Shared housing for students and young professionals: evolution of a market in need of regulation

This research addresses the shared housing market, that is, large-scale developments targeting students and ‘young professionals’, equipped with shared spaces and services for the residents. This housing segment has emerged in response to young adults’ demand for flexible and affordable housing. It has developed in cities that concentrate students and young single professionals, plan densification strategies and face housing commodification. We specifically explore the production side of this market, through the comparison of two projects in Amsterdam. Our objective is to understand the institutional context in which these projects were developed and their outcomes. Consequently, the research questions are: which actors develop these projects, what instruments do they use, and what are the outcomes in a commodifying housing market? From our analysis, the actors need to collaborate on shared housing developments and receive support from local governments, through the strategic use of planning instruments and tenure regulations. However, the shared facilities seem to merely serve to commercialize small housing production, while housing affordability and accessibility are threatened. We, thus, recommend local and national authorities to regulate the provision of shared spaces and suggest further research on the effects of the shared housing market in cities facing housing commodification.