize safety through physical distancing, and (2) villages preserve social connection and combat isolation. This balance of being responsive to the safety guidelines of COVID-19, while also maintaining social connection and community building, highlights the need for social work to embrace new and innovative responses to homelessness and other social issues, particularly given the uncertainties and complexities of the future.

Creating a tiny home building code to positively affect long-term sustainability

There is an ongoing effort in the tiny home construction industry in the United States to create a tiny home specific building code. To date, there has been little data collected to reflect how the creation of a building code could affect the tiny home industry. Mixed methods research was conducted, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data. Interviews were conducted with tiny home experts, builders, owners, advocates, insurers, financers, and building officials. The results of the research indicated that creating a tiny home building code would positively affect the sustainability of the tiny home movement. Of the different types of tiny homes identified in the research, those associated with tiny homes on wheels (THOW) would likely benefit the most from a creation of a tiny home specific building code. The majority of those surveyed (76%) were in support of creating a THOW specific building code. Five main categories were identified as necessary for inclusion in a THOW specific building code including trailer foundations, trailer to structure connections, framing, electrical, and sanitation. Eleven subcategories, or specific items, were identified as essential for inclusion in a THOW specific building code. Future research should validate the data collected and ensure all pertinent code items are addressed.

Determinants of the adoption of tiny houses and their role in alleviating housing shortages in Germany

<abstract> <p>The lack of affordable housing and the considerable negative environmental impact of the housing sector pose significant challenges for policymakers. Tiny houses have been proposed as a potential solution, but there is still limited understanding of consumer behaviour and attitudes towards such solutions. This study looked at the adoption of tiny houses in Germany by applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a theoretical framework to explore demographic and socio-economic factors, motivations, and barriers for living in tiny houses. Data was collected through interviews and an online survey. The results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between intention to live in a tiny house and age, and a significant negative relationship between intention and current accommodation size. Main motivations found in this research were sustainability, cost reduction, freedom, minimalism, mobility, and a sense of community. The main barriers included legal restrictions and a negative perception of minimalism. The lessons learned from this research were: (1) COVID-19 had a negative impact on about 40% of participants, but a statistically significant positive impact on those who were already interested in small houses. (2) Although tiny houses located in cities would be preferable to meet the need for well-connected, high-density housing solutions for young and elderly people and to alleviate the housing shortage, most people seem to be interested in rather rural tiny houses. (3) Minimalism is both a motivator and a barrier to interest in tiny houses, but with a societal shift towards sustainability could become more of a motivator. (4) Interest in tiny homes often builds on financial constraints and limited alternative housing options. (5) The Theory of Planned Behaviour proved to be a sound theoretical framework for this research.</p> </abstract>