The issue of second homes is a longstanding challenge that has claimed up the political agenda once again over recent years. In Wales, the Covid pandemic and Brexit are cited as having accelerated trends in second home buying and accentuating existing tensions. The perceived negative impacts of second homes include a decrease in housing stock and increased house prices, community erosion, and population decline, which lead to service and language loss and the seasonality of community life. Since the 2021 Senedd election, the Welsh Government has announced a package of measures to address the impact of second home ownership on Wales’ communities. Similar challenges and responses are also seen in other parts of Europe and beyond.
Yet, responding to the challenges that second homes present is complex as it takes place at different regulatory scales, which includes the supra- and international, state, sub-state and local. Despite the fact that second homes are accepted as being a multi-scale phenomena, the interplay between different levels of administration remains under-researched.
The aim of the research is to understand 1) the relationship between different scales of governance of second homes, 2) the relationship between different various social and political and societal actors, and 3) the implications these relationships have upon the ability to implement policy interventions. In developing a multi-scale perspective of second homes, the research will explore the following research questions:
– How is the complex phenomenon of second homes governed in different jurisdictions?
– Who are the key actors in the governance of second homes?
– What are the different scales at which the governance of second homes occurs (international, state, regional, local)?
– What is the primary subject/focus/discourse of second homes (e.g. people/property/capital)?
– What are the implications of the multi-scalar governance of second homes for devising policy and its implementation?