Chen Hung-Ying, McFarlane Colin
International College of Innovation, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.
Hous Stud. 2023 Nov 21;40(1):27-45. doi: 10.1080/02673037.2023.2280033. eCollection 2025.
This paper offers an approach to understanding high-density living in precarious housing. Developing a conception of housing density based on 'density expressions' and 'density modalities', we argue for a focus on how domestic density is experienced and intervened in by residents and other groups. This approach builds in existing work in Housing Studies and Urban Studies on domestic overcrowding by demonstrating the value of attending to its sensorial experiences, and practices that seek to alleviate those experiences. Drawing on fieldwork in Hong Kong, one of the densest and more unequal housing markets in the world, we identify 'infiltration' as a key form of density expression. We go on explore two density modalities through which residents and other groups, including civil society organisations and the state, practice modest forms of intervention in the struggles of precarious housing: 'improvisation' and 'transition'. We conclude by considering the implications both on housing in Hong Kong and for future research on precarious housing.
本文提供了一种理解不稳定住房中高密度居住情况的方法。基于“密度表现形式”和“密度模式”来构建住房密度的概念，我们主张关注居民和其他群体如何体验家庭密度以及对其进行干预。这种方法借鉴了住房研究和城市研究中关于家庭过度拥挤的现有研究成果，通过展示关注其感官体验以及旨在缓解这些体验的实践的价值来实现。基于对香港这一世界上住房密度最高且不平等程度较高的市场之一的实地调查，我们将“渗透”确定为密度表现形式的一种关键形式。我们接着探讨了两种密度模式，居民和其他群体，包括民间社会组织和政府，通过这两种模式在不稳定住房斗争中采取适度的干预形式：“即兴发挥”和“转变”。我们通过考虑其对香港住房的影响以及对未来不稳定住房研究的意义来得出结论。
