MASTER’S DISSERTATION INTEGRATION OF SECOND HOMEOWNERS AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION TO THE SECOND HOME PROBLEM IN BRIONE SOPRA MINUSIO Author: Florie Salamin Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Pietro Beritelli Second Reader: Prof. Dr. Christian Lässer Submission on 26th of October 2011 I TABLE OF CONTENTS INDEX OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................................. IV LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................... V LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................... VII 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... - 1 - 1.1. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................................... - 1 - 1.2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. - 4 - 2. BRIONE S/MINUSIO: THE SECOND HOME PROBLEM .............................................................. - 5 - 2.1. „SECOND HOME‟ – DEFINITION OF THE CONCEPT .......................................................... - 6 - 2.2. BRIONE S/MINUSIO ........................................................................................................... - 8 - 2.2.1. THE BIRTH OF BRIONE S/MINUSIO............................................................................... - 9 - 2.2.2. THE „PATRIZIATI‟ OF BRIONE S/MINUSIO.................................................................... - 9 - 2.2.3. THE OPENING OF THE ST. GOTTHARD TUNNEL ......................................................... - 9 - 2.3. THE SECOND HOME BOOM IN BRIONE S/MINUSIO ...................................................... - 14 - 2.4. THE CONCENTRATION OF SECOND HOMES .................................................................. - 17 - 3. SECOND HOMES CONCENTRATION AND ITS IMPACT ............................................................ - 17 - 3.1. LOSS OF TRADITIONAL VALUES & CULTURAL IDENTITY .............................................. - 21 - 3.1.1. „LIBERI E SVIZZERI‟: THE TICINESE IDENTITY .......................................................... - 21 - 3.1.2. „PULL‟ & „PUSH‟ FACTORS ............................................................................................ - 25 - 3.2. INFLATION OF REAL ESTATE PRICES.............................................................................. - 29 - 3.3. COSTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE ............................................................................................ - 37 - 4. RESPONSE TO THE SECOND HOME PRESSURE IN BRIONE S/M ............................................ - 42 - 4.1. THE NECESSITY TO ACT .................................................................................................. - 42 - 4.2. MAINTAINING THE BRIONITT IDENTITY & TRADITIONS.............................................. - 44 - 4.3. SOLUTIONS TO THE INFLATION OF REAL ESTATE PRICES ............................................ - 47 - 4.3.1. REGULATION OF THE PROPORTION OF SECOND HOMES ......................................... - 50 - 4.4. FINANCING THE INFRASTRUCTURES OF BRIONE S/MINUSIO ....................................... - 50 - 5. SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF SECOND HOMEOWNERS ............................................................... - 55 - 5.1. „SOCIAL INTEGRATION‟: DEFINITION OF THE CONCEPT .............................................. - 55 - 5.2. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................... - 56 - 5.2.1. STRUCTURE OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE ........................................................................ - 56 - 5.2.2. DATA COLLECTIONS & ANALYSIS ............................................................................... - 57 - 5.3. RESULTS OF THE SURVEYS ............................................................................................... - 57 - I Master Thesis 2011 Università della Svizzera Italiana Florie Salamin 5.3.1. PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS ......................................................................................... - 57 - GENDER .................................................................................................................................... - 57 - AGE ........................................................................................................................................... - 58 - STATUS ...................................................................................................................................... - 58 - YEAR OF ACQUISITION .............................................................................................................. - 58 - SELF-USE VS. LENT-OUT ............................................................................................................ - 59 - 5.3.2. RELATIONSHIP: LOCAL RESIDENTS - SECOND HOMEOWNERS ................................. - 60 - MUTUAL PERCEPTION: LOCAL RESIDENTS - SECOND HOMEOWNERS ...................................... - 60 - PERCEIVED INTEGRATION LEVEL OF SECOND HOMEOWNERS ................................................ - 63 - 5.3.3. BARRIERS TO THE INTEGRATION OF SECOND HOMEOWNERS ................................. - 64 - LENGTH OF STAY ...................................................................................................................... - 65 - COMMUNICATION ISSUES .......................................................................................................... - 66 - CULTURAL DIFFERENCES / WAY OF THINKING ....................................................................... - 70 - OPPORTUNITIES & WILLINGNESS TO MEET .............................................................................. - 71 - FEELING REJECTED BY THE OTHER GROUP ............................................................................. - 74 - OTHER BARRIERS TO INTEGRATION ......................................................................................... - 75 - 5.4. INTEGRATION OF SECOND HOMEOWNERS .................................................................... - 81 - 5.4.1. LR: ASSUMED EFFECTS OF BETTER INTEGRATION ................................................... - 82 - IMPROVEMENT OF BRIONE S/MINUSIO‟ S OVERALL SOCIAL LIFE ............................................ - 82 - CREATION OF A NEW IDENTITY................................................................................................ - 82 - IMPLICATION OF SECOND HOMEOWNERS ................................................................................ - 83 - ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SECOND HOME PROBLEM ................................................................. - 83 - RESOLVING OF TENSIONS ......................................................................................................... - 84 - 5.4.1.1. SHO: ASSUMED EFFECTS OF BETTER INTEGRATION ................................................ - 86 - CONCERN ABOUT LOCAL ISSUES AND PROBLEMS ..................................................................... - 86 - INTEREST IN THE LOCAL CULTURE AND TRADITIONS .............................................................. - 86 - WILLINGNESS TO SUPPORT THE ECONOMY OF THE LOCAL POPULATION................................ - 87 - WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ...................................... - 87 - LENGTH OF STAY ...................................................................................................................... - 88 - WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE PLACE OF RESIDENCE ................................................................... - 88 - 5.5. SUGGESTIONS TO PROMOTE BETTER INTEGRATION IN BRIONE S/M ......................... - 89 - 6. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................ - 93 - 6.1. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS ............................................................... - 95 - 6.2. FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ............................................................................ - 98 - II Master Thesis 2011 Università della Svizzera Italiana Florie Salamin 6.3. CONCLUDING REMARKS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS ........................................... - 100 - APPENDIX A - DATA ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................. I LETTER - SURVEY (ENGLISH VERSION) ............................................................................................. I LETTER - MUNICIPALITY OF BRIONE S/M (ENGLISH VERSION) .................................................... II SURVEY - LOCAL RESIDENTS (ENGLISH VERSION) ......................................................................... III SURVEY - SECOND HOMEOWNERS (ENGLISH VERSION) ............................................................... VII APPENDIX B - DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................... XII THEORETICAL PART ......................................................................................................................... XII EMPIRICAL PART ............................................................................................................................. XVI BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................................