Home: The Shell for the Rights to Security, Sanitatary and Civic Belonging : Adaptation of Vacant Commercial Spaces in Potential Homes Through the Involvement of Airbnb

Sammanfattning: This study has identified the meaning of home and its importance for the developing of personal identity of the ongoing growing floating population. The city of Umeå is the University pole in the Swedish region of Norrland. Lots of new students arrive each year and the University is not able to guarantee accommodations for everyone, furthermore temporary workers have the same problem of finding a dwelling. The challenging issue for the floating population in Umeå is the difficulty of finding an affordable and available dwelling where the rights of security, sanitary and civic belonging are assured at a reasonable price. Airbnb is the easiest way to find a temporary room. However, the use of Airbnb in Umeå is not explicitly permitted by the Municipality. The investigation of Airbnb has shown that nowadays a regulation is needed in order to limits its damages and exploit its potentialities. The goal is to relate the vacant spaces in Umea to an architectural design solution and to transform empty commercial buildings in potential homes through the involvement of Airbnb. This project proposes to use vacant commercial spaces, where both the rights of the people and the regulation of rental fees can be assured, through a careful and strategic regulation as transitory solution for these people.