Sufficient housing in single-family homes: a potential door opener for socioecological transformation of the building sector

Peer-reviewed paper 7-295-26

Single-family homes (SFHs) play a significant role in the risk of transgressing planetary boundaries, particularly climate and land-use indicators, due to their sheer number, ongoing construction development, and status as the ideal home for many. Two research projects dedicated to this topic and their (preliminary) findings are summarized in this paper. SFHs and their construction pose ecological, social, and financial challenges. Three forms of change in the living situation are identified—moving into smaller, needs-based apartments, conversion of the SFH in two separate apartments to rent out one of them, and shared living through partial rental of individual rooms—and their acceptance among residents is evaluated. There is great potential for creating living space and thereby reducing environmental impacts. Policy (makers) can positively support change through awareness-raising, advisory services, financial support, planning implementation, and regulatory relief.