PhD Thesis by Ulrika Åkerlund
GERUM Kulturgeografi 2013:2, Department of Geography and Economic History, Umeå University, Nov 15, 2013
""It has often been claimed that contemporary societies are shaped by globalization; the rapid in... more ""It has often been claimed that contemporary societies are shaped by globalization; the rapid interconnections of societies, economies, markets, flows and information potentially linking all places in the world to each other. In search for experiences, variation, escape or comfort, individuals are travelling, circulating, and migrating between places, challenging the notions of ‘home’ and ‘away’, ‘everyday’ and ‘extraordinary’. This thesis addresses the ways lifestyle-led mobilities are produced and performed, by studying the mobility trajectories and experiences of Swedes dividing their time seasonally between Sweden and Malta. It explores how movers are faced with a structural framework that both facilitates and directs their choices concerning mobility, and how they interpret and respond to these structures. It also explores the imaginaries, meanings, and feelings for place, identity, and lifestyle that the movers negotiate through their mobility practices and through the links they create and sustain in places. Thus, this thesis is situated in an evolving field of research on lifestyle mobilities. Lifestyle mobilities are here defined as those mobility practices undertaken by individuals based on their freedom of choice, of a temporal or more permanent duration, with or without any significant ‘home base(s)’, that are primarily driven by aspirations to increase ‘quality of life’, and that are primarily related to the individuals’ lifestyle values.
The thesis is based on four individual papers exploring different aspects lifestyle mobility. The aim is to understand how production and performance aspects of lifestyle mobilities are related, and how notions of identity and belonging are negotiated in relation to lifestyle mobility practices. The production aspect relates to those structures and frameworks that create, facilitate, or sometimes delimit opportunities for lifestyle mobility while the performance aspect focuses on individual agency and meaning of lifestyle mobility practices. The studies are based on in-depth interviews with Swedish movers in Malta, and focus on how structural frameworks and mediations influence the ways that movers manoeuvre, manipulate or adapt to structures and influences in order to arrange their life context to achieve ‘quality of life’. A second aim focuses on the ways that movers reflect upon their identities and belongings as they travel routinely between two (or more) significant places, and how this may influence mobility practices. It is concluded that structures and mediations are both facilitating and delimiting movers’ space of choice regarding mobility decisions. Through their agency, movers negotiate their space of choice by allocating resources and experience, accessing supportive networks and tailoring their access to entitlements. The production and performance aspects of lifestyle mobility practices are interlinked in complex ways. ""
Papers by Ulrika Åkerlund
Second homes are an important part of Finnish leisure, mobility and rural policy. There are 499,0... more Second homes are an important part of Finnish leisure, mobility and rural policy. There are 499,000 second homes in Finland according to the official statistics, but this number is probably underestimated and over half of the Finns actually use the leisure opportunities offered by second homes. This report characterises the phenomenon of second homes in Finland from two perspectives: of their users and of local policy makers. It presents the results of two surveys conducted in years 2012 and 2014 among representative sample of Finnish population, and officials from municipal offices responsible for development and planning issues. The population survey investigated who has access to second homes in Finland, the ways of acquisition of these properties, their location and technical standard, time patterns of use, economic and social relations of second home users with host areas, and their perception of quality of permanent and second home environments and their transformations. This ...
It has often been claimed that contemporary societies are shaped by globalization; the rapid inte... more It has often been claimed that contemporary societies are shaped by globalization; the rapid interconnections of societies, economies, markets, flows and information potentially linking all places ...
Second homes and the commons : terms for second home leaseholds and collective action in Kvarken ... more Second homes and the commons : terms for second home leaseholds and collective action in Kvarken Archipelago, Finland
ub.umu.se. Publications. ...
The mobility to second homes, sometimes referred to as residential tourism, can be conceptually f... more The mobility to second homes, sometimes referred to as residential tourism, can be conceptually framed within the emerging concept of lifestyle mobilities. Although related, it differs from tourism ...
Healthy living environments and housing conditions are important foci of Nordic health and welfar... more Healthy living environments and housing conditions are important foci of Nordic health and welfare policies. However, policies and research on living conditions have mostly explored people’s perman ...
