Housing Studies

Optional Courses

Regenerating Cities and Neighbourhoods

This course explores the nature and effectiveness of the urban regeneration policies and interventions designed change the fortunes both of cities as a whole and of areas of concentrated disadvantage within them. It asks critical questions about who benefits in this process and why. Students will benefit from a study visit to a major regeneration area and the contributions of expert regeneration professionals

Evidence, Evaluation and Policy

The course explores how policy makers make use of evidence or knowledge generated by social research, particularly in fields such as health or social policy. It examines the use of existing research and the creation of new evidence through evaluation, and explores initiatives for promoting greater exchange between researchers and policy makers

Housing, Inequality and Society

The housing system is a key shaper of inequalities in western societies, while at the same time housing policy is often seen as key force that can drive more equal societies. This course considers who experiences housing inequality and what impacts it has on people’s lives, progressing to an enquiry of how the housing system can be reformed to achieve fairer outcomes.

International Urban Challenges

The global urban system poses many challenges: in the global North, many cities face physical decay, economic instability, and inequality; in the global South urbanisation has consumed large quantity of valuable land and other resources, destroyed traditional communities, and created huge gaps between rich and poor. This course examines global urban challenges through in-depth thematical and regional case studies to help students to gain in-depth understanding of contemporary urban issues.

Sustainable Housing Development

The aim of this course is to evaluate what is meant by sustainable housing development and explore the process by which it is most likely to be delivered. The course therefore seeks to integrate consideration of a range of housing design, development and management issues, with an equal emphasis given to private and social housing.

Designing Places

This course aims to provide an introduction to Urban Design as the process of making places for people. It aims to develop an appreciation of the importance and process of design in creating high quality places and enhancing the public realm.