News from the Institute for Housing, Urban and Real Estate Research (IHURER), Heriot-Watt University

Sanctions, Support and Behaviour Change: Understanding the Role and Impact of Welfare Conditionality
IHURER, in collaboration with four other UK universities, has been awarded an ESRC large grant to conduct a major study on the efficacy and ethicality of conditional welfare policies. The use of conditional welfare arrangements that combine elements of sanction and support in order to influence the behaviour of welfare recipients is an established element within welfare, housing, criminal justice and immigration policies. This five year research project creates a collaborative, international and interdisciplinary focal point for social science research on welfare conditionality by establishing an original and comprehensive evidence base across a range of social policy fields and diverse groups of welfare service users.
The study, led by Professor Peter Dwyer, University of York, will be informed by a comprehensive review of relevant academic literature, statistical data sources and policy documents, an international expert seminar series and consultation workshops with welfare service users and practitioners. The main fieldwork components comprise:

• 40 semi-structured interviews with ‘elite’ policy makers and actors.
• 24 focus groups (each with 6-10 respondents) with frontline welfare practitioners who implement policy.
• 1,440 repeated qualitative interviews with a diverse sample of 480 welfare service users subject to welfare conditionality i.e. this longitudinal element of the study will involve interviewing each participant three times over a two-year period.

Fieldwork will be undertaken in a variety of urban locations in England and Scotland. Led by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick, the IHURER team on the project also involves Dr Sarah Johnsen, Dr Beth Watts and David Watkins. IHURER will be involved in all aspects of the project, with a particular focus on the conceptual, theoretical and normative aspects of the study.

UK Poverty Worst in 30 Years
On March 29th, the Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) Team, of which IHURER is a member, released its stark first findings. The study revealed that over half a million UK children and over 3.5 million adults cannot afford to eat properly, and one in three households lack several minimum necessities of life. These results are bleaker than in than in any of the three previous PSE surveys in 1983, 1990 and 1999. Aside from being the largest study of poverty and deprivation ever conducted in the UK, the PSE Survey is unique in that asked the public what they think should be part of a minimum standard of living and measures poverty accordingly.

Within the six university team, IHURER’s Professor Glen Bramley and Dr Kirsten Besemer are particularly responsible for local services, housing, neighbourhoods, education and financial inclusion, and the way poverty in Scotland differs from the rest of the UK.

The results of the PSE study were broadcast on ITV, Thursday, 28 March, in a special 'Tonight' programme on ‘Breadline Britain’, followed by dozens of articles in national and local newspapers, as well as coverage on BBC Radio Scotland. Speaking in the Herald Glen Bramley said, ""The situation is already serious, but it is set to get worse as benefit levels fall in real terms, as real wages continue a three year decline and as living standards are further squeezed,".

Further information on this study can be found on the PSE website

Housing and Poverty Over the Lifecourse
IHURER has been selected by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to conduct research on the links between housing and poverty over the lifecourse, as part of its Housing and Poverty Research Programme . Led by Professors Mark Stephens and Chris Leishman, the team will examine how the experiences of five cohorts of households have evolved since the early 1990s. It will then make projections for the next 25 years, taking into account changing labour markets, demography and tenure.

The team also includes Sheffield University academics Dr Alasdair Rae and Dr Ed Ferrari, who will be providing analysis on the spatial distribution of housing and poverty.

 

ENHR Conference Comes to Edinburgh

The European Network for Housing Research (ENHR) conference is coming to Edinburgh in 2014. IHURER led a bid on behalf of four Scottish universities and the Chartered Institute of Housing to bring the conference to Scotland for the first time since 1994. Housing Minister Margaret Burgess said, "I would like to congratulate you and your colleagues on this achievement. This is excellent news… I very much welcome this opportunity to showcase the achievements of Scottish housing policy and the research strengths of Scottish Universities."

The conference theme will be "Beyond Globalisation: remaking housing policy in a complex world" and the plenary sessions will be organised around the themes of People, Place, Money, Land and Home. It will also feature a special session devoted to Scottish housing policy.　 Chair of the conference committee, Mark Stephens, said "Edinburgh is a fantastic city for a conference. But we will also give delegates the opportunity to experience more of Scotland and are developing study tours for Glasgow and Dundee."

