Temporary stay or new home? Exploring university students' perceptions of temporality and home

Abstract. While housing is often viewed as constant and permanent – both in everyday life and academic discourse – temporary living arrangements and mobility are increasingly common. Among university students, spatio-temporal patterns are particularly dynamic. Although parental homes often continue to play a significant role, new “homes” are frequently established in shared flats or apartments within university cities. However, these arrangements are often temporary, lasting only until the completion of students' studies. Students' perceptions of the temporality of their living arrangements during their studies results in complex relationships between spatial attachments – such as rootedness and spatial identity – and mobility. To contribute to this area of research, we conducted a study in the German university cities of Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we combined a largely standardised questionnaire with semi-structured interviews. This methodology enabled us to generate a substantial dataset comprising both quantitative and qualitative data, yielding valid results. In this paper, we examine the extent to which students who relocate to university cities perceive their place of study as either temporary or permanent. Furthermore, we explore how these living arrangements impact their sense of place attachment, belonging and perception of home. By evaluating students' perceptions of their temporary living arrangements, we aim to highlight the significance of the temporal dimension in shaping their feelings of belonging. Our findings reveal that students' perceptions of temporality significantly influence their emotional spatial attachments to university cities. Focusing on students who have relocated to university cities provides valuable insights, as they represent a considerable portion of the population, and many express intentions to become permanent residents.