Social Housing Management,Governance and Delivery in Ireland: Ten Years of Reform on Seven Estates

This paper examines developments in social housing management, governance and delivery in the Republic of Ireland during the last decade, using evidence from two rounds of research conducted in 1997 and 2007 on seven social rented estates, located in a variety of regions. Among the three most significant developments in this regard, the reconceptualisation of the housing management function has had the most positive impact on the views of tenants. Some aspects of the externalisation of social housing provision, such as the growth of the housing association sector and the use of PPP arrangements for social housing regeneration, have also been positive, but the future of this externalisation agenda is uncertain. The impact of the various reforms to the management of the social housing service, such as advent of strategic policy making and performance monitoring, has been uneven in some cases and uniformly low in others.     

Social Mix Discourse and Local Resistance to Social Housing: The Case of the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan,Australia

In response to the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2009, the Australian government introduced the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan. Central to the plan was the allocation of AU$5 billion to the construction of 19 000 new social housing dwellings. The construction was seen by the Australian government to be a way of stimulating the economy and adding to the social housing sector. While social housing construction was supported by the not-for-profit sector and academics, a number of localised disputes arose. This article traces the ways in which the discourse of social mix was mobilised by residents to resist social housing construction. Simultaneously, the discourse of social mix was used to position residents as supporters of social housing, while actively seeking to resist new construction in their neighbourhood, which was positioned as running counter to the ideals embedded within the discourse. In promoting the perceived benefits embedded within the discourse of social mix, residents mobilised a complex resistance strategy that worked to destabilise claims of self-interest and NIMBYism.     

Welfare Safety Net or Tenure of Choice? The Dilemma Facing Social Housing Policy in England

This paper considers the future role of social rented housing in England. It is based on an analysis of policy trends over the past 30 years, and a critical examination of current policy dilemmas. The central contention is that there are fundamental tensions underlying the present government's policy objectives to maintain the ‘safety net’ role of social housing but at the same time widen access to the sector so that it becomes a more mixed ‘tenure of choice’. The paper charts the marked change of direction seen since 2000, with a switch from a highly rule-bound approach emphasising equity in housing allocations, to a more consumerist system stressing choice. Survey data and statistical returns are analysed to illustrate the changing mix of households entering social rented housing and to reveal the sector's varying role in regions characterised by contrasting housing market conditions. The paper charts the spread of the ‘choice-based lettings’ approach and discusses the possible implications of this development for the pattern of rehousing outcomes, and for the sector's broader role. It is concluded that, in higher demand regions such as London and the South, it remains very difficult to see how a social sector continuing to contract can widen its role from that of safety net for the most disadvantaged.     

Identifying Distributive Injustice Through Housing (Mis)Match Analysis: The Case of Social Housing in Amsterdam

In this paper, an analytical model for measuring match and mismatch between social housing units and their tenants is presented and applied to the social rented housing sector of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Through the use of a large set of unique micro-data combining housing unit and household characteristics, mismatches on two key dimensions of physical adequacy and affordability and for different household types and parts of the city can be revealed. Empirically assessing the (mis)match of social housing units at a small scale – where socio and spatial (mis)matches manifest – creates opportunities for innovation in the analysis of effects of market mechanisms and local housing allocation policies. An improved understanding of these mismatches based on a strong empirical base can be related to and evaluated against different principles of distributive justice. The findings for the case of Amsterdam show that the famous large social housing stock incorporates significant mismatches. Households in the least popular parts of the city comparatively do not live affordably and large inequities exist between households based on length of residence. These findings offer a basis for further exploration of the complex of housing allocation, changing housing distributions and the resulting outcomes in terms of distributive justice.     

Reconciling Policy Tensions on the Frontlines of Indigenous Housing Provision in Australia: Reflexivity,Resistance and Hybridity

In Australia, significant recent reforms reposition Indigenous housing provision and management in remote and town camp communities under the mainstream public housing model. Two competing discourses surround this shift: a federal discourse of standardisation and state discourses of local responsiveness centred on the introduction of new community engagement processes into Indigenous public housing. This paper reports on qualitative research into the micro-scale of policy implementation to highlight policy-to-practice translation on the frontlines of Indigenous housing. Based on interviews with Indigenous housing stakeholders, this paper argues the capacity to support locally responsive housing management is problematic under the current arrangements. The analytical framework of realist governmentality reveals frontline housing professionals' role in the local resolution of tensions between federal and state policy levers. A focus on agent reflexivity and resistance on the frontline assists in capturing the dynamic (hybrid) identity of Indigenous public housing, as an atypical Australian example of hybridity in social housing.     

