Genealogy of the Concept of Healthy Housing

Abstract

Since ancient times, humans have consistently sought to shield themselves from threats to their health and well-being. This enduring pursuit of safety and comfort—whether explicit or implicit—has played a significant role in shaping the design and organization of human settlements. In the contemporary era, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it posed, the notion of “healthy housing” has gained renewed prominence within academic discourse. Despite its widespread use across technical and policy-related domains, the concept is often treated as self-evident and examined primarily through operational or implementation-focused frameworks. As a result, its historical roots and conceptual foundations have received comparatively little attention. Adopting a genealogical approach, this paper traces the evolution of the “healthy housing” concept across various historical periods, illustrating how it has been shaped by shifting social, economic, and cultural forces. It further explores the ways in which the features of healthy housing contribute to the protection and promotion of residents’ health—examining elements such as indoor environmental quality, housing design patterns, and the broader external environment. The paper concludes by outlining potential directions for future research on healthy housing, offering a roadmap for the development of housing strategies capable of addressing post-pandemic health challenges. It also proposes actionable solutions to support the role of healthy housing in an era marked by climate change. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.