Housing Development Theory, Process and Practice

9780415234337

0415234336

For the first time in one place Housing Development brings together information on housing production, housing provision and the housing environment, highlighting the theoretical and policy contexts in which housing development takes place as an integrated process. Previously knowledge about housing has been available only from widely disparate sources focused on the traditional disciplines of construction, design, building control, planning, economics, sociology and psychology, leaving scope for a fresh holistic overview of how the separate inputs into the housing development process actually interact in practice. Housing Development reviews the full range of factors that have influenced the location, siting, quality and viability of housing in the United Kingdom, and explores the reasons for different housing outcomes in different situations, past and present. Chapters include discussion of housing demand and need, the private house-building industry, social housing and the role of government, planning and land supply, site appraisal and estate layout, dwelling construction and design, finance, procurement and marketing, technical innovation, sustainable development, urban capacity, refurbishment, and comparisons with housing in other European countries. Students will be familiarised with important topical issues such as flooding, contamination, urban regeneration and mixed-use development, and helped in their career choices through reference to the wide range of enterprises, agencies and institutions that employ staff in pursuit of housing development. Architects, building contractors, surveyors and other professionals will also gain useful insights into the background to perennial housing development problems and the significance of trends currently affecting the successful realisation of housing development projects. This user-friendly volume also includes learning objectives, indicative educational assignments, suggested topics for dissertations and theses, priorities for commissioned research, annotated guides to further reading, a glossary of terms, an extensive index, and details of relevant websites. A selection of maps, diagrams, tables and photographs are included in support of the ideas discussed.