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The purpose of this paper is to determine how much variance in vacancy duration can be explained by the architectural attributes of apartments and to illuminate strategies to reduce vacancy duration utilized by non-profit housing providers.

This is a sequential mixed methods research study with a qualitative variable-gathering phase followed by a quantitative variable-testing phase. Vacancy duration in days was the dependent variable and the attributes of the apartments were the independent variables. Each building functioned as a separate case, with its own results, and the cases were compared to draw conclusions about the strongest predictors for vacancy duration.

Each case study project has a significant linear regression equation with multiple variables contributing to the variance in tenancy duration. The R² statistic varied for the case study projects from a low of 10.2 percent to a high of 36.9 percent. Factors that resulted in longer vacancies for two or more of the projects include: unit mix, floor level, road proximity and length of tenancy for the tenant moving out. Factors resulting in shorter vacancies include: corner position in the building and relatively larger size of the apartment.

The geography of the study is limited to Washington State in the USA. However, the case study projects represent three metropolitan statistical areas, with distinct climates and economic conditions. There are limitations to the stepwise analysis method because the degrees of freedom limit the complexity of models that can be estimated.

This paper highlights influences on vacancy duration and proposes conceptual models for measuring the periods of vacancy duration.

Through this study, architectural contributions to vacancy were uncovered and tested so that subsidized housing, a public good, can be distributed more efficiently.

This research is the first known study to compare vacancy durations on a unit-by-unit basis.

Many people living in and around Mumbai face space scarcity within homes, an issue exacerbated for families with members having differing and conflicting spatial requirements. By investigating how families live in existing residential environments, planners and designers can enable families to cope better with space scarcity.

A case study approach is used to examine four small home settings in and around Mumbai, followed by a thematic analysis of the data collected.

This study contributes a framework for studying small homes in and around Mumbai wherein they are characterized by five categories of information: internal zoning pattern, expansion pattern, spatial specialization and stratification pattern, outdoor space appropriation pattern and household adjustment pattern. Analysis through this framework gives insight into how small home settings are used by residents.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study offering in-depth comparative analysis of small home typologies in India.