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Young people and housing: Swiss Army Knife, Open Door or Ready to Use?

3 minutes of reading
In our previous article on the youth’s relationship with housing, we provided you with general trends on where young people live and their perceptions of housing. These lessons, drawn from a series of surveys carried out by JAM for Bouygues Construction among 1,000 young people aged between 18 and 25, led to the development of 6 model profiles, devised with young volunteers at a workshop following the survey. Today, we present you with the first three typical profiles, which give an insight into the different visions of housing that are cohabiting in the new generation.
illustration des jeunes et du logement

Pierre’s place, the Swiss Army knife apartment

For Pierre, as for 27% of young people aged 18 to 25, housing is made to allow multiple uses: sleeping, creating, cooking, partying, welcoming friends, but also tinkering and especially working: everything must be possible at home. To achieve these different uses, our young handyman has a lot of ideas and tricks. Pierre is first of all very demanding when it comes to the choice of his housing: during visits, he visualises the potential of the place and its different possible configurations. He needs little space, but optimal organisation for his storage: he needs to store his equipment and the various pieces of furniture that can be used in his central space. When Pierre finally moves in after a long search, the excitement is palpable: installing antique furniture here and there, installing ultra-functional storage units, installing his tools, personalising the kitchen, and organising the future house-warming party: everything must be perfect by then! The finishing touch? A stationary bicycle suspended on the only empty wall in the apartment. After settling in, Pierre gets involved in the life of the neighbourhood, welcomes his friends for a board game or a meal, but he also spends a lot of time alone at home. He tinkers, works on his computer at his desk – a board placed on trestles, easy to unfold and store to make room for his other activities. Other clever or extensible furniture allows him to make the best possible use of his space. The movement identifying with Pierre’s profile is one of the most significant among the 1,000 young people interviewed by JAM, and shows a significant over-representation of male profiles.

Mathilde’s place, the door is always open

19% of young people aged 18 to 25 identify with Mathilde, for whom housing is above all a place of hospitality, fun and sharing. Mathilde is not often at home, at least she is almost never there alone. Around the kitchen, an aperitif, parties, various creative activities, or just to chat, there are always friends passing by Mathilde’s place. For other activities, she prefers to go out: market, city centre, local shops, university and others, she is always on the move. For more convenience, she prefers a very central location. When she moves in, her first reflex is to introduce herself to all her neighbours: good relations will help her to negotiate party possibilities in the future. Contrary to the preconceived notions about her generation, virtual activities are not the most important for her: she prefers to live in the present moment with those around her. Fearing loneliness, her entire apartment embodies joie de vivre and openness. For example, some walls and furniture are colourful, the furniture is disparate and warm, the kitchen offers views of the living room.

Victor, the choice of a ready-to-use home

A small fraction of young people (6% according to the survey conducted in France by JAM for Bouygues Construction in early 2020) favour a ready-to-use apartment like Victor. For him, an apartment must be simple, functional, easily accessible and immediately ready for use. Victor is a “digital nomad”: he works through networks, and settles down according to his desires and opportunities for a few months in a city, before leaving again. He settles down with few belongings. A decorative totem pole placed prominently somewhere, and he feels at home. As soon as he moves in, he opens his laptop and finds out about the city. The connection is paramount: it is the no. 1 value of his home. Decoration is less important than the functionality of the design. Victor almost never cooks: both his quinoa detox salad and his kebab are delivered to his home through a platform. He also spends a lot of time outdoors, in cafés and other places, bars and clubs, soaking up the city before his next destination. So he chooses a central and trendy neighbourhood. In addition to being functional, easy to rent and quick to leave, Victor’s accommodation must offer various services: facilitate deliveries, but also laundry, dry cleaning and if possible bike repairs. In some cities, Victor turns to co-living spaces that also offer shared spaces: work spaces, places for socialising and local events.