Pandemic lifestyle: domestic spaces changes during pandemic in Mexico City
May 2021
From the beginning of the pandemic, spending more hours at home has changed daily life. This research looked for experiences about how people living in 162 squared meters apartments in Mexico City have modified their domestic spaces.
Introduction
Present research explore how apartments in Mexico City have changed during lockdown: Which rooms have been modified. And, also which objects (gadgets, furniture and ornamentation) have been bought by residents. Living is such a performance that takes to occupy the space, even public or private. During the last year, people have been using their private spaces for activities they usually did outside before the pandemic started. For example, doing exercise, going to work, taking classes and having fun. In this way, this research hypothesis is that people have paid more attention in settling their domestic spaces for comfort. Likewise, this research was runned in Altillo Housing Unit, located in Coyoacan, south of Mexico City really nearby UNAM main campus. It is a place with 52 buildings, 20 apartments each. It has at least 1,040 apartments. Due to its location, it is a place where students look for living around UNAM, also professors and university employees. During the pandemic, many students went back home to save money in their parents house. Moreover, Mexico City is an expensive place to live and receives many young people looking for new job opportunities or quality education. In addition, it is used to live with friends and roommates for economic reasons. Actually, Altillo Housing Unit is a good example of coexistence among young people and retired people. It actually representantes middle class in the city. Thus, it is a good place for researching changes during a pandemic. Considering a family's economic income and regular physical places that changes in minimum ways. So, domestic groups and ages are the variables.
Objective
To understand domestic space changes because of Covid-19 lockdown in Altillo Housing Unit
Method
This research was conducted by dividing the population into three groups: 1) People from 18 to 29 years old: assuming that this group usually lives with roommates, friends or alone. 2) People from 30 to 59 years old: thinking that this group usually lives with partners and young children. 3) People from plus 60 years old: who live alone or with their partners in an empty nest. A survey was applied to neighbors to know more about their experiences during the pandemic and mainly about the modifications they did or did not do to their apartment. For a representative sample, 64 questionnaires were applied. Considering that in the National Housing Inventory, population was segmented. Hence this neighborhood is mainly populated by people from 30 to 59 years old. Survey was conducted during May 2021, it was sended by Facebook and Whatsapp neighborhood organization groups, where the are main participation from people for selling products, announcing local news or asking for help. Also, it was conducted in hallways and common areas for reaching older ones and people who don’t frequent social media.
Results
After a few weeks collecting data. It is capital to mention that non-family homes and family homes were identified. In the Altillo Housing Unit there are 35% of non-family domestic groups living in apartments: living with roommates or alone. Not only young people, but also 60+ people living alone. People really looked to be more comfortable during their stay at home. Also It is important to say that people actually did changes to their spaces during lockdown and they bought furniture to make their apartments more comfortable. They not only bought new objects, devices or furniture, some of them also said that they cleaned up the apartment for enjoying their places free of useless things. Also, people living in non-family groups bought more devices than family ones.
Conclusions
Lockdown was an opportunity for Altillo neighbours to develop their home spaces. Also, there was an effort to make the spaces that were given to rest more productive. House turned into the center of many activities, in order for people to try to feel better even during a pandemic going on.
