New ways of working, new ways of living...new housing issues ?

Our working life has become increasingly flexible, so have our housing needs. The housing market has very well understood this paradigm shift and the private sector has started developing innovative housing concepts emphasizing new urban “live-work” lifestyles. In particular, housing developments delivering small dwellings with shared spaces and services for the residents have been supported by local governments. Such projects often target students and so-called “young professionals”, possibly with an intergenerational mix. Originally a niche market, the development of shared spaces and services as a compensation for small housing dwellings has become significant in global cities with a high market pressure. The latter is not only related to the concentration of small households and young, highly-skilled people in cities, but also to housing deregulation, increased labour flexibility, and land use policies oriented to urban densification and mixed-use development. Our purpose is to explore the processes behind this growing phenomenon in Amsterdam and Brussels, two cities creating a favorable context for live-work mix developments. Our objective is to understand the influence of each local context on the governance and further outcomes of these developments. Consequently, the research questions addressed in both cities are: which coalitions of actors develop housing with shared spaces and services, what are the mechanisms influencing affordability and quality outcomes, and is there a need for further regulation of this housing segment? Through the discussion of exemplary developments completed in both cities, we discuss the difficult balance between affordability and quality as opposed to profitability and quantity. We finally stress our concern regarding the risk of self-segregation (irrespective of a defined target public) and ever smaller housing units.