New Arqus Knowledge Pills Episode: Why Are People Returning to Cities?

How do our housing needs evolve across different stages of life? What happens when the quiet suburban lifestyle no longer aligns with the realities of ageing or raising a family? In this episode of “Knowledge Pills”, Assoc. Prof. Katarzyna Kajdanek explores these questions and shares insights from her research.

From the initial appeal of a garden and additional space to the practical challenges of car dependency, this episode examines housing through a “life-course perspective”. Assoc. Prof. Kajdanek explains how suburban environments – often designed with young families in mind – can become isolating for teenagers and increasingly restrictive for older adults. She also sheds light on the phenomenon of the “return to the city”, where accessibility and independence begin to outweigh the benefits of suburban living.

In this episode, we discuss Assoc. Prof. Kajdanek’s research on reurbanisation and the challenges of ageing in suburban Poland. She offers a nuanced perspective on why the suburban ideal does not always correspond to lived reality, highlighting factors such as environmental quality, social inequality, and changing perceptions of success among younger generations.

Katarzyna Kajdanek is an Associate Professor of Urban Sociology at the University of Wrocław. Her research focuses on the socio-spatial dimensions of urbanisation processes, as well as questions of regional and local identity. She is particularly engaged in applied social research, examining how and why people move between cities and suburbs over the course of their lives.

To listen to the episode, click here.