Housing Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Metropolitan Areas of the Canary Island Capitals (Spain)

Abstract

During the pandemic, the geographical study of housing has acquired a new dimension because of the relationship forged between residents and this living space in a situation of containment of mobility and impediment to use the public and community space. It is from this perspective that this research on the metropolitan areas of the capital cities of the Canary Islands (Spain) was designed. A statistically representative survey reveals the singularities in the way residents relate to housing in these areas, as well as their responses to the adequacy of their housing in the situation of confinement. This allows us to appreciate certain socio-demographic and spatial contrasts, which are even more evident when we analyse the changes in housing and the relationship they have with a second residence. This last dimension reveals a resilient adaptation, as a significant part of the population sought more adequate housing conditions during the pandemic, although this adaptation reflects notable contrasts according to the different economic capacity of the respondents and the territorial characteristics of housing in the metropolitan areas of the Canary Islands’ capitals.