Anna Pagani

Citizen Think Tanks: co-designing post-pandemic housing futures

Claudia Rebeca Binder Signer, Valentin Daniel Maurice Bourdon, Livia Bianca Fritz, Anna Pagani

During the first wave of COVID-19, Swiss residents found themselves spending most of their time in homes unable to accommodate the needs hitherto met by cities. While scholars and practitioners have proposed strategies to mitigate the effects of housing deficiencies on inhabitants’ wellbeing, the contribution of all citizens involved in housing production and use cannot be overlooked. Therefore, this research aimed to offer spaces for mutual learning to co-design post-pandemic housing futures. Two Citizens Think Tanks (CTTs) were organised in spring 2020 as part of the transdisciplinary project Swiss Corona Citizen Science, involving eight to ten participants in two online sessions. The first CTT aimed to discuss housing conditions before and during the confinement. The analysis of the recordings and whiteboards led to the identification of three variables, namely (i) space for oneself, (ii) physical private space, and (iii) space for social interactions, using which we developed possible scenarios for the future of housing. The latter were presented in the second CTT using short stories and images, shaping a shared imaginary. The most desirable scenario was voted on, followed by a collective reflection on pathways to achieve it. The scenario ‘reinvesting the community’, resulting from an increase in personal and social space and a reduction in the physical one, was voted as the most desirable. Obstacles and opportunities that this vision entails included sharing and learning to share; ways of recreating a neighbourhood ‘spirit’; designing housing that allows for encounters, welcomes different cultures, and addresses desires for appropriation. The CTTs highlighted how different types of knowledge can contribute to the production of strategies to cope with present and future crises, generating questions that open up new avenues of research. They offered an example of how scientists and practitioners can interact with and benefit from the multiple voices of inhabitants.

2022

Explore, engage, empower: methodological insights into a transformative mixed methods study tackling the COVID-19 lockdown

Claudia Rebeca Binder Signer, Garance Clément, Laurie Daffe, Livia Bianca Fritz, Daniel Gatica-Perez, Vincent Kaufmann, Anna Pagani, Melissa Pang, Ulrike Vilsmaier

Action-oriented, transformative, and transdisciplinary approaches are increasingly heralded as promising tools that enable researchers not only to produce new knowledge about a situation, but also to actively engage in tackling it; however, such approaches raise critical questions about the methodological implications and conflicts involved in pursuing multiple objectives concurrently. This article seeks to advance this debate by examining the methodological implications of pursuing both knowledge production-oriented (epistemic) and action-oriented (transformative) objectives in urgent and uncertain situations. It asks how far a transformative mixed methods research design can leverage the potential of research to achieve multiple objectives in times of crisis. This methodological inquiry is based on a transformative mixed methods study on housing conditions and well-being which was initiated during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland. The study was composed of a country-wide survey, mobile crowdsourcing, interviews and Citizen Think Tanks. The results of this methodological reflection illustrate how this research design made it possible to (i) explore the effects of the crisis on domestic living spaces, (ii) engage with the crisis in a joint research space, and (iii) stimulate empowerment through reflection and mutual learning. These insights suggest the multidimensional orientation of the transformative mixed methods approach is appropriate for acting upon urgent crises. However, it challenges core methodological values and research constellations including (i) tackling unequal engagement opportunities, (ii) navigating social and epistemic control, and (iii) paying attention to situatedness and positionality. The article concludes that, in anticipation of future crises, favorable conditions for multi-targeted, collaborative research need to be fostered, both on the institutional and on personal levels. These conditions should enable fast and adequate team formation, as well as reflection and negotiation of positionalities, and divergent interests and objectives, of both scientists and citizens.

2022

Towards sustainability through housing functions: a systems perspective for the study of Swiss tenants' residential mobility

