(Tiny) spaces of hope: Reclaiming, maintaining, and reframing housing in the tiny house movement

Abstract

This article explores the tiny house movement as a contemporary example of alternative housing practices. Within the stories women tell about their tiny house journeys, we uncover diverse prefigurative practices and politics, which in turn invoke an expanded sense of fairness and agency in and through housing. Framed by Colin Ward’s work on dweller-control and self-help, the article draws on interviews with over 30 women from Europe, the UK, US, Australia, and South Africa. Through their experiences, we explore the growing place of the tiny house movement in the popular imagination. Individually, tiny houses offer an imperfect yet compelling alternative for their inhabitants. Collectively, the tiny house movement potentially advances a more just and equitable approach to housing by providing inspiration for those seeking to question apparently unassailable ideas about how we should live.