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Urban rhythms in a small home: COVID-19 as a mechanism of exception

Author

Listed:
  • Jenny Preece

    (University of Sheffield, UK)

  • Kim McKee

    (University of Stirling, UK)

  • David Robinson

    (University of Sheffield, UK)

  • John Flint

    (University of Sheffield, UK)

Abstract

The amount of living space we have access to is one manifestation of the unequal distribution of housing resources within societies. The COVID-19 pandemic has required most households to spend more time at home, unmasking inequalities and reigniting longstanding debates about the functionality and experience of smaller homes. Drawing on interviews across three UK cities, this article attends to the changing household routines of individuals living in different types of small home, exploring daily life before and during ‘lockdown’. Using the concept of urban rhythms, the data show that the lockdown has intensified existing pressures of living in a smaller home – lack of space for different functions and household members – whilst constraining coping strategies, like spending time outside the home. Lockdown restrictions governing mobility and contact acted as a mechanism of exception, disrupting habitual patterns of life and sociability, and forcing people to spend more time in smaller homes that struggled to accommodate different functions, affecting home atmospheres. For some, the loss of normal strategies was so significant that they sought to challenge the new rules governing daily life to protect their wellbeing.

Suggested Citation

  • Jenny Preece & Kim McKee & David Robinson & John Flint, 2023. "Urban rhythms in a small home: COVID-19 as a mechanism of exception," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(9), pages 1650-1667, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:60:y:2023:i:9:p:1650-1667
    DOI: 10.1177/00420980211018136
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Melanie Lombard, 2019. "Informality as Structure or Agency? Exploring Shed Housing in the UK as Informal Practice," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(3), pages 569-575, May.
    2. Hazel Easthope & Emma Power & Dallas Rogers & Rae Dufty-Jones, 2020. "Thinking relationally about housing and home," Housing Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(9), pages 1493-1500, October.
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    4. Sarah Pink & Kerstin Leder Mackley, 2016. "Moving, Making and Atmosphere: Routines of Home as Sites for Mundane Improvisation," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(2), pages 171-187, April.
    5. Lau, Mandy H.M. & Wei, Xueji, 2018. "Housing size and housing market dynamics: The case of micro-flats in Hong Kong," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 278-286.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yingling Fan & Scott Orford & Philip Hubbard, 2023. "Urban public health emergencies and the COVID-19 pandemic. Part 2: Infrastructures, urban governance and civil society," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 60(9), pages 1535-1547, July.

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