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This study aims to examine the permit changes enacted by the city of Portland, Oregon, USA, on the construction and subsequent short-term rental of tiny homes. The permitting process was eased by the city in 2014. The city’s enforcement of occupancy and rental ordinances, sometimes called Airbnb laws, were tightened in 2019. The new code restrictions are tighter than the rental codes that existed previously.

This paper uses time-series data to first consider the thesis that relaxing building permit requirements for tiny homes has encouraged legal construction and increased the number of applications filed with the city planning office. The number of permits was the dependent variable and time-sensitive dummy variable was the independent variable. An adjusted T-statistic was calculated using a least-squares regression model with a moving average autocorrelation adjustment. The second regression model considers the financial relationship between active listings on Airbnb and HomeAway to a housing price coverage ratio and the aggregated dynamic-factor model used to calculate the economic activity index for Portland.

There were two reported case study findings. The first regression used a dummy variable measuring the application response to permit easing. It was positive and significant. The second finding measures active host listings on Airbnb whether they are directly associated with the calculated multiple of the changes in the S&P/Case–Shiller housing price index low tier divided by weekly employee income. Higher numbers for this coverage ratio suggest that listings on short-term rental platforms are increasing directly with the ratio. The economic activity index is insignificant when predicting the level of listings. Regression results indicate that property owners are financially motivated to list dwellings as visitor rentals and possibly motivated to install tiny homes behind their primary residences as short-term rental units. Local economic conditions do not seem to influence the number of properties listed on short-term rental websites.

Higher coverage ratios encourage property owners to list dwellings on short-term rental websites in the absence of enforceable rental restrictions. Without a method to quickly and feasible identify owners violating short-term rental restriction legislation and enforce fines there is a tendency for active listings to grow in a locale. San Francisco, California, under its new short-term rental ordinance requires online websites such as Airbnb to enforce permit requirements. San Francisco’s ordinance change seems to have resulted in a dramatic drop in active listings available for visitor rentals.

Information published by Inside Airbnb and Airdna does not separate entire dwelling information into categories such as single-family detached houses; tiny homes; apartments; or condominiums ownership types. Even public housing units are sometimes listed as short-term rentals. The aggregate data makes the relationship between active listings and the coverage ratio difficult to interpret. Listing information is limited and only available for a three-year rolling cycle on a quarterly basis for the city of Portland, Oregon.

Future research studies could consider how tiny homes might play a role in providing permanent housing to local residents or for providing a shelter for the homeless in cities experiencing acute long-term rental shortages. Does limiting the number of homes available as short-term visitor rentals noticeably increase the quantity of housing and lower the monthly rental rates available to permanent residents of the city? Cities have passed short-term rental codes with the objective of increasing the availability of rental housing available to residents at affordable prices.

Prior research studies focused on who purchases tiny homes; tiny homes used as housing for the homeless; communities composed of tiny homes; and the connection between tiny home living and political activism. The study herein links permit changes to tiny-home building applications. It uses the home price index low tier and the economic condition index for the Portland metropolitan area to predict the number of active listings on Airbnb and HomeAway websites pre-regulation enforcement.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the social and functional features of micro-apartment and, based on the findings, to demonstrate the projects of modern micro-apartment designed for one or two people, which are implemented in the experimental design.

Based on the analysis of the study of theoretical scientific works on the research topic and from the standpoint of an interdisciplinary discourse the social and economic prerequisites for the demand for such a dwelling are determined and the categories of citizens for whom a micro-apartment is an advantage are identified. Particular attention is paid to the typological boundaries of the study, the generalization and synthesis of sources which is reflected in identifying the features of the functional zoning of a micro-apartment in connection with the needs of residents and determining modern ways to improve the comfort of living.

At the examples of experimental design of micro-apartment for the city of Almaty we substantiated the expanding the existing typology of residential buildings by adding a new type of urban dwelling – a micro-apartment which occupies a niche between apartment housing for permanent residence and traditional hotels.

The content of the study is devoted to the analysis of a micro-apartment as a new type of modern urban dwelling for a single and small-family population. Urban residents’ interest in economical, affordable small-area dwellings as well as the need to study and design micro format dwellings for the modern urban environment is a topical issue.

To examine the recent popularity of the tiny house movement with a critical eye toward the growing commodification of sustainability in a market that continues to shelter economic and class privilege, despite that the movement itself emerges from a desire to consume less and contribute to community more.

Written from the position of a tiny house builder and dweller, this study reads a range of recently published accounts of the tiny house movement, informed by contemporary work in environmental sociology. Investigates current rhetoric surrounding the movement with special attention to issues of mobility, consumption, and the movement’s romanticism, with particular attention to the movement’s invocations of Henry David Thoreau.

Tiny house living can cultivate correctives to possible oversights or entitlements in environmental thought, challenge representations of the movement itself, and encourage those inside the “tiny” house movement to openly discuss the difficulties and capabilities endemic to tiny living.

Tiny houses, while still bound to forms of privilege, hold potential to be what some social science researchers have seen as best practice. Practices that link the practicality of realism with the zeal of romanticism can contribute to what has been found to be a positive correlation between conscious consumption and political activism.

This critique offers a gentle corrective to unmitigated praise of the current tiny house phenomenon in order to highlight the movement’s potential for addressing more pressing social justice and environmental issues.

This conceptual paper aims to describe aging all over the place (AAOP), a federative framework for action, research and policy that considers older adults’ diverse experiences of place and life trajectories, along with person-centered care.

