Increased time spent at home during COVID-19 exposed inequities in Australian housing quality and availability. Many Australians lack sufficient space to carry out activities shifted to their homes and the financial downturn rapidly increased stress around housing affordability. Research demonstrates living in unaffordable or poor-quality housing can negatively impact residents' mental health. This study explores the mechanisms through which housing moderates COVID-19's impact on mental health by analysing 2,065 Australians surveyed in mid-to-late 2020. Hierarchical linear regressions were used to examine associations between housing circumstances, neighbourhood belonging and mental-health outcomes (loneliness, depression, and anxiety), adjusted for demographics. Open-ended responses were analysed using thematic analysis and critical-realist epistemology. Feeling 'trapped' and 'helpless' because of insecure tenure or lack of money to improve housing conditions reduced participants' sense of control. Inadequate space and noise adversely impacted participants' well-being. Participants' housing contextincluding amenities, natural spaces, and social connectionsstrongly impacted their emotional experiences. Safe, secure, and suitable housing is a known determinant of safety and physical health; this study suggests it is also a critical factor for Australians' mental health. To improve mental health among the vulnerably-housed, future housing policy should not compromise on housing affordability, quality, space and access to nearby amenities.

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This review traces the changing conceptualizations of “mobility,” “place,” and “home” under the new mobilities paradigm, and the effect of this reconceptualization on residential mobility research. The “new mobilities paradigm” describes the (re)conceptualization of the relationship between place and mobility among mobilities scholars (Cresswell, ; Sheller & Urry, ). The reconceptualization of place as linked to mobility led to a more dynamic and inclusive perception of home as a lived experience that can be moved from place to place (Gillespie, ). This review will trace how residential mobilities—or internal (re)locations within one nation state—are discussed as alternate, lived experiences of home by scholars within the paradigm. In the second part of this review, I discuss how the lived experience of home is currently integrated in theoretical and methodological approaches to residential mobility research. In particular, I consider the incorporation of longitudinal, ethnographic, narrative and biographical methods, and emerging geographical research that utilizes life course methodological frameworks to explore the dynamic and lived experience of home. By progressing the understanding of the “mobility of home,” residential mobility researchers can contribute to wider discussions on the influence of mobility on place experiences.

In this essay, I reflect on my experiences of undertaking housing research during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has had vast global impacts beyond the massive loss of life; disrupting economies, environments and social systems and creating a global housing crisis. Due to these extreme circumstances, conducting research at this time can have unforeseen challenges. I discuss these challenges, and their impacts (1) on research participants and (2) on researchers, as well as ( 3) on the quality of research outputs that can be produced. These challenges are situated within narratives of my own personal experiences as an early-career researcher and mother, conducting housing research on COVID-related topics. I offer advice on whether research should be conducted under the difficult circumstances created by the pandemic, and future priorities for the housing research community.

Lifestyle destinations draw migrants in with a promise of certain place encounters. However, these place encounters are likely to change over time, particularly with increased amenity migration and associated development. In this article, I consider the lifestyle destination settlement of Maroochydore and surrounding suburbs in the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Plans to build a central business district (CBD) have been approved, with the local council aiming to build infrastructure for growing populations. However, these plans may jeopardise the imaginary of Maroochydore as a quiet sea change idyll that draws lifestyle migrants and tourists to the area. In order to understand the potential impact of a CBD to migrants' place encounters, I interviewed 34 migrants of different ages and life stages to Maroochydore and surrounds (the Maroochy area) as part of a larger study. I used narrative, visual, and virtual visitation methods to explore their prior place‐based experiences and current encounters with the area. Housing form and density were the most discussed material components related to the CBD, likely because of fears that high‐rise buildings affect an imagined coastal lifestyle. Employment and transport were the most discussed day‐to‐day practices potentially affected by the CBD. Participants thought the CBD positively affected public transport services but had little effect on future employment opportunities. The challenges discussed in this article have implications for how lifestyle communities manage and maintain positive place encounters, balancing the realities of growing development with idyllic expectations.