The conference will take place on 1-4 July, with a special event for doctoral students and early career researchers beginning on 30 June.

 

Professor Mark Stephens Inaugural Lecture - Date for your Diary

Professor Mark Stephens will deliver his inaugural lecture, 'After the Iron Curtain. Housing in Post-Socialist Europe' on Thursday 31 October 2013, from 4pm. Further details will be issued in due course.

 

IHURER Blog

In January, IHURER launched a blog to share news, publications and insights from on-going research projects. The IHURER Research and Policy Blog is visited over 1000 times a month from 80 different countries, and features weekly articles from IHURER staff and selected postgraduate students. Interested readers can sign up for updates by email.

 

PhD Scholarships

IHURER is looking forward to welcoming six new PhD students for the 2013/14 session following a successful call for scholarship applications. Two students will be working with Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick on research linked to the ESRC large grant 'Sanctions, Support and Behaviour Change: Understanding the Role and Impact of Welfare Conditionality'. Two students will work with Dr Neil Dunse on topics relating to 'Sustainability and Commercial Property Values' and one will work with Professor Colin Jones on 'Green Energy and Economic Growth'. The final student, who was awarded a competitive scholarship through the ESRC Scottish Graduate School for Social Sciences, will be working with Professor Mark Stephens on the 'Impacts of the Housing Benefit Welfare Reform'. Next year's scholarships will be advertised on our website in January 2014.

 

Recent IHURER Conference Participation

Dr Sarah Johnsen and Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick gave plenaries and coordinated workshops at the Housing First Europe final conference in Amsterdam, 13-14 June. This event reported on the conclusions of a European Commission funded 'social experimentation' project which pulled together findings and lessons learned from pilot Housing First projects in five 'test sites' and a further five 'peer sites' across Europe.

IHURER was well represented at the European Network for Housing Research (ENHR) Conference in Tarragona, 20-23 June. Professor Mark Stephens gave a plenary on "The Housing Crisis in Europe" and presented a paper on housing reform in China. Professor Glen Bramley presented a paper on "The role of housing in the impoverishment of Britain" and Dr Kirsten Besemer presented "The social distribution of homelessness in Scotland".　

Professor Mark Stephens gave a Keynote address on "Perspectives on China" at "Social Housing in Globalising Urban Contexts" workshop, University of Vienna, 5-6 April.

Professor Colin Jones, Dr Neil Dunse and Dr Nicola Livingstone attended the European Real Estate Society (ERES) annual conference in Vienna, 3-6 July where they presented a paper on "The Restructuring of the Institutional Real Estate Portfolio in the UK".

Institute for Housing, Urban and Real Estate Research (IHURER), Heriot-Watt University

Placed-based policies in deprived neighbourhoods
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission published rapid evidence review led by Dr Peter Matthews Gina Netto and Kirsten Besemer. The report – 'Hard to Reach' or 'Easy to Ignore' - analyses what impact place-based policies to tackle socio-economic deprivation might have on the equalities of groups protected under UK legislation.
The analysis brought together a wide range of literature along with new analysis of 2001 Scottish Census data and the Scottish Health Survey to enable us to better understand the intersection between the most deprived neighbourhoods in Scotland and the spatial distribution of equalities groups in Scotland. One of the key findings is that place-based policies are often unintentionally blind to equalities issues, or protected equalities groups such as the disabled or lone parents, are treated as problematic.

Mark Stephens and Peter Williams Tackling Housing Market Volatility in the UK: a progress report” (Joseph Rowntree Foundation)
In May 2011 the JRF’s Housing Market Taskforce report outlined measures the Government should take to limit the extent and consequences of housing market volatility. This report provides a review on progress since then. It concludes that in some ways we are moving away from the goal, and that the Government continues to be too timid concerning actions that are needed to bring about greater housing market stability. The authors highlight some priorities.

