Your new house : or would a flat suit you better? : development of housing preferences in England, Paris, Germany and New Zealand

Abstract

This thesis explores the reasons that influence the popularity of different housing models in different parts of the world. Why are individual suburban houses considered the only adequate solution in some places while urban apartment living is more celebrated somewhere else? The parallel existence and popularity of different housing models direct us to search for the reasons not in the rational evaluation of quality of specific housing solutions but in local social and cultural perceptions of the desirability of certain housing models. It is argued here that the primary reasons that influences housing preferences are social and cultural forces. To support its primary hypothesis, this thesis traces a history of the development of housing preferences in four different locations. It exemplifies different aspects of the process of creation and evolution of local housing preferences. England provides an example of the development of a strong preference for suburbia as a solution to urban problems caused by industrialisation. Parisian development shows that the comprehensive re-planning of inner-city areas and improvements in the standard of apartment buildings offered an equally valued solution to similar problems as in England. The example of Germany and Central Europe helps us understand that the early modern architecture considered all housing forms and models on the basis of their specific value and allowed for their parallel development and use. And finally, the example of New Zealand's preference for individual suburban houses shows how housing preferences migrate with people, establishing a basis for their thorough reinterpretation in new locations. Examples that are presented here help us understand our own presumptions about housing as a cultural construct that we can embrace or replace. This enhances our critical understanding of housing preferences preparing us for an improved understanding within the architectural profession.