Dwelling by appropriation: identity and attachment in low-income housing in Monterrey, Mexico

Abstract

Mexico's housing policies and institutions have focused on increasing the housing supply over the past 50 years. Despite this, most of the population has been unable to afford it and has been forced to fend for themselves through self-construction in socially produced neighborhoods. This research compares the difference between inhabiting a "turn-key" house provided by the state and a self-constructed house through the lens of appropriation and its effects on identity and place attachment that evidence the co-constitutive nature of the house/resident dynamic. As case studies, thirty houses were analyzed in six neighborhoods, three state-financed and three socially produced. The empirical data collected through the qualitative study was structured through the development of a theoretical model called "dwelling by appropriation" that attempts to describe the practices surrounding the appropriation of the home. The research found that individuals who construct their own homes are prouder of them, more satisfied with them, have a higher sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy, and are more trusting of their neighbors as they are in control of critical decisions regarding their living environment.