Housing vulnerable people: does size matter?

Planning and mental health implications of ‘tiny homes’

Daniel James MRTPI of consultancy Plan Research will use his RTPI Practitioner Research Fund grant to carry out an interdisciplinary study of ‘tiny homes’ and the people that live in them.

Local authorities and housing organisations have implemented housing schemes based on these prefabricated structures, intended to tackle homelessness more quickly and at a lower cost than conventional construction.

Many ‘tiny homes’ do not meet the UK’s ‘Nationally Described Space Standard’ published in 2015, or the Republic of Ireland’s ‘Design Standards for New Apartments’ published in 2018. In both of these standards, the minimum is 37 square metres of floor space per dwelling, the smallest permissible studio apartment for a single person.

While people living in caravans have been the subject of planning case law for many decades, ‘tiny homes’ have been presented as a new housing solution despite being functionally similar to caravans lived in by gypsies and travellers, or tourist caravans used year-round by permanent residents.

Daniel said: “Any discrepancy between attitudes to ‘tiny homes’ and caravans creates uncertainty for planning and housing officers regarding accommodation for some of the most disadvantaged people in society. While anyone can become homeless, this risk is greatly increased for marginalised groups, and so spatial standards for accommodation can be considered an equalities issue. The aims of my research are to provide relevant evidence regarding ‘tiny homes’ to planning and housing professionals, to encourage critical evaluation of these proposals, assist local authorities in preparing consistent responses to schemes, and to inform residents of ‘tiny homes’ about planning policy and minimum space standards.”

Photo credits

The image at the top of this web page is of Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada, designed by architect Moshe Safdie. Photo credit: Gaétan, CC BY-SA 2.0
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grand_marcheur/12279127303

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