The types of housing that people live in help to shape an individual's access to jobs, health, well-being, and communities. There are also substantial differences between generations regarding the type of housing they aspire to live in, their attitudes to housing costs, the nature of their households, and their attitudes to different tenures. This book is an innovative contribution to the study of housing, drawing upon research from the US, the UK, and Australia to show how lifetime attitudes to housing have changed, with new population dynamics driving the market. It also considers how the global financial crisis has differentially affected housing markets across the globe, with variable impacts on the long term housing transitions of different populations.

Despite the current recession, the frequency of second home ownership is still surprisingly high throughout the western world. While the UK and Ireland previously had lower occurrences of multiple dwellings compared to the rest of Europe, they are quickly catching up with a current surge in the ownership of second homes. The recent MP expenses scandal in the UK has also drawn attention to the prevalence of second homes (or more) within the middle classes, and the fact that the concept is becoming increasingly popular.

Chris Paris uses this text to address the reasons behind why second homes are becoming more popular, both within the usual domicile of the individuals, and in international locations. The socioeconomic factors and historical contexts of homes in cultures across the world are fundamental to explaining the choices in transnational home ownership, and Paris case studies and comparisons between additional homes in Europe, Australia, America and Asia expand upon the motivation for people to own a second home.

Affluence, Mobility and Second Home Ownership draws together debates on gentrification, globalisation, consumerism, environmental factors and investment to provide a balanced look at the pros, and cons, of second home ownership, and what implications it has for the future. An ideal text for students studying geography, urbanism and planning, this book is also of interest to individuals interested in the changing ways in which we make choices on our places of residence.