Research Project: Socially sustainble rural housing provision - a comprehensive overview of knowledge and research

Project leader
Susanne Stenbacka, Kulturgeografiska institutionen Uppsala universitet
Project Members
Susanna Heldt Cassel
Project Period
-
Project Status
Present
Description
In this project we want to review and analyse the current body of knowledge with a focus on housing access,
inequalities and social dynamics in rural areas in Sweden.
There is a growing geographical divide and differentiation with regard to the housing situation. In some areas,
there is overheating, and vulnerable group and young households have limited access to housing. In other areas
there is a surplus of vacant housing, sometimes resulting in demolishing or sale of previously municipally owned
properties. In this study we take a systematic approach to review the literature about socially (un)sustainable
rural housing. A comprehensive review will map out and describe the themes and topics of existing research and
will provide a basis for further studies and identification of knowledge gaps. Two workshops contribute to
transferring of knowledge, among researchers and stakeholders.
Sustainability in rural housing could be conceptualized as a balanced development where neither the ‘hot-spots’
with over-heated markets connected to for example seasonal tourism or economic booms, nor the ‘cold-spots’
with a shrinking population and related processes of unsustainable rural housing, dominate. It is of importance to
identify the mechanisms and processes that shape and reproduce housing imbalances in rural areas. The state of
knowledge with regard to access to ho
Keywords
social hållbarhet, bostäder, landsbygd, social sustainability, housing, rural areas
Research Profile
Other
Subject
Human Geography
Financiers
FORMAS
Publications