Published
Mar 29, 2006Page count
296 pagesISBN
978-1861347510Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Policy Press
Building on the past
Despite the improved supply and quality of housing in the UK and Europe over the last 60 years, the future of housing remains uncertain. Will the supply of new housing meet demand? Is decent, affordable housing an achievable goal? How far will governments seek to shape the market? How will they respond to demographic pressures in different parts of the country? Will housing wealth become a central issue in wider debates about the future of public services?
This book looks at the big questions affecting the future of housing as a key indicator of social and economic well-being in the 21st century. It brings together specially commissioned contributions by leading housing experts who explore a wide range of themes and issues affecting the prospects for the coming 20 years or more. Drawing on the evidence of the past and present they analyse the implications of current trends to consider how markets and governments might respond to the challenges ahead. The book is not a work of prophecy or a manifesto for action. It is designed to stimulate and contribute to informed debate about possible futures and what can be done to influence what happens.
"Building on the past" will be of interest to all those concerned about the future of housing, neighbourhoods and communities over the next 20 years.
"This important book ... helps to address the important criticism of the unhistorical analysis of housing policy made recently ... although it also highlights the need for housing studies in the UK to draw upon theoretical and analytical tools from other disciplines in understanding very rapidly evolving social, economic and political forces." Urban Studies Journal
" ... refreshing honest and bold attempts by the contributors to tackle key UK housing challenges and set out future visions." Urban Studies
"The collection benefits from a variety of perspectives and research techniques, with each contribution accessible either in its own right, or as part of the book's broader narrative." Social Policy
"This is a collection of well-informed, stimulating and forceful perspectives - from the academy and the world of practice - on some of the most significant and pressing issues facing current and future housing policy and analysis. The contributors frame many of the questions that will shape the debate over the coming years, and offer some provocative answers that invite a response." Alex Marsh, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK
Peter Malpass is Professor of Housing Policy and Head of the School of Housing and Urban Studies at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
Liz Cairncross was a lecturer in the Department of Planning at Oxford Brookes University, UK, and is now Senior Research Associate at Picker Institute Europe.
Introduction ~ Peter Malpass and Liz Cairncross; Moving with the times: changing frameworks for housing research and policy ~ Alan Murie; A new vision for UK housing? ~ Richard Best; Housing demand, supply and the geography of inequality ~ Christine M. E. Whitehead; Understanding the drivers of housing market change in Britain's postindustrial cities ~ Brendan Nevin and Philip Leather; Affordability comes of age ~ Glen Bramley; Mob mentality: the the threat to community sustainability from the search for safety ~ Rowland Atkinson; Housing and the ageing population ~ Moyra Riseborough and Peter Fletcher; Tenant futures; the future of tenants in social housing ~ Phil Morgan; Democracy and development ~ Stephen Platt and Ian Cooper; Conclusion ~ Liz Cairncross and Peter Malpass.