Multi-Local Living Arrangements and Spatial Mobility
Summary
Multi-local living arrangements describe lifestyles in which individuals or households maintain more than one residence and move between these locations according to personal, professional or familial rhythms. This phenomenon has grown in prominence under the influence of digital technology, flexible working practices and shifting life-course expectations. Spatial mobility—the capacity and practice of moving across geographical spaces—has evolved from daily commuting to include periodic stays in secondary homes, urban–rural oscillations and transnational patterns. These arrangements have profound implications for regional planning, transport infrastructure, housing markets and social cohesion, as they reshape demands on services and challenge traditional notions of community membership. In rural contexts, intermittent presence by multi-locals can stimulate civic innovation and bring new skills, yet may also weaken long-term engagement. Conversely, cities hosting returning or part-time residents face pressures on housing supply and local amenities. Understanding the dynamic interplay between individual mobility strategies and spatial structures is essential for policy interventions that promote equitable development, environmental sustainability and resilient communities.
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Multi-Local Living Arrangements and Spatial Mobility publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in multi-local living arrangements and spatial mobility across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Multi-local living arrangements: Lifestyles in which individuals or households maintain and move between two or more residences according to planned schedules.
Spatial mobility: The capacity and practice of moving across geographic spaces, encompassing daily commutes, periodic relocations and transnational movements.
Active multilocal: A category of multi-local resident who frequently relocates their own presence between homes for work, leisure or family reasons.
Passive multilocal: A category of household member who remains at a primary residence and adapts to the intermittent absence of other mobile members.
Hybrid multilocal: A form of multi-local living in which household members combine active and passive patterns, negotiating shared responsibilities and spatial rhythms.
References
- The impact of people's creativity and networks on spatial localisation - Locals, multi-locals, newcomers or returnees as an opportunity for civic engagement in rural areas. Journal of Rural Studies (2025).
- Multi-locality in the regions of Oslo and Helsinki: a regional planning perspective after the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional Studies (2024).
- Active, passive and hybrid multilocal living practices - towards a classification. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment (2024).
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