Housing aspirations, pathways, and provision: contradictions and compromises in pursuit of voluntary simplicity

Housing is a caring act prompting individuals and groups to challenge the contours of housing policies and systems as they pursue housing aspirations, shape housing pathways, and secure housing provision. In this article, we think critically about housing as part of an infrastructure of care and about how housing aspirations, pathways, and provisioning inform moral and caring acts known as voluntary simplicity. We focus on housing aspirations, pathways, and provisioning to document how those three ‘rub up’ against four specific provision processes (preparation, purchase, design, and permissions and implementation) and conclude that voluntary simplicity could be a powerful tool by which to shape more caring housing futures – if it was troubled by fewer contradictions and compromises in its application and if those subscribing to it were supported by a few key resources. Findings point to general and widespread opportunities to think more about the relationship of voluntary simplicity to housing studies, including in small-scale studies in regional centres.