NEC Events

Presentation of a systematic literature review on downsizing living space and housing satisfaction in older age.

As part of the annual conference “Continuing to Live as Usual? Societal Transformation and the Spatial Materialization of Housing” organized by the DFG Research Training Group Gewohnter Wandel, Jonas Lage and Mareike Andert examine the complex interrelations between downsizing living space and housing satisfaction in older age in their lecture “Living Circularly: Housing Satisfaction in the Context of Downsizing Living Space.”

In their presentation, Jonas Lage and Mareike Andert (Europa-Universität Flensburg / Norbert Elias Center for Transformation Design and Research) analyze the unequal distribution of housing in the Global North as a starting point: Large apartments are often not relinquished after children move out, while overcrowding persists elsewhere. At the same time, living space per capita has been increasing for decades – indicating not so much a quantitative shortage as a distributional problem.

The lecture offers the first systematic synthesis of different perspectives on housing satisfaction in the context of downsizing in the empty-nest phase. It identifies points of connection between various academic discourses as well as existing research gaps and knowledge deficits. The concept of ‘circular use of living space’ describes a way of redistributing living space by adapting it to changing household sizes. The aim is to distribute living space more efficiently and address social and environmental issues at the same time.

Further information about the conference.