New book: The politics of housing

The politics of housing

Power, consumers and urban culture
Peter Shapely

Exploring the politics of housing during 1890-1990, this fascinating study examines the interaction not only of national and local politics but also of local influential factors such as civic culture, key local players, local discourse and geographical and demographic problems.

Unlike other housing histories, this book also looks at the position of the tenant. Local discourse, it argues, reflects the growing dissatisfaction of the tenant and, from that, a partial shift in local political values. Increasingly, tenants acted as consumers of a public service. This argument will have a significant impact on the way we view political discourse and how notions of consumerism increasingly shaped responses to the housing debate.

The first section provides the national context by looking at the changes and impact of twentieth century legislation on housing policy in different cities across the country. The second and third sections provide a more detailed account of the politics of housing in Manchester. Section Two focuses on the dreadful Victorian legacy, the development of civic culture, the impact of the voluntary sector, the emergence of local government intervention, slum houses, tenants, slum clearance and the post-war policy of creating overspill estates. Section Three looks at the building of new system-built flats and their rapid deterioration, rising tenant anger and protests, the rise and demise of the New Left’s control of the council and the beginning of a new approach based on consultation and partnerships.

The book will be of value to anyone studying urban history, politics, governance, civic culture, social policy and society.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Section One – The National Framework
1. Government, local authorities and housing, 1919-87
2. National interpretations
Section Two – The rise of municipal housing
3. Civic culture, voluntarism and Council intervention
4. Slum houses, slum dwellers and slum clearance
5. The post-war housing problem and the great overspill drive
Section Three – The decline of municipal legitimacy: inner city developments and tenants reactions, 1962-92
6. New slums and the rising tide of tenant anger
7. New slums, New Left and new partnerships
Conclusion – Consumers, locality, and discourse
Bibliography
Index

234x156mm 272pp
01 October 2007
hb 9780719074332 £55.00

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