News from the Housing and Communities Research Network at the University of Birmingham

Upcoming seminars at University of Birmingham

The Housing and Communities Research network are hosting the following free seminars:

• Localism and Housing - 2 current research perspectives on Tuesday 7th May 2013 (4.15 - 5.45). Richard Lang, Plowden Research Fellow will present on ‘Bringing real localism into practice through co-operative housing governance’ and David Mullins will present on ‘Putting the Social Back into Housing - Learning from Localism’.
• Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour - Reflecting on research for Peabody on Thursday 4th July 2013 (4.15 - 5.45). Chris Allen, Ozlem Young and Kath Farrow will discuss the findings of recent research into Anti-Social Behaviour for the social housing provider Peabody.

For more information on either seminar visit the web page for the research group Homes and Communities research network

Recent research from the Homes and Communities Research Network

A new paper from David Mullins and Tom Moore (University of St Andrews) on ‘Scaling up or going viral? Comparing self-help housing and community land trust facilitation'. For further information and to download the paper go to Scaling up or going viral

A Visiting Fellow from Japan, Yoshinobu Kikuchi will visit the University of Birmingham for six months from June 2013 to work with David Mullins on the Empty Homes projects in England. For further go to TSRC Visiting Fellow

Dr Richard Lang from WU Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria joins the Third Sector Research Centre and Housing and Communities Group for three months from April 2013 to undertake research on 'Bringing real localism into practice through co-operative housing governance. For further details go to 2013 William Plowden Fellowship

News from TRP University of Sheffield

New ESRC Knowledge Exchange project with Housing Quality Network
Ed Ferrari and John Flint are leading a new Knowledge Exchange Opportunities project funded by the ESRC to explore ways that housing practitioners can make better use of the insights generated by housing academics. The project's researcher, Janis Bright, will be working for 12 months with Housing Quality Network, the leading advice network for housing practitioners . Go to the HQN website.
As part of the project, Janis will also be working with a number of housing organisations to understand how they use research and how they could more effectively exploit it strategically and operationally. The project is also being supported by the Housing Studies Association. For more information, contact e.t.ferrari@sheffield.ac.uk.

TRP hosts first Big Society seminar in new series
On 7-8 March the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Sheffield hosted the first of a new series of seminars funded by ESRC looking at the impact of the Big Society and Localism on housing. Speakers included Kim McKee (University of St Andrews), Tony Manzi (University of Westminster), Keith Jacobs (University of Tasmania), David Mullins (University of Birmingham), Vidhya Alakeson (Resolution Foundation), David Clapham (University of Reading), Grainia Long (Chartered Institute of Housing), Paul Broadbent (Gangmasters Licensing Authority), Mike Raco (University College London) and Peter Matthews (Heriot-Watt University), and the event was chaired by John Flint and Ed Ferrari of TRP. Follow-up seminars will be taking place in Belfast and St. Andrews throughout 2013 and 2014. Full details of the seminar series (together with papers and presentations from the first seminar) can be found at The Big Society, Localism and Housing Policy

Building Economies and Resilient Societies PhD Network
The Department of Town and Regional Planning has secured funding for two PhD studentships as part of the BEARS inter-disciplinary research network at the University of Sheffield. The network will bring together researchers and supervisors working in related areas to look at issues of economic and societal resilience in medium sized post-industrial communities, and is supported by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council. Each project is interdisciplinary by design and will provide excellent opportunities for research students to broaden their range of disciplinary perspectives. Projects include Deprivation, educational attainment and resilience in Doncaster, to be supervised by Alasdair Rae (Department of Town and Regional Planning) and Brendan Stone (School of English), and Perceptions and realities of economy-driven housing market growth in Doncaster, to be supervised by Ed Ferrari (Department of Town and Regional Planning) and Lucy Jones (School of Architecture). More information at The Bears Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News from the Centre for Housing Research, University of St Andrews

