Affinity towards flexible housing – a study among homeowners in Germany

Abstract

ABSTRACT Uncertain rental and real estate prices, demographic changes and the diversity of household types are increasing pressure on the housing market. One way of dealing with these challenges is flexible housing, which is designed to adapt to changing needs and patterns, both social and technical. It enables buildings to be used for longer periods, which increases their long-term sustainability by reducing not only their material and energy consumption but also the level of environmental pollution. The aim of this study is to examine to what extent criteria of flexible housing are relevant to homeowners and which factors can be used to predict the importance. By conducting an online survey of 519 homeowners in Germany, we were able to identify ten factors that can be used to predict the perceived importance of flexible housing. These are the number of rooms in the property, the size of the residential area, the household size, homeowner’s age, environmental awareness, importance to the homeowner of stability and longevity, accessibility, value stability, use of renewable materials and recyclability of construction materials. This study contributes to literature by identifying criteria for flexible housing from the homeowner’s perspective. It is the first study to analyse this question empirically.