Other housing market publications
C. Jones, M Coombes and C Wong (2012) “A System of National Tiered Housing Market Areas and Spatial Planning”, Environment and Planning B, 39, 518-532 (2012).
C. Jones,  M Coombes, N Dunse, D Watkins and C Wymer (2012) “Tiered Housing Markets and their Relationship to Labour Market Areas”, Urban Studies, 49, 12, 2633-2650 (2012).
Colin Jones, Michael White and Neil Dunse (eds) (2012) Challenges of the Housing Economy: An International Perspective, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.

Conferences
Colin Jones gave a keynote lecture at the 2012 European Real Estate Society conference entitled “An International Perspective on the Housing Market Crisis: Causes and Consequences”
Mark Stephens presented a paper written with Marja Elsinga and Thomas Knor Seedow on housing privatization in England, the Netherlands and Germany at the Second International Symposium on “Public Housing Futures”, August 29-30, hosted by Fudan University, Shanghai
Chris Leishman and Mark Stephens participated in the New School Housing Conference in New York, 123-14 September. Chris presented a paper on “Aggregate Housing Supply: are the microeconomics of behaviour of housing developers important?.” Mark was a panel member for a debate on “Post-crisis prospects for affordable rental housing in a time of fiscal austerity"

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.

News from Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research

New publication - 
Measuring the affordability of housing association rents in England: a dual approach
A new journal article has been published by Dr Connie Tang in the latest issue of the International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis. The purpose of this article is to compare relative levels of rental affordability across the English housing association sector, using two methods, rent-to-income ratio and residual income standards (poverty-line and budget standard). The rent-to-income ratio analysis identified that housing association rents were generally affordable. However, the residual income analyses using two different minimum acceptable standards suggested some scepticism in this regard. In particular, both analyses confirmed the affordability problem in London where nearly half of existing housing association tenants had disposable household incomes that were well below the poverty-line as well as the largest rent-to-income ratio. Both analyses also confirmed that lone parents were more likely than average households to have an affordability problem.

The article is published in the International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Vol. 5, Issue: 3, pp.218 - 234. You can access the article online by this link: Measuring the affordability of housing association rents in England: a duel approach

New projects

Welfare reform
CCHPR is working with Ipsos Mori on a major new study for the National Housing Foundation on the impact of welfare reform. The work, which will report in 2014 aims to focus particularly on the impact of welfare reform for the housing association sector and its tenants. It will monitor the impact of reforms as they come into operation next year, including the cuts to housing benefit for under-occupiers of working age, and the changes to the method of payment brought in under Universal Credit.

Maximising the performance of the new Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy Planning Framework with Local Authorities: Developing a Planning Gain Model
The Centre is currently developing a simple model to estimate the impact of charging different CIL and S106 rates on the economic viability of development. The model has huge potential to assist local authorities in modelling the impact of different CIL and S106 rates on the economic viability of development across their area. We propose a project to further develop the model for local authority use. We will work with a sample of local authorities to test and refine the model with a view to eventually making it publicly available for use by local authorities to assist in developing their new CIL and S106 charging frameworks. This will transfer our academic knowledge and expertise into a tool that can be used by local authorities in policy and practice.
Evaluation of lighting interventions
CCHPR is currently starting three separate small evaluations of lighting interventions in housing settings for the Thomas Pocklington Trust. The impact on health wellbeing and reduction in falls will be examined.

Analysis of the PRS in Richmond and surrounding areas
Richmond Council, together with Richmond Housing Partnership, are currently jointly commissioning research in order form the evidence base of their tenancy strategy. This work will help supplement this evidence base by improving understanding of the private rented sector in and nearby to Richmond with a particular focus on the availability of housing for low income groups.

Developing best practice in social care and support for adults with concurrent sight loss and dementia within different housing settings
This project, funded by the National Institute for Health Research seeks to develop best practice in social care and support for people with dementia and sight loss in a range of housing settings. The research is led by York University and CCHPR will lead the element of the study that looks at the costs of care in different settings.

Channel Islands housing markets
An overview of housing markets and their economic context in the Channel Islands, based upon secondary data, has been commissioned by One Savings Bank.