Towards more Social Cohesion in Large Post-Second World War Housing Estates? A Case Study in Utrecht,the Netherlands1

The last few years have seen many studies of large post-Second World War housing estates. At present they are often the most deprived areas of European cities. The turnover of the population on these estates is characteristically rapid, leading to considerable socio-economic and socio-cultural changes and a multi-ethnic neighbourhood. Such areas often have to contend with severe physical, social and economic problems and the consequent dissatisfaction of the residents. This combination of rapid and selective population turnover and increasing numbers of problems may well affect aspects of social cohesion within these neighbourhoods, particularly the social networks. This process is regrettable, because social cohesion is regarded in a positive light, something that enhances the quality of life. Stimulating social cohesion is therefore an important objective of many policies that focus on large post-Second World War housing estates. The authors have found it interesting to discover how important social cohesion is in the opinions and the lives of the inhabitants rather than the policy makers. In their opinion, urban policies focus on social cohesion while the inhabitants' views of its relevance are unknown. On the basis of this paper, certain aspects of social cohesion in large post-Second World War housing estates appear to be valued, but housing market behaviour, such as residential moves, is hardly affected by aspects of social cohesion. Other aspects, such as moving to a better house, are much more relevant. The results may put into doubt the stress placed in urban policies on social cohesion.     

The Social Sustainability of Medium Density Housing: A Conceptual Model and Christchurch Case Study

Although there is no broad consensus on the meaning of the term, this paper uses the notions of social equity and social justice as a starting point for analyzing ‘social sustainability’. Planning strategies such as compact city design and urban intensification are claimed to positively affect levels of social sustainability within the city, but is this actually the case? Medium density housing is one component of an urban compaction approach that is becoming more prevalent in the New Zealand context. This paper develops a model of the social sustainability of housing derived from key themes in the literature. The model is then used to ascertain the extent to which medium density housing in the central area of Christchurch is meeting residents' social needs. Information from in-depth interviews is used as a basis for examining the way such housing may be contributing to the overall ‘social sustainability’ of this city.     

Block-based Community in China's Social Housing Development:A Case Study on Old City Renovation of Kashgar,Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Through the analysis of the international definition and classification of slums,this paper explores the development of China’s social housing system and the renovation of the Old City of Kashgar.It argues that one of the issues in China’s social housing system is to solve the problems of the scarcity of spatial elements and the lack of developmental driving force in large mixed communities of the Han and minority nationalities.Then it examines the elements of renovation and approaches based on a survey of the local residents in different parts of Kashgar City.Comparing the international development of traditional residential quarters and block-based communities,the paper points out that the block-based community is preferred for its impartiality and sustainability,and applies this mode to the renovation of the Old City of Kashgar in the form of design guidelines.     

The Supply-Side Modernisation of Social Housing in England: Analysing Mechanics,Trends and Consequences

The past 30 years have seen England's housing associations (HAs) transformed from marginal players in the wider housing market to a point where, in 2008, they overtook local authorities as majority social housing providers. This paper reviews theoretical perspectives on the evolution of the UK social housing and the rise of HAs since the 1970s, with a particular focus on the ‘modernisation’ thesis advanced by Malpass & Victory (2010). Against this backdrop, we analyse the sector's recent reconfiguration, integrating the impacts of housing stock transfers and HA mergers. Our analysis focuses on the consequences of sector restructuring in terms of organisational homogenisation and, at least as perceived, the growing dominance of giant landlords. Finally, within the context of the Coalition Government's localism rhetoric, we discuss the accountability implications of restructuring activity and the light our analysis sheds on theoretical understandings of social housing change processes.     

The residential location of recently arrived Bosnian,Afghan and Iraqi refugees and humanitarian entrants in Sydney,Australia

A survey of Bosnian, Afghan and Iraqi humanitarian entrants to Australia showed that the location of public accommodation and of sponsors crucially determined initial and secondary migration locations and reinforced the concentration of non‐English speakers in certain areas. The lack of access to priority public housing causes severe housing stress for such emerging communities.     