J Carlquist, L Pfister, U Åkerlund, O Stjernström (2017) Plan 2017(1): 48-51
U. Åkerlund & A. Back (2019) i G. Forsberg (red) Samhällsplaneringens teori och praktik, ... more U. Åkerlund & A. Back (2019) i G. Forsberg (red) Samhällsplaneringens teori och praktik, Stockholm: Liber, s. 235-244.
The mobility to second homes, sometimes referred to as residential tourism, can be conceptually f... more The mobility to second homes, sometimes referred to as residential tourism, can be conceptually framed within the emerging concept of lifestyle mobilities. Although related, it differs from tourism ...
Population, Space and Place, 2015
In affluent societies, an active choice of lifestyle is increasingly becoming an option. With inc... more In affluent societies, an active choice of lifestyle is increasingly becoming an option. With increased possibilities for mobility, opportunities to lead a good life can be accessed across global space. However, lifestyle management is largely directed and constrained by structural frameworks, and movers have to allocate resources and experience in order to manoeuvre structures and make optimal lifestyle choices. This paper explores how residential mobility may be used as a resource to gain access to opportunities. Based on thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, this is performed by exploring the experiences of Swedish lifestyle movers in Malta, in their tailoring of mobility practices that allow them to enjoy opportunities for the good life in both countries. The research questions that have guided this study are as follows: (a) What does the good life comprise? (b) How are structural frameworks surrounding opportunities for lifestyle management perceived by movers? and (c) In what ways do movers actively tailor their mobility practices to achieve the good life? The results show that movers are highly engaged in tailoring their access to opportunities through place fixity, such as permanent residency and social integration, and through routinised and timed mobility practices.
Social & Cultural Geography, 2014
ABSTRACT In recent decades, mobility researchers have paid increasing attention to the flows of r... more ABSTRACT In recent decades, mobility researchers have paid increasing attention to the flows of relatively privileged individuals whose mobility practices are largely understood to be lifestyle-motivated, consumption-led and tourism-induced (e.g. Benson, M., & O'Reilly, K. (Eds.). (2009). Lifestyle migration: Expectations, aspirations and experiences. Surrey: Ashgate; King, R., Warnes, A. M., & Williams, A. M. (2000). Sunset lives: British retirement migration to the Mediterranean. Oxford: Berg). Situated within the context of lifestyle mobilities, this paper aims to analyse the significance of place and representations of place in the movers' stories of mobility. The mobility experiences of Swedish retirees practicing routinised and seasonal mobility between Sweden and Malta have been analysed, and this paper explores how they actively give meaning to their choices and decisions. In their narratives, the movers express their representations of themselves in relation not only to their imaginings of places and to their belongings to and engagements with these places, but also to their mobility practices. The findings contribute to a discussion of how place imaginaries and self-identities are constructed through lifestyle mobility practices.
Healthy living environments and housing conditions are important foci of Nordic health and welfar... more Healthy living environments and housing conditions are important foci of Nordic health and welfare policies. However, policies and research on living conditions have mostly explored people’s permanent living environments, adhering to thinking about health in terms of fixity in place. What has not been acknowledged is that a considerable amount of Nordic people live in a continuous interaction of more than one place of dwelling. An illustrative example of the significance of mobile lifestyles is the use of second homes. Second home tourism is usually assumed to increase health and well-being. However, research on well-being and the health effects of second home tourism has been limited. In this paper we propose a research framework to approach second homes and well-being by identifying place and mobility as the key aspects in comprehending the relationship between health, wellbeing and second homes. Furthermore, we argue that the mobile lifestyles considerably challenge existing regu...
The mobility to second homes, sometimes referred to as residential tourism, can be conceptually f... more The mobility to second homes, sometimes referred to as residential tourism, can be conceptually framed within the emerging concept of lifestyle mobilities. Although related, it differs from tourism in that it refers to relatively permanent movement which entails the intention and material efforts to create a home and a living in the destination context. Tourism mobility is facilitated by agents offering services and products enabling experiences of novelty, difference, authenticity, quality of life and the like. Lifestyle mobilities in many ways taps into this production system but also include products and services related to housing, furbishing and to making a living in place. On an international level the production system is further complicated. In migration studies, the concept of a migration industry refers to the amalgam of agents making a profit out of catering to the needs of migrants. This study is a joint reflection on the production dimension of lifestyle mobilities in t...
