Latreille, Houle, and Coulombe’s work indicates that young people (age 14 to 20) need to have access to private spaces, their own territories. The researchers interviewed people 14-20 living in public housing: “Many of the participants in our study mentioned the positive or negative influence . . . of having or not having their own room. Studies have shown how important a private room can be for young people in terms of residential satisfaction . . . their self-esteem . . . their ability to cope with school stress . . . and achieving their personal goals. . . . Our study [confirms the] negative impact of overcrowding, a phenomenon known to adversely affect young people's academic performance . . . [it] prevents young people from concentrating on their school projects due to a lack of privacy. . . . social housing that does not allow access to a personal space (one’s own room) could hinder the positive development of young people (e.g., identity development).”
Jeremie Latreille, Janie Houle, and Simon Coulombe. “The Influence of the Residential Environment on Well-Being and Personal Projects: Perspectives of Young People Living in Public Housing.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102407