Conference papers
Dr Gemma Burgess, Sarah Monk and Christine Whitehead all presented papers at the European Network for Housing Researchers conference in June. Their presentations were:

The role of regulation in the private rented sector: a comparative study (by Christine Whitehead, Sarah Monk, Sanna Markkanen, Kathleen Scanlon and Connie Tang) conducted case studies of eleven European countries to clarify how regulation had changed over the last thirty years and what impact this has had on the scale of private rental provision.

The role of the planning system in delivering housing choice to older Londoners (Sarah Monk and Gemma Burgess) draws on recent research into the role of the planning system in delivering specialist older people’s housing to explore the barriers to increased delivery and make recommendations for change.

Housing an Ageing Population: Housing Options and the Value of Information and Advice to Older People in England (Gemma Burgess) drew on ongoing work evaluating advice services for older people in England.

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.

NEWS FROM CHR ST ANDREWS

CHR Event: Facing the Challenges to Housing Scotland's People
The Centre for Housing Research sponsored a one day roundtable on February 3 to seek consensus on the housing issues that need urgent attention in Scotland. Organised by Knowledge Exchange Specialist, Sharon Chisholm, the event was intended to discuss and agree on the important issues by stimulating a conversation with key stakeholders. Grainia Long of CIH, kicked the day off with a stimulating review of where we have come to, what opportunities have been missed and the urgent need for immediate action. Michael Lennon, Derek Ballantyne and Per Ahren provided international perspectives and a host of other presentations focused on key issues across all tenures.

Carnegie Funded Research: Housing Associations and the 'Big Society'
Dr Kim McKee has been awarded a Carnegie Foundation small grant to research the impact of the big society on housing policy in Scotland. Focusing on the community-based housing sector in Scotland and the role of housing associations as ‘community anchors’, this exploratory qualitative study will deconstruct the ideas underpinning the big society and explore the strengths and weaknesses of this political ideology for housing policy and practice. It will report in the Spring.

New research project from CHR
Entitled ‘Mind the (Housing) Wealth Gap: Intergenerational Justice and Family Welfare’, this three year project is concerned with the wealth inequalities and injustice that exist not only between but within generations. It is being funded by the Leverhulme Trust and will be led by Dr Beverley Searle, combining expertise from the Universities of St Andrews (Dr Kim McKee, and Professor Duncan Maclennan), Durham (Professor Lorna Fox), Birmingham (Professor Karen Rowlingson) and Delft (Dr Maarten van Ham). Access to private wealth (notably housing wealth) is of increasing political and social importance. It not only determines the quality of life for older people but increasingly determines life chances of younger people. This new project will explore concerns of intergenerational justice and the new tensions between family members arising from competing demands - inheritance vs welfare – on families limited wealth resources. Understanding these issues will become vital to addressing the inequalities and injustices that current and future generations experience.For further information please contact Dr Beverley Searle at bas4@st-andrews.ac.uk

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.

ISA Research Committee 43 (Housing) at the ISA World Forum of Sociology: Social Justice and Democratization (Buenos Aries, Argentina, August 1-4 2012)

HSA members are invited to consider submitting an abstract (either an individual or a collaborative effort) for the ISA Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, taking place on 1 - 4 August 2012. Please follow the web link below for direct access to the conference website. Research Committee 43 (housing and the built environment) is preparing a parallel series of sessions on housing and will lalso run a joint session (with RC21 - urban neighbourhoods) on 'Housing and the right to the City'. Deadline for astract submission: December 15, 2011 Kenneth Gibb, President of RC43, is a co-organiser of this joint session, and if you would like to submit a paper for consideration at the joint session, please contact him directly ken.gibb@glasgow.ac.uk
If you wish to submit an abstract for the conference, please follow the guidelines shown here. Please note that the deadline for submission is December 15, 2011. If you have any further questions about the conference, please contact Kenneth Gibb, or the local organisers of the conference (details on the conference website).
Conference website: http://www.isa-sociology.org/buenos-aires-2012/

6th Australasian Housing Researchers’ Conference 2012

Following on from the 5th highly stimulating and successful Australasian Housing Researchers’ Conference (AHRC) held in Auckland in November 2010, the Centre for Housing, Urban and Regional Planning (CHURP) at The University of Adelaide will be hosting the 6th AHRC in February 2012. The conference will bring together Australasia’s brightest minds in housing research, attracting participants from a range of backgrounds, including academia, the government and non-government sectors.
Please visit www.adelaide.edu.au/churp/ahrc12 for more information.

Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research (CRESR), Seminar Series

CRESR has recently published details of its 2011/12 seminar series. The CRESR seminar series comprises a series of monthly seminars across a diverse range of subjects given by academics from different disciplinary backgrounds. Seminars are attended by academics, students and practitioners and are open to anyone with an interest in the subject matter. For details go to http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/cresr/events.html

Planning for the Just City

Members of the HSA are warmly invited to the First Civic University Lecture by Professor Susan Fainstein of Harvard University on Friday, 21 October 2011 at 5.30pm In Firth Hall, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN

In the first Civic University Lecture, Susan Fainstein will reflect on the intellectual and policy implications of her significant new book, The Just City. The concept of the "just city" is designed to encourage policy-makers to embrace a different approach to urban development and to challenge the academic community to move beyond critical analysis. The argument applies theoretical concepts about justice developed by contemporary philosophers to the concrete problems faced by urban planners and policymakers and argues that, despite structural obstacles, meaningful reform can be achieved at the local level.

Susan Fainstein is Professor of Urban Planning in the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. A leading authority on comparative urban public policy, urban redevelopment and planning theory, her books include: The Just City, The City Builders, Restructuring the City, and Urban Political Movements. Professor Keith Burnett, Vice Chancellor, University of Sheffield, states: "The Civic University initiative is central to our mission. The aim is to foster mutually beneficial interactions between civic and intellectual concerns, with an underlying aspiration to make a difference. This, the first Civic University Lecture, is part of this initiative."

Entry is free of charge but by ticket only. Book online at www.shef.ac.uk/whatson/justcity

Second ISA Forum of Sociology, August 1 - 4, 2012

Research Committee 43 (Housing and the Built Environment) of the ISA (International Sociological Association) is hosting a session at the Buenos Aries, Argentina ISA 2nd Forum of Sociology Conference. Details are at the website above. Please note that general papers on housing research will be considered and not just those in relation to Latin America. Abstracts can be submitted to any of the the named programme co-ordinators. Further details are available from http://www.isa-sociology.org/buenos-aires-2012/rc/rc.php?n=RC43

HSA Conference 2011

Last minute reminder to book for the 2011 conference. Early booking deadline is 25 February. Discounted rates apply before this date.

The Early Career Scholars stream of the 2011 Housing Studies Association conference has again been widely supported by members of the academic and professional communities. Abstracts have been received from PhD students, early career scholars, and researchers from policy research bodies, ensuring the stream will have a diverse and interesting set of presentations from its speakers.

The timetable for the Early Careers Scholars stream will be released in March. The organisers would like to thank the Housing Studies Association and Housing Studies Charitable Trust for their generous support. Four financial bursaries were made available to scholars otherwise unable to attend the event; these were awarded in February 2011 and we would like to congratulate the successful candidates.

Call for papers now open: HSA conference 2011

The call for papers for the annual Housing Studies Association conference is now open. The theme of the conference is Housing in Hard Times: class, poverty and social exclusion, and the event will take place at the University of York, 13-15 April 2011.

In addition to a dedicated early-career stream, a small number of early-career bursaries are also available this year thanks to the support of the journal of Housing Studies and the Housing Studies Association.

The abstract deadline is 1st February. Please send your abstracts to the conference organisers Kim McKee and Jenny Muir.