ABSTRACT Second home mobility is a complex phenomenon linked to tourism, migration, housing and w... more ABSTRACT Second home mobility is a complex phenomenon linked to tourism, migration, housing and wider human mobilities. This complexity is reflected in governance structures; second homes are governed on multiple levels from the local to the supranational, and within different policy frameworks that are not necessarily in line with each other. Furthermore, the governance structures of second homes is to a large extent influenced by actors both within the tourism and real property sectors, as well as a wide range of other actors who in one way or another contribute to the commoditization of mobility and ‘lifestyle’. This paper examines the governance structures of two EU member countries - Finland and Malta - as they are related to the internationalization of the second home phenomenon. Taking a comparative approach, the paper outlines a range of similarities and differences between the two cases. A key theme is that the promotion of second home opportunities for foreign nationals is interrelated with broader mobility governance and economic development strategies; however, there are significant tensions between policies as well as between different levels of governance. The findings emphasize the need for a contextual understanding of how frameworks on multiple levels are entwined and articulated in the local place.
Fennia-International Journal of Geography, 2018
K. Svels & U. Åkerlund (2018) Fennia-International Journal of Geography, 196(2): 154-167
In this... more K. Svels & U. Åkerlund (2018) Fennia-International Journal of Geography, 196(2): 154-167
In this article, we explore governance structures of the recreational landscape of Kvarken Archipelago in Western Finland, an area where shore displacement occurs due to land rise and emergent (pristine) land is continuously created. Traditionally a production landscape, of fishing and small-scale agriculture, the recreational value of the archipelago has been acknowledged. The area is a popular second home destination and was designated UNESCO World Heritage in 2006. There are roughly 10,000 second homes within the study area, of which 14% are leaseholds located on emergent land. The emergent land thus makes up a common-pool resource system where private and collective use rights overlap. This article aims to understand the implications for recreational use (second home ownership) through interviews with different local stakeholders such as municipality planners, representatives of commons, local communities, and with environmental and land survey authorities. Especially, it sets out to ask, what kinds of value are created within the recreational resource system, what power relationships within the commons steer the management of the recreational resource system, and what are the implications for recreational use of the landscape. The results show different logics of recreational resource management locally in the studied commons. Access to second homes located within the collectively owned emergent land is limited to part-owners of the commons and tend to be less commercialized and also less modernized than privately owned second home plots.
Plan, 2017
J Carlquist, L Pfister, U Åkerlund, O Stjernström (2017) Plan 2017(1): 48-51
Journal of Rural and Community Development, 2017
Similar to other northern peripheries, remote, and sparsely populated areas (SPAs) in Sweden’s fa... more Similar to other northern peripheries, remote, and sparsely populated areas (SPAs) in Sweden’s far north have been confronted with decreasing populations and economic stagnation, forcing local governments to more actively engage in strategies for attracting and retaining populations. This exploratory community case study considers rural place-marketing efforts in the municipalities of Åsele and Storuman, with a particular focus on understanding differing local strategies for attracting consumption-driven movers to “amenity-poor” and “amenity-rich” areas. The case study examines two research questions: what target groups do these municipalities envisage as desired new populations; and to what extent, and how, do they engage in rural place-marketing efforts? Our study reveals that the municipal officials’ views on rural place-marketing strategies differ considerably, as Åsele participates in Europe’s largest emigration expo while Storuman draws on its increasing tourism development to attract seasonal residents and returning young adults in the family-building stage of the life course. The findings further illustrate how production and performance aspects of mobility are essential when studying the socio-economic sustainability of everyday life in sparsely populated northern Swedish municipalities at different geographical places and levels.