ESRC Seminar Series Website Launched by the Centre for Housing Research
The Centre for Housing Research at the University of St Andrews has launched the website for its new seminar series: "The Big Society, Localism and Housing Policy".
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the events will explore the impact of the coalition government’s localist ‘Big Society’ agenda on housing policy across the UK. Localism aims to shift decision-making downwards and empower local people to solve their own problems. However, in an era of restrained public spending, questions can be raised as to whether this may widen existing housing inequalities. Dr Kim McKee, Principal Investigator on the project said:
“‘The ‘Big Society’ and ‘Localism’ have become buzz words in policy and politics since the formation of the coalition government in 2010, and their influence can already be seen in housing policy and practice in the UK. This varies however depending on how devolved administrations and local authorities use their powers and budgets. Devolving power downwards may therefore lead to greater divergence in housing policy than we have seen under devolution so far. Understanding the varied geographical impact of these ideas is a key aim of the seminars.”
Drawing on expertise from the Universities of St Andrews, Sheffield, Cardiff, and Queens University Belfast, these two-day interdisciplinary workshops will bring together perspectives from academia, policy and practice and will include speakers from beyond the UK:

• Seminar 1: Localism and the Big Society: what do they mean for housing studies? (Sheffield, 7-8 March 2013)
• Seminar 2: Localism, Welfare Reform and Tenure Restructuring in the UK (Belfast, 24-25 October 2013)
• Seminar 3: The Big Society, Localism and the Future of Social Housing (St Andrews, 13-14 March 2014) 

Registration for Seminar 1 will open in autumn 2012. For more details, or to register your interest, please contact the project administrator Dr Tom Moore, or follow us on Twitter (@housingseminars). Updates will also be posted on our website: www.bigsocietylocalismhousing.co.uk

Localism Debated at Early Careers Housing and Planning Conference, University of Sheffield.

‘Localism’ defied the bravest attempts at definition from Early Careers and more seasoned academic researchers alike at the Housing Studies Association- supported Postgraduate Conference held at the University of Sheffield on 25 May. During the conference, organised by Richard Dunning and his colleagues in the Department of Town and Regional Planning at Sheffield University, presenters and delegates from across the UK provided a broad picture of the impact the Localism agenda upon a range of issues related to housing and planning.
Professor Ian Cole (Sheffield Hallam University) opened the conference with a discussion on the paradox of the Localist rhetoric and recent political events. He built an argument for the reintroduction of overtly place based policy thinking and a reconceptualisation of government intervention in failing (housing) markets and welfare reforms. A lively question and answer session followed and set the scene for the rest of the day in providing a supportive, but intellectually demanding and rigorous, critique of the presentations. 
Eight early careers presentations covered a range of perspectives, problems and philosophical questions. Dr Sarah Payne discussed the role of the volume house-builder, whilst Rachel Daneman (nee Bland) discussed the implications of Localism on the local authority planner. Eddy Hogg considered the role and engagement of elderly volunteers in the Big Society and Maxwell Ayamba problemitised the relationship of BME groups and Green Infrastructure in the planning system. Abbas Bafarasat delivered a compelling critique of the philosophy of localism and spatial planning and Ann Kolodziejski highlighted a number of questions paramount to mobilising local people in neighbourhoods where sense of place is ill defined and only loosely motivates households. Katherine Brookfield reported on her empirical work with local neighbourhood groups’ perceptions of the planning process and reflected on the impact of perceptions on housebuilding within a localist planning framework.  Matt Thompson’s overview of class divide in pepper-potted estates and Community Land Trusts completed the early careers presentations.
Professor Nick Johnson’s (Urban Splash, The University of Sheffield) provocative presentation raised contemporary issues for the planning and housebuilding professions, and the systematic obstructions engrained in both, which are preventing the development of local communities in new build and regeneration projects across the UK. Professor John Flint and Dr Ed Ferrari responded to the issues Nick had raised and developed the undercurrents of critical thinking running throughout the conference.
The excellent drinks reception provided a social atmosphere to continue developing a response to the issues raised by a Localist approach to planning and housebuilding, as well as fostering the early careers networks necessary for long term collaboration.
The Housing Studies Association was delighted to be able to support this event through sponsoring a number of bursaries and a closing drinks reception. The HSA would like to congratulate and thank the organisers and participants for a very successful conference. More details about the HSA’s sponsorship and endorsement of events and activities may be found by following the link on our website home page.