More details will be posted on the HSA website in due course:

Foundations for the future: the housing research conference for Wales

3rd December 2010, Glamorgan Building Cardiff University

Call for papers deadline: 5th November 2010

Abstract and poster submissions: Dr Peter Mackie mackiep@cardiff.ac.uk

For more information please see:
http://emanager.accent-adc.co.uk/T/ViewEmail/r/77A38FA60917D84E/61365D9171928593F6A1C87C670A6B9F

REPORT ON ANNUAL CONFERENCE

"Housing in an Era of Change: New Directions for Housing"
Report of the 2010 HSA Conference, 14-16 April, York

The 2010 Housing Studies Association annual conference was held on 14-16 April at the University of York. The conference addressed the theme of the directions that housing research, scholarship, policy and practice would take (or need to take) in a new economic and political era. The conference was very successful and was attended by nearly 90 delegates.

The HSA is extremely grateful to all presenters and delegates for their contribution to the success of the conference and it is also indebted to the Chartered Institute of housing for its generous sponsorship. Six plenary speakers addressed the conference theme from different dimensions, drawing on their recent work:

Duncan Maclennan opened the conference by suggesting that our tendency to "believe in change" as a force for good needed to be supplanted by a "change in beliefs", challenging what housing means to us and how taxation and macroeconomic policy needed to find ways that did not rely on "leveraged household speculation" or "unearned wealth" in the future. He called for more attention on housing as a system of integrated quasi markets, with attention given to realistic pricing mechanisms, rather than as a fragmented set of provision systems.

Richard Ronald continued the theme of the 'end of an era' by considering how a range of other societies, including Japan, Singapore and Romania, have apparently hit the limits of owner occupation and that the close link between the market for private housing ownership and wider welfare policy is being challenged. Ronald drew on empirical material from his recent book to explore the complex social, cultural and economic terrains within local systems that, he argued, are re-emerging in importance following a period of neoliberal policy convergence.

Alex Marsh picked up again the subject of economics, which in many ways became one of the dominant themes of the conference. He moved to consider the need to extend our conceptualisations of the utility of housing beyond that of the shelter and investment goods with which we are now accustomed, by carefully exploring how we value housing as a social positional good. Marsh's talk drew on a wider corpus of theoretical work on behavioural economics, applying it to the case of housing in order to expose some of the limitations of conventional economic thinking and modelling of housing markets and individuals' behaviour as housing consumers.

Becky Tunstall further developed the focus on individuals by examining their life outcomes on the basis of their early housing circumstances. By means of a methodical analysis of several British birth cohorts studies, Tunstall was able to bring to life changing experiences of housing; how policy had changed and how the impacts of major policies could be identified through individuals' housing experiences; and the role of housing tenure and neighbourhood effects. Many delegates were clearly able to identify themselves as belonging to the various cohorts (spiritually, at least), and were introduced to the idea that Alan Sugar, Paul Merton and Geri Halliwell might well be symbols of Britain's changing housing through the years!

Tim Leunig used his time on the platform to show us why, with energy and ideas capable of turning conventional thinking on its head, he has become a regular commentator on housing within the professional press. In what would prove to be a controversial presentation, Leunig addressed the deficiencies in housing supply in the UK and presented an idea that he hoped would incentivise local communities to accommodate housebuilding by rewarding them with the direct payment of the value that is captured through the planning process. The session prompted a lively debate ranging from how (or whether) the pricing mechanisms could work to whether, fundamentally, regional (housing) policy needed to follow or to shape market forces as transmitted through labour market migration.

Abigail Davies closed the conference by offering a view from the world of policy and practice of recent trends and likely future trajectories. She argued that much will indeed change, regardless of the outcome of the General Election, as a consequence of deep seated demographic, social, fiscal and environmental challenges. The 'economy', she argued, would continue to dominate politicians' thinking and could eclipse housing and other non-protected policy areas. Davies' analysis of the future highlighted the consensuses (the environment, residential mobility, mutuals) and differences (localism, housebuilding targets, planning) between political parties but argued that some of the 'big questions' were missing. The Charted Institute of Housing's position on wishing to see more integrated housing policies that address fundamental change closed the conference in a way that was consistent with parts of Maclennan's opening plea.

An intellectually stimulating workshop programme was well attended. Over 30 high quality workshop presentations were given. There was also this year once again an Early Career Scholars' stream, with its own workshop track, at which 15 high quality papers were delivered. The HSA conference continues to promote rigorous debate by making a generous 45 minute slot available to presenters, enabling work to be presented and theoretical debates to be covered in some detail.

