What is the use of lifestyle research in housing?’ A case study from the Netherlands
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Abstract
At the turn of the century the supposed change from a supply oriented to a demand oriented housing market and the increasing complexity of the multicultural society have boosted the development and application of lifestyle research in the domain of housing in the Netherlands. Lifestyle is expected to provide a surplus value compared to more traditional housing indicators such as socio-demographic and socio-economic variables. But lifestyle is also a contested concept in housing research. The validity and reliability of the concept have been questioned and housing scholars are critical about the necessity of lifestyle as an added value for housing research and housing practice. Nevertheless we see an increasing interest of housing professionals in lifestyle methods developed by different agencies, although in the field of practitioners and administrators it is a contested concept as well. In this paper we want to fuel the discussion about the added value and necessity of lifestyle research for the domain of housing. We will compare the lifestyle methods used in the Netherlands and present the results of case studies, i.e. projects in which these methods have been applied in the housing domain. In order to assess the surplus value of lifestyle research we use interviews with involved agencies and professionals.