Mobilities | Sabina Maslova
2021
Sabina Maslova
This document pertains to a study on housing for highly mobile transnational professionals, focusing on the inadequacies of contemporary housing markets in addressing the unique needs of this demographic. The research highlights how traditional housing forms are often ill-suited for individuals who frequently relocate due to their careers, particularly among middle-income, high-skilled migrants from Western countries residing in cities like Moscow and London. The study is based on 65 semi-structured interviews and identifies three inter-related factors that influence the housing demands of these mobile professionals. Firstly, economic flexibility leads many to prefer shared living arrangements over individual rentals, allowing for greater adaptability in their transient lifestyles. Secondly, the nature of their work requires them to adhere to time-sensitive housing options, which affects where and how they live. Lastly, despite their often detached lifestyles, this group seeks physical and functional comfort in their living spaces, alongside access to community amenities that foster a sense of belonging. Importantly, while existing literature acknowledges many of these housing needs, this study underscores a significant research gap regarding the experiences of transnational professionals. By illuminating these issues, the paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of how housing policies and market practices can evolve to better serve the needs of this increasingly mobile population.
ABSTRACT
Most housing forms and living arrangements in contemporary cities are designed for settled populations, and housing markets poorly address the needs of mobile population groups. This paper explores the housing forms and living arrangements which emerge from the conditions of temporality and mobility and are practised by the middle-income group of high-skilled transnational professionals. The study is based on 65 semi-structured interviews with migrants from Western countries in Moscow and London. Three inter-related factors of highly mobile living are found to shape the particular housing demands of this migrant group. Firstly, the need for economic flexibility determines the preference for sharing options rather than for individual renting. Secondly, the travelling pattern of their jobs imposes time-related housing limitations, and their life-course stage may require flexibility. Thirdly, this migrant group expresses requirements for physical and functional comfort of housing, as well as access to amenities and a sense of community, despite their detached lifestyles. However, although most of these housing needs are known in the literature, they have not yet been examined in relation to the mobile living of transnational professionals, and this paper illuminates this research gap.