The distribution of perceived advantages and disadvantages of infill development among owners of a commonhold and its’ implications

•There is a strong pressure to densify commonhold sites in mature neighborhoods.•Disadvantages of infill development are unevenly distributed among commonhold owners.•The commonhold ownership structure posits a major challenge for infill development.•Need to develop vehicles to measure and balance the distribution of disadvantages. Throughout Europe and beyond, a particular focus of regeneration and infill policies is set on mature inner city and suburban neighborhoods, where properties are often owned by commonholds. The component of collective decision-making makes infill development on commonhold areas especially complex. This paper conceptualizes the role and effects of collective decision making in the context of infill development on sites owned by commonholds and explores how the advantages and disadvantages of infill development are distributed among owners. The paper has a policy contribution as it assesses the distributive justice of infill development decision from the perspective of commonhold ownership structure and its implications. The findings of this paper contribute to the governance of commonholds, especially with respect to equality of decision-making and rights of majority and minority owners. These issues are essential regarding to the growing importance of the apartment owners in the governance of built environment and related challenges, such as regeneration of already developed urban areas.