Young people's dwelling strategies in a mobile society

What is it about?

This article examines a situation of mobility that is fairly widespread among young people: the mobility that translates into short/medium term moves – for a few months or at the most a few years – related to work or study. In line with the results of recent studies, the paper argues that in some cases the residential instability due to this form of mobility can be an opportunity to transform an anonymous space into a temporary home. Drawing on a qualitative study which explored the temporal and spatial experience of young people in Italy, the article analyses the narratives of a number of university students temporarily residing in the Lombardy region, highlighting the processes involved in recreating the feeling of "being at home" which take place in everyday life, by means of structuring domestic times and spaces, negotiating household rules and organising care practices.

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Why is it important?

The specific characteristic of the moves we have studied is that they are viewed from the start as temporary, open to the idea of further moves, albeit not always with a defined time frame or destination. Our findings show that the temporary nature of these stays does not prevent individuals from formulating “emplacement” strategies, experiencing their present situation “as if” the possibility that it might change in the future does not substantially influence their ability to “feel at home” there. In these cases, we have tried to understand “how” these strategies develop, the connections that form between the “becoming” of the home and the individual’s personal “becoming”, and what role everyday practices play.

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