elamiskogemus
Elamiskogemus is an Estonian term describing the lived experience of housing and daily life in a dwelling. It refers to residents’ subjective perceptions of their homes and surroundings, rather than purely objective indicators like rent or floor area. The word combines elamu (dwelling) and kogemus (experience), and it is used in sociology, urban planning, and social policy to emphasize how people actually experience living conditions.
Scope and dimensions include physical environment (housing quality, maintenance, safety), social environment (neighborhood relations, discrimination, social
Applications and methods: the concept appears in qualitative housing research, user-centered design, and policy evaluation. Researchers
Relevance: in Estonia and the Baltic context, elamiskogemus is used to study housing transitions, homelessness, displacement,
Criticism: the subjective nature of elamiskogemus can complicate cross-group comparability and policy benchmarking; interpretations must be
See also: lived experience, quality of life, user experience, housing policy, social housing.