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PhD Thesis by Ulrika Åkerlund
The thesis is based on four individual papers exploring different aspects lifestyle mobility. The aim is to understand how production and performance aspects of lifestyle mobilities are related, and how notions of identity and belonging are negotiated in relation to lifestyle mobility practices. The production aspect relates to those structures and frameworks that create, facilitate, or sometimes delimit opportunities for lifestyle mobility while the performance aspect focuses on individual agency and meaning of lifestyle mobility practices. The studies are based on in-depth interviews with Swedish movers in Malta, and focus on how structural frameworks and mediations influence the ways that movers manoeuvre, manipulate or adapt to structures and influences in order to arrange their life context to achieve ‘quality of life’. A second aim focuses on the ways that movers reflect upon their identities and belongings as they travel routinely between two (or more) significant places, and how this may influence mobility practices. It is concluded that structures and mediations are both facilitating and delimiting movers’ space of choice regarding mobility decisions. Through their agency, movers negotiate their space of choice by allocating resources and experience, accessing supportive networks and tailoring their access to entitlements. The production and performance aspects of lifestyle mobility practices are interlinked in complex ways. ""
Papers by Ulrika Åkerlund
In this article, we explore governance structures of the recreational landscape of Kvarken Archipelago in Western Finland, an area where shore displacement occurs due to land rise and emergent (pristine) land is continuously created. Traditionally a production landscape, of fishing and small-scale agriculture, the recreational value of the archipelago has been acknowledged. The area is a popular second home destination and was designated UNESCO World Heritage in 2006. There are roughly 10,000 second homes within the study area, of which 14% are leaseholds located on emergent land. The emergent land thus makes up a common-pool resource system where private and collective use rights overlap. This article aims to understand the implications for recreational use (second home ownership) through interviews with different local stakeholders such as municipality planners, representatives of commons, local communities, and with environmental and land survey authorities. Especially, it sets out to ask, what kinds of value are created within the recreational resource system, what power relationships within the commons steer the management of the recreational resource system, and what are the implications for recreational use of the landscape. The results show different logics of recreational resource management locally in the studied commons. Access to second homes located within the collectively owned emergent land is limited to part-owners of the commons and tend to be less commercialized and also less modernized than privately owned second home plots.
The thesis is based on four individual papers exploring different aspects lifestyle mobility. The aim is to understand how production and performance aspects of lifestyle mobilities are related, and how notions of identity and belonging are negotiated in relation to lifestyle mobility practices. The production aspect relates to those structures and frameworks that create, facilitate, or sometimes delimit opportunities for lifestyle mobility while the performance aspect focuses on individual agency and meaning of lifestyle mobility practices. The studies are based on in-depth interviews with Swedish movers in Malta, and focus on how structural frameworks and mediations influence the ways that movers manoeuvre, manipulate or adapt to structures and influences in order to arrange their life context to achieve ‘quality of life’. A second aim focuses on the ways that movers reflect upon their identities and belongings as they travel routinely between two (or more) significant places, and how this may influence mobility practices. It is concluded that structures and mediations are both facilitating and delimiting movers’ space of choice regarding mobility decisions. Through their agency, movers negotiate their space of choice by allocating resources and experience, accessing supportive networks and tailoring their access to entitlements. The production and performance aspects of lifestyle mobility practices are interlinked in complex ways. ""
In this article, we explore governance structures of the recreational landscape of Kvarken Archipelago in Western Finland, an area where shore displacement occurs due to land rise and emergent (pristine) land is continuously created. Traditionally a production landscape, of fishing and small-scale agriculture, the recreational value of the archipelago has been acknowledged. The area is a popular second home destination and was designated UNESCO World Heritage in 2006. There are roughly 10,000 second homes within the study area, of which 14% are leaseholds located on emergent land. The emergent land thus makes up a common-pool resource system where private and collective use rights overlap. This article aims to understand the implications for recreational use (second home ownership) through interviews with different local stakeholders such as municipality planners, representatives of commons, local communities, and with environmental and land survey authorities. Especially, it sets out to ask, what kinds of value are created within the recreational resource system, what power relationships within the commons steer the management of the recreational resource system, and what are the implications for recreational use of the landscape. The results show different logics of recreational resource management locally in the studied commons. Access to second homes located within the collectively owned emergent land is limited to part-owners of the commons and tend to be less commercialized and also less modernized than privately owned second home plots.