Anna Pagani

Problem. Housing is a major contributor to Switzerland's carbon footprint and energy consumption, but it is also a basic need. Research on climate change mitigation strategies has so far paid insufficient attention to households' preferences and their contribution to housing sustainability. Depicting residential preferences requires an understanding of the multilevel, context-specific, and interrelated determinants of the match between households and dwellings, which are made explicit in the residential mobility process.Goal. The goal of this thesis is to clarify the determinants of residential mobility and their interrelations to illuminate the effects of measures aimed at reducing housing's environmental footprint while meeting the needs of its households. Methods. This research employs a systems and transdisciplinary approach to explore, dig into and disentangle the complex relations governing the residential mobility process. It starts by conceptualising residential preferences and dwelling forms as the manifestations of the housing human and material subsystems, which are determined by the system's function. The applicability of this framework to residential mobility is explored by sequentially gathering and integrating qualitative and quantitative data on the tenants of three Swiss multifamily housing owners. This empirical basis is used to develop an agent-based model (ABM) of households' residential dynamics for the exploration of the emergent effects of housing sustainability measures.Results. Firstly, the present work shows that several functions coexist in the housing realm, each of which determines, for given elements of the societal and environmental supersystems (e.g. culture, location), different residential preferences and dwelling forms. Secondly, empirical investigations demonstrate that the notion of function offers analytical support to the study of Swiss tenants' residential mobility, as it permits the identification of linkages between the qualities of residential environments and residents' characteristics, their residential satisfaction, and triggers to move. In particular, functions help explain the observed preference for larger dwellings and the low propensity of shrinking households to relocate. Furthermore, this notion enables the observation of the effects of the exceptional circumstances posed by the COVID-19 on residential preferences, and the increased desire for a place for 'self-representation'. Lastly, using this empirical and context-specific knowledge, the thesis introduces the agent-based model ReMoTe-S. Simulation experiments show that measures to reduce space consumption are insufficient if not accompanied by an offer of dwellings that simultaneously meet and reshape households' preferences. They also reveal that these preferences cannot be fulfilled via the direct correspondence between desired and current housing characteristics, as housing functions result from several compromises between them. These results invite practitioners and citizens to collectively reimagine the way housing functions express themselves in dwelling forms with a lower environmental footprint.Conclusions. This thesis offers a platform for systemic co-inquiry that enables researchers and practitioners to navigate the complex interactions at play for the provision of sustainable housing. To limit human-induced global warming, the approaches and tools used must rapidly permeate practice and teaching in architecture.

EPFL2022

A systems perspective for residential preferences and dwellings: housing functions and their role in Swiss residential mobility

Claudia Rebeca Binder Signer, Anna Pagani

Worldwide, there is an urgent imperative to provide a housing supply that is environmentally sustainable as well as acceptable and desirable for its users. A holistic and integrative understanding of the relationship between households’ residential preferences and dwellings is needed to achieve this goal. This paper addresses this gap by conceptualizing and operationalizing housing as a system whose human and material behaviours are determined by its function. Following a qualitative literature review to identify what housing functions are and investigate their effects on the housing system, we explore the applicability of such functions in Swiss tenants’ residential mobility. Results show that multiple functions co-exist in the housing realm, each of which determines various human (i.e. residential preferences) and material (i.e. dwelling forms) behaviours that vary according to given societal and environmental structural elements (e.g. geography, culture). We also observe that housing functions potentially provide the missing link between the determinants of tenants’ residential mobility.

2021

Activities, Housing Situation and Other Factors Influencing Psychological Strain Experienced During the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Switzerland

Claudia Rebeca Binder Signer, Garance Clément, Livia Bianca Fritz, Ralph Hansmann, Anna Pagani

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis and the corresponding first nationwide lockdown from mid-March to 10 May 2020 engendered considerable psychological strain among people in Switzerland. This study analyzes determinants of changes in subjective levels of psychological strain experienced during the lockdown. Methods: An online survey conducted as part of a larger mixed methods study examined the material and emotional aspects of individual reactions to the lockdown from a socio-ecological perspective. Participants (N = 5932) were asked about their personal and employment status, housing features, changes in various activities (e.g., physical activity, watching TV, social media use) and aspects of mental distress and well-being. Results: A substantial share of participants reported to feel depressed (33%) and anxious (43%) more often during the COVID-19 lockdown than before, whereas significantly (p < 0.001) less persons reported a decrease of these negative feelings (depressed 17%; anxious 14%). Women, single people, students and people who lost their jobs or were temporally unemployed due to the lockdown experienced a particularly strong increase of subjective psychological strain. Important residential factors reducing subjective psychological strain were the general comfort of the housing situation and having a private garden or multiple types of outdoor space. Considering leisure activities, the strongest positive psychological effect resulted from increased physical activities, followed by reading and cooking. However, 45% of the participants reported a decreased frequency of physical activity during the lockdown compared to before, whereas significantly less persons (26%) reported a corresponding increase (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Consistent with other studies, the results indicate a substantial reduction of subjective psychological well-being of the population during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland. The psychological burdens which the participants experienced differ depending on personal characteristics and situational factors. Negative psychological and economic consequences and gender inequalities should accordingly be carefully considered and actively prevented when designing COVID-19 measures. Supportive economic and social, cognitive and behavioral psychological interventions need to be designed and implemented to maintain the well-being of residents during lockdown.