The framework was developed through group discussions, followed by an appraisal of aging models and validation during workshops with experts, including older adults.

Every residential setting and location where older adults go should be considered a “place,” flexible and adaptable enough so that aging in place becomes aging all over the place. Health-care professionals, policymakers and researchers are encouraged to collaborate around four axes: biopsychosocial health and empowerment; welcoming, caring, mobilized and supportive community; spatiotemporal life and care trajectories; and out-of-home care and services. When consulted, a Seniors Committee showed appreciation for flexible person-centered care, recognition of life transitions and care trajectories and meaningfulness of the name.

Population aging and the pandemic call for intersectoral actions and for stakeholders beyond health care to act as community leaders. AAOP provides opportunities to connect environmental determinants of health and person-centered care.

Building on the introduction of an ecological experience of aging, AAOP broadens the concept of care as well as the political and research agenda by greater integration of community and clinical actions. AAOP also endeavors to avoid patronizing older adults and to engage society in strengthening circles of benevolence surrounding older adults, regardless of their residential setting. AAOP’s applicability is evidenced by existing projects that share its approach.

This paper aims to provide an example of ways in which research plans may shift and how the research team dealt with necessary changes as they unfolded; within this context, the authors encourage the use of qualitative and narrative methods prior to and during the design process to better understand the population for which they are designing. Second, the stories from this case study illustrate the importance of understanding the overall context in design solutions, understanding the value of working with residents during the design process and using design as a tool for advocacy and empathy.

Initially, a traditional mixed method approach was developed to study the feasibility of tiny homes in homeless populations. Responding to unforeseen circumstances, the research team shifted to more appropriate narrative research methods, capturing a profile of the community. The paper shares narrative accounts from the tiny home village residents.

Overall, the stories from the Portland visit illustrate the importance of social impact and the understanding of the overall context in design. This study also advocates the use of qualitative interview and narrative methods in design research, especially when used to better understand the “houseless” or other special populations.

There were limitations to the research that likely affected the outcomes and the results. The most apparent limitation was the unanticipated shift in methodology that occurred during the research study, which is also arguably one of the best strengths. Also, because of the qualitative nature of this research, the results are not generalizable to a broader context and only valuable or applicable to special cases.

The true human condition of displaced people is often misrepresented in the minds of those who are unaffected. Designers are uniquely qualified to help solve seemingly unsolvable problems but must do so with caution.

For those taking on the challenge of designing for disadvantaged communities, this paper reveals that design research is more than just a problem to solve through habitable boxes. This study brings to light several social, economic and design complications that may arise in this vein of research.

This research methodology was unexpectedly altered when unforeseen events necessitated a shift in the research plan. This process revealed that sensitive social issues can be difficult to navigate and must be treated with utmost respect and flexibility. Issues such as affordable housing, homelessness and sustainability are all examples of wicked problems, which designers are uniquely qualified to help solve but must do so with caution and a true understanding of context. Many lessons were learned through this process.

Health impact assessment (HIA) is a systematic research and public engagement tool used to elevate health and equity in public policies. However, HIA practitioners often overlook potential mental health impacts. The purpose of this paper is to review the degree to which mental health is included in HIAs in the USA.

The authors conducted a systematic review of 156 HIAs that were completed between 1993 and 2013 for their inclusion of mental health. HIAs were subdivided to assess if mental health conditions or their determinants were measured, and if predictions or mitigation strategies were made in the scoping, assessment, or recommendations phases.

Overall, 73.1 percent of HIAs included mental health. Of the HIAs that included mental health (n=114), 85.1 percent also included the determinants of mental health and 67.6 percent included mental health outcomes. 37.7 percent of HIAs measured baseline mental health conditions and 64.0 percent predicted changes in mental health as the result of implementing the proposed policy, plan, or program. Among the HIAs that made predictions about mental health, 79.5 percent included recommendations for potential changes in mental health, while only 46.6 percent had measured mental health at baseline.

Although many HIAs included mental health in some capacity, this paper quantifies that mental health is not included in a robust way in HIAs in the USA. This presents a difficulty for efforts to address the growing issues of mental health and mental health inequities in the populations.

This paper represents the first academic endeavor to systematically assess the state of the field of HIA for its inclusion of mental health.

The purpose of this paper is to compare different apartment ownership systems and analyze how to enhance the regular maintenance and repair of owner‐occupied apartment buildings. The dwellings themselves are often in fairly good condition, but the common parts (e.g. walls, roofs, stairwells, and technical installations) are often poorly maintained.

Apartment ownership systems in ten European countries (Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) are analyzed, along with Canada, China, Russia, and the USA, and some of the main findings from each country are presented. The material studied is primary legal sources together with the relevant literature.

It seems that there are severe obstacles in the legislation of many countries. Some of these obstacles are: the non‐existence of a proper decision‐making body (e.g. homeowners' association); the wide use of a qualified majority, or even the use of consensus, which makes it difficult to reach decisions; serious difficulties in getting loan financing for major repairs because of a lack of collateral and means to enforce the collection of payments; a lack of transparency and insufficient auditing procedures. Overall, it can be concluded that there are great variations between different countries. At the same time, many legal solutions are similar across certain groups of countries.

Weaknesses in the legislation is one of the main reasons for the continuous deterioration of an important part of the housing stock in many countries. If this deterioration continues, the quality of life of millions of occupants will gradually worsen.

The paper provides a theoretical well‐based analysis, combined with concrete suggestions.