Temporality of Living - Places of Emotional Belonging and Everyday Practices

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Caroline Kramer; Professorin Dr. Carmella Pfaffenbach
• Subject Area: Human Geography
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 468542043

In general, housing is conceived as more or less permanent, both in everyday life as well as in scientific research. In the metropolitan context, limited duration of residence, fluctuation and multilocality have been addressed as recent phenomena of housing. In suburban small and medium-sized cities, however, it is assumed that the duration of residence is significantly longer, that there is less fluctuation and that the proportion of people living multilocally is lower. This project critically examines these assumptions. Rather, we assume that the temporality of housing is not an exclusively metropolitan or inner-city phenomenon, but can also be observed in suburban locations, because the increasing temporality and mobility due to changing working environments are both societal and ubiquitous phenomena. In our view, temporality encompasses a broad spectrum ranging from rather short-term stays of a few months to longer-term stays of several years, which are often caused by university education and fixed-term contracts of employment. Temporality of living can also include multi- or translocal lifestyles, whose (temporary) living arrangements can by all means cover several years. Against this background, this project aims to investigate both the quantitative dimensions of the temporality of housing and its effects on people's place attachment. We understand place attachment to include both emotional references to places and concrete place-related practices (e.g. everyday practices and social engagement). In addition, reasons for the temporality of housing and perceptions of these arrangements are investigated from the perspective of the people. Furthermore, the phenomenon is considered in the context of individual biographies. Thus, past and future phases of temporality are also taken into account. We pursue these goals with different empirical research methods: expert interviews, representative quantitative surveys of residents, qualitative interviews with temporary residents and expert workshops. As study areas we have selected the two major cities of Frankfurt and Leipzig as well as four small and medium-sized towns in their suburban surrounding. This selection enables us to empirically test the assumed ubiquitous distribution of the temporality of living.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants