Title Page -- Contents -- Preface -- Introducing the meaning of dwelling -- Background -- Relevance of the study -- Research questions and structure of the thesis -- Conceptualising the meaning of dwelling -- Environment-behaviour studies -- Ecological psychology: the reciprocal relation between people and the environment -- The meaning of people-environment relations -- Universal value types -- General meanings of home -- Context of people-environment relations -- Life course approach -- Characterising life in a city centre, suburban and rural type of residential environment -- Measuring the meaning of dwelling in different types of residential environment -- Defining types of residential environment -- Means-end theory -- Making the meaning of dwelling operational -- Conceptual framework -- Describing the context of dwelling -- Key features of the respondents -- Household features of the respondents -- Dwelling features -- Preferred dwelling situation of respondents who are willing to move -- Comparing household features and current dwelling situation of respondents willing to move -- Preferred dwelling situation -- Preferred amenities close to the dwelling -- Conclusion -- Analysing activities in the dwelling and the residential environment -- Activities in the dwelling and residential environment -- Activity patterns -- Effect of background variables on activities -- Family-life activities -- Household chores -- Leisure activities -- Other activities -- Association between activities and type of residential environment, age and household composition -- Conclusion -- The meaning of activities in the dwelling and residential environment -- The effect of meaning on activities in the dwelling and residential environment -- The effect of meaning on family-life activities -- The effect of meaning on household chores.

The effect of meaning on leisure activities -- The effect of meaning on other activities -- Orientations of general meanings for activities in the dwelling and residential environment -- Representing and analysing meaning structures -- Meaning structures of activities in the dwelling -- The use of the dwelling -- Living room -- Kitchen -- Study -- Private outdoor space -- Other activities in the dwelling -- Most mentioned meanings for activities in the dwelling -- Meaning structures of activities in the residential environment -- Activities within 15 minutes of the dwelling -- Activities over 15 minutes from the dwelling -- Other activities in the residential environment -- The most mentioned meanings for activities in the residential environment -- Conclusion -- Relations between activities and general meanings -- Orientations of general meanings -- The meaning of dwelling -- Comparing the meaning of dwelling -- Subdivided meaning structures of activities in the dwelling -- Living room -- Kitchen -- Study -- Private outdoor space -- Other activities in the dwelling -- Comparing the most mentioned meanings for activities in the dwelling -- Subdivided meaning structures of activities in the residential environment -- Activities within 15 minutes of the dwelling -- Activities over 15 minutes from the dwelling -- Other activities in the residential environment -- Comparing the most mentioned meanings for activities in the residential environment -- The meaning of a preference for a city centre, suburban or rural location -- Conclusion -- Unique links in a city centre type of residential environment -- Unique links in suburban types of residential environment -- Unique links in rural types of residential environment -- Does the meaning of dwelling differ per type of residential environment? -- Conclusions and discussion.

Conclusions regarding main research findings -- Activities in the dwelling and residential environment -- The relation between activities and meanings in different sub-settings -- Meaning structures subdivided by type of residential environment -- Evaluating the residential environment typology -- Motivations behind preference for a type of residential environment -- Remarks on the research design -- Recent studies on the relation between work and family activities and the type of residential environment -- Evaluating the research method -- Meaning structure of the dwelling feature living room -- Comparing meaning structures for activities in the living room and the dwelling feature living room -- Evaluating the meaning structure approach -- Why use network analyses? -- Strengths and weaknesses of network analysis -- Directions for future research -- References -- Appendix 1 Design and implementation of the questionnaire -- Sample taking -- Design of the questionnaire -- Background variables -- Laddering -- Testing the questionnaire -- Classifying the answers -- Instructing the interviewers -- Implementation of the questionnaire -- Appendix 2 Key features of respondents -- Appendix 3 Log linear analysis -- Appendix 4 Preferred amenities -- Appendix 5 Mentioned activities and the frequencies -- Appendix 6 CA of everyday activities -- Appendix 7 Results logistic regression models: activities -- Appendix 8 General meanings -- Appendix 9 Results logistic regression models: general meanings of activities -- Appendix 10 Universal value types -- Appendix 11 Use of the dwelling -- Appendix 12 Preferred location and main reason for preference -- Appendix 13 Activities performed in the living room -- Summary -- Samenvatting (Dutch summary) -- Curriculum Vitae -- Sustainable Urban Areas.