The “Greening” Effect: How Tiny House Communities Shape Residents’ Attitudes and Behaviors toward Sustainability
Severin Mangold, Hosuk Lee, Tony Zschau

Abstract
Tiny houses have gained popularity around the world in the years following the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. Tiny houses have since been touted as solutions for issues as diverse as affordable housing, financial independence, homelessness and/or sustainability. To date, much of the academic literature has focused on the actual buildings and their inhabitants. Increasingly, more attention is being given to the role tiny houses can play in community settings. This paper adds to this emerging line of research by discussing the results of a secondary data analysis of Mangold (2021)’s study. Analyzing data from ten tiny house communities across the United States, we will show that living in these types of communities can impact residents’ environmental views and practices. Drawing on insights from sister movements such as the cohousing literature, we argue that TH communities – and the interpersonal relationships they foster – can offer effective vehicles for creating “greener” communities. Directions for future research are also being discussed.

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