Size and the good life: Tiny houses, social housing and the role of social imaginaries

Abstract

Among the key figures of global housing inequality is the average living space per person. Thus, it comes as no surprise that during the past decade, tiny houses have become an attractive option for some who want to set an example in an affluent society of the global north: free-standing, two-storey building with a total floor space of less than 30 m². At the same time, in many countries of the global south, people are confined to a similar floorspace – not out of choice but out of need. In bringing together these two very different contexts, I am arguing that from a perspective of capability justice, the concept of home is more than just the need for shelter. In order to enable people to participate in societal life, housing solutions require processes of urban transformation, as well as careful planning and design for social housing. Even in a situation of hardship, living in a small-scale house can be a step towards a realisation of concepts of the good life within the given circumstances. Taking up Charles Taylor’s concept of social imaginaries and presenting architectural examples from the Mexican context (Apan housing laboratory and work done by Tatiana Bilbao), I am drawing some unlikely parallels between the effects that tiny houses, on the one hand, and suggestions for social housing, on the other hand, might have within their respective societies. In this, the concept of social imaginaries helps to see parallels between architecture as a medium of the social and the role of religion.

Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article argues that in questions of housing justice, architectural solutions can fruitfully supplement considerations of justice.