The residential location of recently arrived Bosnian, Afghan and Iraqi refugees and humanitarian entrants in Sydney, Australia

A survey of Bosnian, Afghan and Iraqi humanitarian entrants to Australia showed that the location of public accommodation and of sponsors crucially determined initial and secondary migration locations and reinforced the concentration of non-English speakers in certain areas. The lack of access to priority public housing causes severe housing stress for such emerging communities.     

新时期保障性住房演化的进程与对策研究——以南京市为例

新时期住房发展目标从"住有所居"转为"住有宜居"、城市更新由增量转为存量。本文通过对南京市保障房进行调查研究,从选址建设趋势、住区空间特征和社会保障情况3个方面梳理20年来南京市保障房演化的绩效以及实践过程中存在的问题,并指出政策和市场是影响空间和人群发展的核心因素。进而预测新时期保障房发展将以"精细化"管理和"微更新"为趋势,并从政策调整、规划设计、更新改造及社区营造过程对多方参与主体提出建议。     

Housing Diversity and Affordability: The Effects of 35 Years of Exclusionary Land Use Regulations on Housing Affordability in Adelaide,South Australia

ABSTRACT

Australia is often described as being in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. This research analyses the effect exclusionary land use regulations have had on housing diversity and affordability in Adelaide, South Australia. The research shows there are significantly greater numbers of relatively affordable dwellings available areas where an absence of land use regulations for significant periods of time has enabled housing diversity. It also shows that metrics that compare median incomes with median prices are unreliable indicators of affordability as median prices alone are unable to capture the breadth of housing prices that exist within them.     

Transfers,Contracts and Regulation: A New Institutional Economics Perspective on the Changing Provision of Social Housing in Britain

Social housing policy in the UK mirrors wider processes associated with shifts in broad welfare regimes. Social housing has moved from dominance by state housing provision to the funding of new investment through voluntary sector housing associations to what is now a greater focus on the regulation and private financing of these not-for-profit bodies. If these trends run their course, we are likely to see a range of not-for-profit bodies providing non-market housing in a highly regulated quasi-market. This paper examines these issues through the lens of new institutional economics, which it is believed can provide important insights into the fundamental contractual and regulatory relationships that are coming to dominate social housing from the perspective of the key actors in the sector (not-for-profit housing organisations, their tenants, private lenders and the regulatory state). The paper draws on evidence recently collected from a study evaluating more than 100 stock transfer organisations that inherited ex-public housing in Scotland, including 12 detailed case studies. The paper concludes that social housing stakeholders need to be aware of the risks (and their management) faced across the sector and that the state needs to have clear objectives for social housing and coherent policy instruments to achieve those ends.     

在可持续发展理念下英国住宅建设的道路选择——读《绿地、棕地和住宅开发》

可持续发展作为近20年世界经济发展、城市建设的主流概念，对住宅建设有着深刻影响。本文所介绍的《绿地、棕地和住宅开发》一书，将住宅区位作为一个新视角，针对英国自20世纪90年代中期以来所进行的棕地开发和绿地开发争论、进行了政策分析和评价。本文简要概括了该书写作的英国政治经济背景、理论分析基础和主要内容，为中国进行可持续发展的城市建设和住宅开发提供一定借鉴。     

Ecological assessment and strategies for the management of mangroves in Brisbane Water—Gosford, New South Wales, Australia

Brisbane Water is an estuary located at Gosford, 50 km north of Sydney on the east coast of Australia. It contains seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh habitat. As part of a more widespread trend along the southeast coast of Australia, between 1954 and 1995 saltmarsh habitat within the estuary declined by 78.2% while mangrove habitat fluctuated with initial decline, recovery and further decline to 1995 with an overall increase by 3.7% and exhibiting a marked migration of mangroves into saltmarsh areas.No single factor is responsible for the changes. A combination of both natural and human induced processes is responsible. The loss of diversity and the sustainability of mangroves and saltmarshes require a strategic planning approach towards their management. Such an approach needs to ensure that estuarine and catchment processes are considered in an integrated manner. The influence of human activities on natural processes, which affects the extent and distribution of estuarine wetlands, can also be managed through an integrated planning process.     

上海市居住区公共服务设施设置规划--以上海新江湾城规划管理为例

城市居住区公共服务设施的设置规划是城市建设规划中非常重要的组成部分,在详细分析了上海市城市居住区公共服务设施设置最新标准及上海杨浦区新江湾城总体规划后,通过对新江湾城新建居住区公共服务配套设施规划管理的分析,对上海居住区级公共服务设施的规划管理进行了探讨并提出建议.