TRP Conference - Localism: an opportunity for home building and community cohesion?
Papers are invited from early career researchers in town and regional planning and related disciplines for ‘Localism: an opportunity for home building and community cohesion?’, the second conference organised by the Department of Town and Regional Planning Research School at the University of Sheffield, taking place on the 25th May 2012, at the university’s Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences.
The Localism Bill brings to the fore the tension between development and local empowerment. The rhetoric surrounding the bill promotes an increase in housing supply in a manner that places the local community in direct contact with the planning process. Improving community cohesion at all levels of society is part of the Big Society objective and will be impacted upon by local development. This conference is designed to explore some of the tensions between economic growth, home building and local community cohesion.
Keynote speakers, including Professor Ian Cole, Sheffield Hallam University and Professor Nick Johnson, Urban Splash and the University of Sheffield, will provide a variety of theoretical and grounded perspectives on the conference themes. Additionally workshops will be used to explore a range of issues surrounding the conference theme from four perspectives: housing economics and home building; community cohesion and justice; planning for ‘Localism’ and housing lessons from non UK situations. The conference provides the opportunity for early career researchers, whether PhD students or researchers from outside academia, to present their research in a friendly and constructive environment. Each of the workshops will be supported by an academic member of staff from the University of Sheffield and will provide supportive and robust feedback.
Offers of papers (a title and 200 word abstract) should be emailed to r.j.dunning@sheffield.ac.uk (Richard Dunning) and c.maidment@sheffield.ac.uk (Chris Maidment) by 25th April 2012. We welcome papers covering the conference themes and also dealing with any other aspect of research corresponding to the four workshops. Thanks to the support of the Housing Studies Association five bursaries are also available, open to those submitting abstracts, covering the full cost of the conference fee and up to £25 towards travel arrangements. Successful bursary recipients will be informed by email by Friday 27th April.
The conference fee is £15, covering attendance, lunch and an evening drinks reception. Places are limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. Please follow this link to book your place: http://onlineshop.shef.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&catid=74&modid=1&prodid=1864&deptid=9&prodvarid=0
We would advise anyone planning to apply for a bursary to contact Richard or Chris before booking a place through the above link.

Localism: an opportunity for home building and community cohesion?
Papers are invited from early career researchers in town and regional planning and related disciplines for ‘Localism: an opportunity for home building and community cohesion?’, the second conference organised by the Department of Town and Regional Planning Research School at the University of Sheffield, taking place on the 25th May 2012, at the university’s Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences.

The Localism Bill brings to the fore the tension between development and local empowerment. The rhetoric surrounding the bill promotes an increase in housing supply in a manner that places the local community in direct contact with the planning process. Improving community cohesion at all levels of society is part of the Big Society objective and will be impacted upon by local development. This conference is designed to explore some of the tensions between economic growth, home building and local community cohesion.

Keynote speakers, including Professor Ian Cole, Sheffield Hallam University and Professor Nick Johnson, Urban Splash and the University of Sheffield, will provide a variety of theoretical and grounded perspectives on the conference themes. Additionally workshops will be used to explore a range of issues surrounding the conference theme from four perspectives: housing economics and home building; community cohesion and justice; planning for ‘Localism’ and housing lessons from non UK situations. The conference provides the opportunity for early career researchers, whether PhD students or researchers from outside academia, to present their research in a friendly and constructive environment. Each of the workshops will be supported by an academic member of staff from the University of Sheffield and will provide supportive and robust feedback.

Offers of papers (a title and 200 word abstract) should be emailed to r.j.dunning@sheffield.ac.uk (Richard Dunning) and c.maidment@sheffield.ac.uk (Chris Maidment) by 25th March 2012. We welcome papers covering the conference themes and also dealing with any other aspect of research corresponding to the four workshops. The conference fee is £15, covering attendance, lunch and an evening drinks reception. Places are limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis, please email either Richard or Chris if you are interesting in attending. Thanks to the support of the Housing Studies Association five bursaries are also available, covering the full cost of the conference fee and up to £25 towards travel arrangements.