An urban demographic transition. The rise of one-person households and the remaking of northwestern European cities, 1960–2000

Abstract The number of people living alone in northwestern European cities has grown rapidly since the 1960s. Why did this happen, and to what effect? This article explores the causes and social, political and spatial consequences of this demographic transition, hypothesizing that it has fundamentally reshaped social life, housing politics and the design and use of buildings and spaces in modern urban societies. The article underscores the need for urban historians to address the rise of one-person households during the second half of the twentieth century. It urges them to move beyond the urban crisis paradigm that still dominates this period to understand the profound and lasting effects of changing household structures. The article proposes a broad temporal and geographic scope for further research, using Amsterdam as a pilot study.