debates in housing

housing quote

“Housing is a critical social, cultural, and environmental determinant of health and well-being” (Howden-Chapman et al., 2023)

banking crisis links with housing crisis

housing crisis is a small part of the wider financial crisis

lack of affordability for homes

homelessness

declining home ownership

the narrative of crisis

Tunstall (2023) twin concepts:

‘socio-tenural polarisation’ - gap between rich and poor becoming bigger

‘residualisartion’ - leaves social housing for poor

commodification of housing

“housing is no longer seen as a home, but rather, a commodity” (Lima, 2024)

erosion of belief it’s a basic human right

the impact of covid

caused a deepening of housing inequalities

years of neoliberalism have left governments fully exposed and ill-prepared to face a public health crisis on the scale of coronavirus

(Lima, 2024)

policy proposals

• more homeownership

• more responsive planning procedures and policy

• better construction technology

problem with current policy

they are often ‘sticking players at best’, and at their worst they actually help recreate crises (Heslop and Ormerod, 2020)

what has the presentation of ‘crisis’ allowed for

• planning system streamlined

• land freed up from the green belt

• design regulations scrapped (potential negative)

social consequences of this?

new additions of housing are commonly not affordable to low-to-middle-income residents (Reid, 2023)

grenfell tower case study

consequences of:

• social housing disinvestment

• deregulation

• privatisation

• inequalities

criticism of 2016 housing and planning act

Morton (2010):

caused the selling of high value social housing stock in order to decrease the ratio of social housing due to the political right

blakemore and warwick-booth (2013) key points

• housing policy has changed from public housing initiatives post WW2 to the privatisation trends of now

• how the ‘right to buy’ scheme reduced the stock of social housing and altered the housing landscape

• main current challenges: affordability, homelessness, catering housing to diverse populations

lowe (2011) key points

• council housing grew in parallel with home-ownership, but entered a phase of terminal decline in the late 70s

• budget for social housing was slashed by 60% in october 2010

• council housing has played an important role in breaking poverty cycles (Feinstein et al, 2008)

• calls for a re-evaluation of housing policy, advocating for social equity and stability to be prioritised