Social Housing

Lindesay Dawe and Tanja Poppelreuter

The history of social housing in Great Britain is a story of shifting political ideals, economic pressures, and changing ideas about class, community, and the role of the state. For the professional class in Britain (architects, town planners, administrators) their ambitions for housing – from the late 19th C – were inextricably linked to a purpose of reshaping the city and wider public health reform. Challenges in delivering housing reform through the 20th C were multi-layered as policies, design philosophies, and economic conditions changed. For those who were the prime beneficiaries, the British working class, better housing conditions under municipal authority included rent control, tenant protection and limits on the power of the landlord, although by the mid-twentieth century tensions between expectations and delivery were never far from the surface. The aims of this group is to better understand ideologies that led to the building of different types of housing. We are interested in juxtaposing positions held by councils, planners, developers, architects, landlords and tenants historically and currently. The group also investigates stereotypical notions associated with people living in social housing, social stigmatisation and the aftermath of regeneration and gentrification. We are open to all members of the public and seek young as well as established researchers, members of public institutions, representatives of councils and industries to come together to learn more about the complexities of housing.