2021

Exploring residential preferences before and during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland

Claudia Rebeca Binder Signer, Livia Bianca Fritz, Ralph Hansmann, Anna Pagani

The first COVID-19 lockdown blurred the boundaries between all dimensions of life. Residential environments had to function as schools, offices and homes, often challenging residents’ comfort and wellbeing. In this study, we look into the effects of the first COVID-19 lockdown on housing residential preferences in Switzerland, which have been shown to be linked to health and wellbeing. Based on an online survey of residents (N = 5378) we explore the extent to which the functions they assign to their ideal dwelling (e.g. a status symbol, a shelter) have changed during the pandemic. We relate this change to the respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, their feelings about the confinement and whether and how their leisure activities were affected by it. Results show that for more than half of the sample at least 1 of the 3 most desired housing functions prior to the pandemic gained or lost importance. Whilst the wish for a place for ‘satisfaction of aspirations’ showed the largest increase, a place fulfilling basic needs (i.e. eating, cooking) was found to be less desirable. With the support of logistic regression models, we identify two profiles of residents whose preferences changed, thereby shedding light on diverse ways of responding to the confinement measures. We argue that an enhanced understanding of the ideal housing functions is critical to design healthy residential environments which enable their inhabitants to cope with future challenges.

2021

How the first wave of COVID-19 in Switzerland affected residential preferences

Claudia Rebeca Binder Signer, Livia Bianca Fritz, Ralph Hansmann, Vincent Kaufmann, Anna Pagani

During the first wave of COVID-19, residents’ health and well-being were challenged as residential environments suddenly had to accommodate most of the functions of an urban system. Although scholars and practitioners have proposed reconsidering dwelling requirements, their top-down approach overlooks the agency of residents whose preferences might have changed during the confinement. This paper investigates the effects of the first wave of COVID-19 on residential preferences in Switzerland. Adopting a systems perspective, we use an online survey of residents (N = 5378) to explore the extent to which the functions assigned to ideal dwellings have changed during the pandemic and relate these shifts to socio-demographic characteristics, changes in leisure activities, and respondents’ environment conditions. Results indicate that at least one ideal function changed in importance for 60% of the respondents. The desire for a place for self-representation increased, whereas a place for meeting basic needs evinced the largest loss in importance. Our regression models enable us to identify two profiles of residents who responded differently to residential stress. We argue that housing owners, practitioners and policy-makers should empower inhabitants to respond to current and future challenges by acting on and changing their residential environment for their health and well-being.

2021

Mon logement à l’épreuve du confinement : Quelles orientations pour l’après ?

Valentin Daniel Maurice Bourdon, Garance Clément, Claudine Bettina Karlen, Anna Pagani

Entre mai et juin 2020, des citoyen.ne.s scientifiques de toute la Suisse ont répondu à cette question dans des groupes de réflexion : les Citizen Think Tanks. Avec des chercheuses et chercheurs de l’EPFL, ils ont élaboré des scénarios pour l’avenir après la pandémie. Touchant à plusieurs thématiques, ces Citizen Think Tanks s'inscrivent dans une recherche collective sur les conditions de logement et le bien être durant le confinement dû au Covid-19. La recherche, intitulée ‘Corona Citizen Science’, implique une grande équipe interdisciplinaire de chercheurs et chercheuses de l’EPFL et UNIL, et de leurs instituts (IDIAP et IP), ainsi que les citoyen.ne.s, concerné.e.s directement par la crise du COVID-19. Ensemble, ils forment l’équipe de recherche scientifique et citoyenne sur le Coronavirus en Suisse. Plus précisément, la recherche vise à un apprentissage mutuel, aboutissant à la coproduction de stratégies d’adaptation aux crises futures. C’est dans ce cadre que, le 28 mai et 4 juin 2020, un groupe hétérogène de citoyen.ne.s scientifiques a réfléchi autour de notre logement... à l’épreuve du confinement.

2021