Title: Tiny houses as instruments for reducing poverty and promoting social integration in Germany

Authors: Anne Fischer

Addresses: Professorship for Corporate Environmental Management and Sustainability, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Chemnitz University of Technology, Thüringer Weg 7, 09126, Chemnitz, Germany

Abstract: Poverty and social exclusion are becoming increasingly evident in Germany. In particular, the risk of growing poverty among certain groups and an increase in homelessness is encouraged by a lack of social housing and rising rents. Existing policies seem to reach their limits, while SDG 1 and 10 call for global measures to reduce poverty and inequalities. Tiny houses have attracted international attention on tackling homelessness, but there is a shortage of scientific research on their potential, globally and especially for Germany. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent the integration of these houses is possible for Germany. Expert interviews, carried out as part of this study, offer the opportunity to identify specific integration paths and barriers. In context of homelessness and migration, case studies based on document analysis serve to identify individual potentials in terms of reducing specific problems of homelessness and promoting social integration dynamics. Tiny houses can be used as instruments for this purpose, and their integration into manufacturing processes and existing communities seems to be very effective.

Keywords: tiny houses; poverty; integration; homeless; inequalities; social exclusion.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2022.123904

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2022 Vol.16 No.3/4, pp.297 - 321

Received: 16 Jul 2020
Accepted: 18 Nov 2020
Published online: 04 Jul 2022 *

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