Digital and Sustainable Micro-Housing for Urban Youth: Developing a User-Centered Structural Model of Social, Spatial, and Technological Preferences in Istanbul

Abstract

This study investigates how spatial comfort and flexibility, social integration, and digital infrastructure jointly shape sustainable micro-housing preferences among young adults (18-35) in Istanbul’s Besiktas district. It aims to develop and empirically validate a user-centered micro-housing typology aligned with participatory design principles and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 11.1 and 11.3). Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the Capability Approach (CA), and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the study adopted a two-phase design. Phase 1 (N=410) identified spatial, social, and technological drivers through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). Phase 2 (N=51) validated the typology via user feedback. Analyses employed ANOVA, chi-square, Tukey HSD, EFA, and CB-SEM with bootstrapped mediation tests (5,000 resamples). The final model demonstrated acceptable fit (χ²/df=2.10; CFI=0.934; TLI=0.921; RMSEA=0.052; SRMR=0.045). Technological Equipment & Energy Efficiency (β=0.41, p<.01), Spatial Comfort & Flexibility (β=0.38, p<.01), and Safety & Social Cohesion (β=0.33, p<.05) significantly predicted willingness to live in digital micro-housing. Together, these factors explained 42% of the variance in housing satisfaction and 51% in willingness to live. Housing satisfaction had a significant mediating role (Sobel & Bootstrap tests, p<.05). To our knowledge, this is among the first empirically grounded, youth-focused digital micro-housing typologies in Turkey. By integrating SDT, CA, and UTAUT into a data-driven framework, the study bridges sustainable architecture, participatory design, and urban policy, offering actionable insights for next-generation housing solutions in rapidly urbanizing contexts.