The conference dinner at the King's Manor in York on the Thursday night was a friendly event enjoyed by many delegates. Richard Ronald, representing the newly launched International Journal of Housing Policy, ensured the night got under way thanks to the drinks reception that he hosted. After an excellent meal, Duncan Maclennan told us why housing equity was over-rated, why free bus passes were not all that they're cracked up to be, and why 'Star Trek' continues to influence fashions to this day.

Thanks to Ed Ferrari (University of Sheffield) for organising this conference on behalf of the Housing Studies Association.

Details of next year's annual conference can be found on the HSA Website. The theme of the 2011 conference is 'Housing in Hard Times: class, poverty and social exclusion'. A call for papers will be circulated in the autumn:
http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/hsa/conference.htm

HOUSING CARE AND SUPPORT CONFERENCE

Housing Care and Support 2010: improving service, increasing choice and reducing the deficit: is it all possible?'
30th June, Manchester Conference Centre.

This conference will ask how we can mainstream good practice into daily reality at both the strategic commissioning level and also for service users and staff on the frontline. Responding to the impending crisis in public expenditure will focus minds and be a key theme for this conference. Speakers include:
*Gary Lashko, Chief Executive, Carr-Gomm
*Jeff Jerome, National Director Social Care Transitions, Department of Health
*Richard O'Driscoll, Head of Older People's Commissioning, Cambridgeshire NHS
*Nick Welch, Social Community Services, Oxfordshire County Council
*Rob Griffiths, CSED and New Path Consulting
*Dan Short Consultant, CSED, Department of Health
*Domini Pein-Gunn, Audit Commission
*Richard Brazil, Independent Consultant, Stamford Forum

Full details can be found on the conference website:

http://www.pavpub.com/pavpub/conferences/showfull.asp?Conference=881

HOUSING PRIVATISATION CONFERENCE PARALLEL SESSION: ALTERNATIVES TO THE MARKET

Housing Privatisation Conference, University of Leeds, July 2010
Parallel Session: Alternatives to the Market

Beginning with the Conservative government’s Right to Buy policy in 1980, UK social housing has been subject to a range of policy initiatives designed to modernise the sector via market mechanisms. However, a parallel set of processes have also been occurring. As public sector housing has declined, housing that is controlled and owned by the local community has been increasingly promoted by government. These models of community housing provision, which include tenant-management co-operatives, housing co-operatives, and more recently, community-land trusts, represent important and significant alternatives to the market. In doing so, they shift the emphasis from the public to the voluntary sector through an emphasis on community empowerment and asset-ownership. They have at their core the values of self-help and volunteerism, and play an important role in encouraging active, responsible citizenship.

This parallel session aims to build and develop our critical understanding of community housing provision as a valuable ‘alternative to the market’. Papers are welcome from all sections of the housing community.

For further information, please contact the session organisers:

Kim McKee (University of Glasgow)
kim.mckee@ges.gla.ac.uk

Tom Moore (Sheffield Hallam University)
Tom.Moore@student.shu.ac.uk

HOUSING STATISTICS FORUM

Communities and Local Government and the Royal Statistical Society are supporting the set up of a new Housing Statistics Network to be launched at a free half day seminar at the RSS on the afternoon of 26th Feb 2010.

This initiative aims to address the lack of representation from users of housing statistics at the Statistics Users Forum - a situation which has meant that this important area has lacked the opportunities for dialogue between data users and providers that have been valuable for other subjects.

Details of the seminar, the registration form and Aims and Objectives of the HSN, along with other background information are all at
http://www.msjconsultancy.co.uk/
Click on HSN in the navigation bar at the head of the page.

As part of the HSN initiative a new Internet Forum has just been established. Housing statistics users/providers are invited to use it to give feedback on the proposed HSN Aims and Objectives and to feel free to start new discussion topics. You'll find it here:
http://www.housingstatisticsnetwork.co.uk/

If you have an interest in housing statistics you can support this new initiative by registering for the launch seminar or the Network or using the Internet Forum - or all three.