Privacy and housing: research perspectives based on a systematic literature review

Abstract

Grounded in psychological and social constructs, the need for privacy is reflected in human socio-spatial behaviour and in our own home. To discuss housing privacy, this article presents a systematic literature review (SLR) that identified theoretical and methodological aspects relevant to the topic. The research was based on consolidated protocols to identify, select and evaluate articles published between 2000 and 2021 in three databases (Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scielo), with 71 eligible articles identified for synthesis. The results showed a concentration of studies in the American, European and Islamic context, and the increase in this production since 2018. This was guided by the inadequacy of architectural and urban planning projects, by new forms of social interaction and, recently, by the COVID-19 pandemic. From a theoretical point of view, the SLR demonstrated the importance of investigating privacy in housing from a comprehensive perspective, observing its different dimensions (physical, social and psychological) and characterizing the issues involved and the context under analysis. Methodologically, the main instruments identified were: (i) to behavioural analysis, questionnaires, interviews and observations; (ii) to built environment evaluation, in addition to the previous ones, space syntax analysis, architectural design and photographs analysis; (iii) for the general characterization of users, the data collection regarding the socio-demographic and cultural context and the meanings attributed to spatial organizations; (iv) to characterize the participants of the investigations, the analysis of personality traits, the ways to personalize the space, user satisfaction/preferences and the influence of social interactions on these perceptions.

Keywords: Crowding; Housing; Personal space; Privacy; Solitude; Territoriality.

Fig. 1

PRISMA flow diagram. Adapted from: Moher et al. (2009)

Fig. 2

Publications (in %) by key theme chart (total articles: 71)

Fig. 3

Publications per year on key topics (total articles: 71)

Fig. 4

Total articles by relevant journals (total articles: 30)

Fig. 5

Total articles by countries and key theme (total articles: 71)

Fig. 6

Main evaluation measures (in%), by privacy dimension (total articles: 71). Note Each article can have more than one measure

Fig. 7

Main instruments (in%) used in housing privacy surveys (total articles: 71). Note Each article can have more than one instrument