Housing Need and Residential Mobility: The Mismatch Debate in Perspective

Abstract

Abstract In the debate about appropriate housing provision, concern regarding a mismatch between changing household structure and current housing provision looms large. The trend towards smaller households, particularly the smaller proportion of households with dependents, has led to the conclusion that there is a declining need for large dwelling structures, particularly those on the periphery, and a greater need for the construction of smaller dwellings. Smaller households are assumed to have different housing needs but because the construction industry continues to provide predominantly large houses, these needs are not adequately provided for. The paper argues that this is a simplistic view of the dynamics of the housing system. Using a crude measure of housing consumption which relates household size to the number of bedrooms per dwelling the paper identifies that while significant underutilisation exists in the dwelling stock, it varies considerably by location within the city. Key words:: Housing mismatchresidential mobilityhousehold structureunderutilisationsuburbanisation