Kesämökkeily on osa suomalaista elämämtapaa ja kulttuuriperintöä. Lähes jokaisella on omakohtaisia kokemuksia lomanvietosta mökillä. On arvioitu, että yli puolet suomalaisista viettää sännöllisesti aikaa mökillä, ja puolen miljoonan vapaa-ajan asunnon raja ylitetiin vuoden 2014 lopussa.
In this chapter, we use the notion of lifestyle mobility to further the theoretical exploration of the concept of migration industry (Castles and Miller 2003, 28, emphasis added). By lifestyle mobility we refer to relatively permanent movement which entails the intention and material efforts to create a home and a living space in the destination context. As such, while it includes second-home ownership and seasonal stays, it differs from tourist visits despite the many interconnections with them, which we explore below. We argue that looking into the ways in which lifestyle mobility is “produced” within the framework of a migration industry could be useful to develop the concept, whilst at the same time contributing to an enhanced understanding of the frameworks within which lifestyle mobility is performed.
time, second homes have not only increased in quantity, but also changed in terms of quality and the
composition of their owners. Today, there are nearly half a million second homes that are ever more
often equipped with modern conveniences. Second homes, however, are no longer the sole destinations
for leisure consumption outside of one’s permanent home. Instead, the concept of multiple dwelling
better describes the reality of Finnish leisure and second home tourism.
The polarization between urban and rural has often been in the focus of political debates in Finland.
Instead of two separate poles, it has been suggested that the two should be seen as a continuum and that
we should increasingly find ways, for example, to bring green rural environments to urban areas and
urban services and possibilities to rural communities. Multiple dwelling is therefore in the core of the
urban rural continuum. It challenges the contemporary practices and environments of housing and living
and also raises important questions on the governance of second homes in municipalities.
What do we know of the practices and motives of multiple dwelling of different groups of people?
How does multiple dwelling impact on local communities and housing structures? What are the environmental
impacts of second homes and how do the impacts compare with other types of tourism? How
are multiple dwellers and second homes taken into account in rural municipalities? This report summarises
the results of national surveys targeted on Finnish citizens and municipalities and provides valuable
insights that will help to answer these questions.
According to the results, besides their permanent residence a large proportion of Finns spend time
at not only one, but several second homes. While the official, register based population, is increasingly
concentrated on urban areas, multiple dwelling is dispersed. In some rural municipalities the share of
second home owners and users exceeds that of permanent residents when people head from dense urban
areas for quality leisure by lakes and forests. Although trips to second homes decrease their users’ other
leisure trips, the climate impacts of second homes are significant. Modern second homes ever more
often resemble permanent residences and a private car is the main means of transportation between the
different dwellings. For rural municipalities, however, multiple dwelling can have a significant impact
on the local economy and considerable business potential is connected to second home development.
Changes in the forms and structures of housing and living create a need to revise the current governance
mechanisms, especially in terms of spatial planning and construction. A ‘one stop shop’ principle
is needed to reduce bureaucracy and ease the lives of multiple dwellers while making governance
more effective. This report as a whole aims at increasing the awareness of changes taking place in the
forms and practices of second home tourism. The report challenges the current population statistics and
registers based on the assumption of a single and static place of residence thereby emphasizing the need
for a broader conceptualization of housing and living in the Finnish society.
The report marks the end of a five year research project carried out by an international team of researchers
from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and
Finnish Forest Research Institute (currently Natural Resources Institute LUKE). Homes beyond Homes
research consortium was funded by the Academy of Finland (SA 255424) and the research component
was led by Professor C. Michael Hall from UEF and the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. This
report summarises the main results of the research data collected in the project. The focus is on the two
large national surveys, but also the key results of the more qualitative data such as interviews, focus
groups and literature analyses are presented. Information boxes of some of the published research articles
illustrate the results of the project and the diversity of perspectives to multiple dwelling. The report
is published both in Finnish and English.