Urban Studies & Planning
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Urban Studies & Planning. The Research Newsletter of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning Issue 4 | Spring 2018 Insight It is a pleasure to introduce this latest edition of our research newsletter, which showcases some of the excellent and innovative research taking place across the Department of Urban Studies and University of Sheffield to Tackle UK’s Planning. Housing Problems As Part Of New National Research Centre The University of Sheffield is a lead the ESRC, the Centre “will serve as a vital national institution, and provide a leading voice in the UK on housing issues.” partner in the new UK Collaborative Funding for CaCHE began in August 2017 and will continue to 2022. Over the first year there will be a series of Centre for Housing Evidence evidence reviews and exemplar projects spanning six (CaCHE) which will employ robust key themes – housing and the economy; understanding the housing market; housing choice and aspirations; evidence about what works to housing and health, education, employment, poverty and inequality; place, design and neighbourhoods; and multilevel support effective housing policy and governance. practice. Recognising that there is not one single housing market in the CaCHE is a UK-wide, inclusive and multi-disciplinary centre. UK, and that housing issues vary considerably geographically, welcome CaCHE has established knowledge exchange hubs that Benefiting from more than £6m of investment from the Economic and Social Research Council, Arts and Humanities will cover the main elements of the local housing system This edition of Insight provides Since I joined the Department in Statistical Society for his work on Research Council and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, it is in Scotland, Wales and the South West, Northern Ireland, a flavour of the diversity of our September 2016, there has been much ‘A Land Cover Atlas of the United a major research initiative with the aim of making a practical Southern England and Northern England. These hubs will bring research in terms of the range to celebrate in terms of individual and Kingdom’ in which it was revealed that difference to housing provision across the UK. together representatives of housing policy and practice and of urban challenges and issues collective research achievements, and just 0.1% of the UK land area is built other voices to help develop priorities for the future work of addressed, the multitude of there is genuine excitement about upon. It is widely accepted that Britain’s housing system is not CaCHE. international contexts engaged, and the research that will be undertaken working. There are multiple crises affecting all aspects the variety of methodological and in the months and years ahead. The Our research interests continue of housing in the UK such as a lack of affordable housing theoretical approaches utilized. most significant of these achievements to be international in scope with preventing young people from owning their own home, Find out more From squatting in London to eviction – and one that cements our position new funded projects in Europe, meeting the housing needs of an ageing population, If you are interested in the work of CaCHE, or would like in Bucharest, and from peripheral as one of the strongest groupings of India and Africa. Recent academic building the right housing in the right places, and tackling to know how you might be able to get involved, contact settlements in Africa to new housing researchers in Europe appointments also support our homelessness. Housing is high on the political agenda, but the Gareth Young, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fellow for perspectives on US mega-regions, – is the establishment of the ESRC interests in addressing global urban issues affecting the housing system are complex and deep- the Northern Hub. colleagues continue to help shape UK Collaborative Centre for Housing challenges and, specifically, enhance rooted. It is the aim of CaCHE to employ robust evidence about urban planning agendas in a range Evidence (CaCHE), for which we are our connections and research in China [email protected] what works to support effective housing policy and practice in of contexts. a lead partner. Alongside this we have and Latin America. During the past @housingevidence the UK. For Professor Tony McEnery, Interim Chief Executive of continued to gain success in securing year we have also begun productive UK Research Council funding, as well discussions about how we think about as funding from the British Academy, the contemporary housing challenge the Leverhulme Trust and the from a genuinely global perspective. “ The investment in CaCHE provides a generational opportunity for European Regional Development Fund, the research, policy and practice communities to work in partnership among others. As ever, we are keen to engage with partners from academia, professional for a sustained period. The centre is uniquely placed to foster There have also been a number of practice, professional organisations collaboration across the housing sector to develop truly innovative individual achievements during the and third sector/community groups in past year. Both Alasdair Rae and sustaining and enriching our research solutions to the UK’s housing problems.” Zheng Wang were winners in the endeavours. If you would like to work Professor Craig Watkins RTPI Research Excellence Awards in with us – or simply find out more Vice President and Head of Faculty of Social Sciences, 2017; Craig Watkins has been elected about the research highlighted in this and National Director of Research for CaCHE. a Fellow of the Academy of Social newsletter – please do get in touch. Sciences; and John Henneberry has been elected a Fellow of the RTPI. Ryan Powell In December 2017, Alasdair Rae was Director of Research recognised for producing the ‘UK [email protected] Statistic of the Year’ by the Royal 2 Online edition available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/research/insight 3 In recent years, there has been an intensification of welfare conditionality (the Regulating the behavioural conditions attached to accessing welfare benefits and services) for increasing populations of welfare service users across the UK. In conjunction with researchers from five other UK universities, Professor John Flint and Dr Jenny private rented McNeill have sought to find out if this works and if it is fair. A key finding of the research Reflecting on the experiences Jenny continues – “The bespoke sector indicates that forms of support of participants who had been support provided by FIPs contrasts are more important than the subject to anti-social behaviour with the impersonal, often automated, With the private Around 20 per cent of by this. However, landlords were application of sanctions in (ASB) interventions, Jenny McNeill use of employment-related benefit also shown to evade some of these effectively achieving lasting and comments – “What was unique with sanctions. These sanctions were rented sector households now live in conditions (in spite of the illegality of positive behaviour change. In the sample of people subject to ASB largely viewed more negatively, increasing in England, the private rented sector this) and tenants were often unaware fact, mounting evidence suggests interventions was that supportive especially where legal or financial Dr Tom Moore in England, but there are or reluctant to exercise their rights. that benefit sanctions often have and intensive interventions like Family sanctions were applied without an a number of concerns Interestingly, tenancy registration a damaging impact on people’s Intervention Projects (FIPs) were accompanying package of support. shares insights from in Ireland – and landlord licensing in lives, leading to destitution, essential elements of positive changes. Whilst participants agreed in principle a recent study he about the suitability of the some parts of England – was shown hunger, survival crime, risk of FIPs were viewed positively as offering with the use of sanctions many felt direct intervention (e.g. help with they had been unfairly applied in carried out for the tenure. Research shows to improve public understanding of homelessness, isolation, worsened that private rented housing the private rented sector, including mental and physical health and housing), signposting to other services their situations. However, some Joseph Rowntree rent levels and the composition and stigmatization. and advocacy. Yet, many outcomes respondents argued that sanctions can be costlier, less secure of FIPs (such as crisis management, could be important in triggering a geography of the sector. The 5-year study involved interviews Foundation, looking at improved routines and parenting motivation to change and encouraging and of lower quality than with 52 policy makers, 27 focus groups lessons learned from Regulation of the private rented and enhanced self-confidence and engagement with, and adherence to, other tenures. with practitioners and repeat in- sector can have a positive effect on the health) are often more difficult to supportive intervention packages. the regulation of the experiences of tenants, but it is not depth interviews with 480 service These issues have led to calls for capture than more measurable ‘hard’ Conversely sanctions could also lead the only answer to the problems of the users across 10 cities in England and sector in Ireland. greater regulation of the private transformative outcomes.” to disengagement altogether.” sector. In particular, issues of housing