Mobility as a stratifying factor in housing : dwelling-in-place contra dwelling-on-the-move

Publication Type:
article-journal
Date Issued:
2018
Authors:
Karin Grundström
Publisher:
Routledge
Language:
eng
Page:
96-110
DOI:
10.1080/17450101.2016.1274559

Keywords:

Architecture dwelling housing mobility segregation spatial practice

Housing is almost entirely overlooked in mobility studies. Yet mobility is intrinsically linked to housing, not only for the cybernetic elite or global nomads, but also for the middle class. Through a comparative case study of two extreme cases of housing, the Markeliushus from 1935 and Victoria Park from 2009, this study found that mobility has been continuously linked to discourses and practices of housing the modern Swede. Furthermore the findings suggest that two contrasting housing forms have evolved: dwelling-in-place and dwelling-on-the-move. I argue that these two housing forms are part of an evolving stratification of housing based on mobility. The article concludes that mobility has become an entry point for disaffiliation by privileged groups, accessible through housing.