15 - Summarising the Changes Over 100 Years in 20 Estates
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 March 2021
Summary
Introduction
This chapter summarises the falls and rises in the 20 estates across the dimensions covered in Part II. It emphasises the different measures within each dimension, similarities and differences between dimensions, and the cumulative experience of different dimensions in individual estates. Appendix 2 provides additional estate-by-estate detail for selected measures of quality, popularity, resident mix and survival. This chapter begins to explore potential explanations for changes in estate fortunes, both falls and rises, drawing on ideas from the existing literature (Chapter 3) and on comparisons between the estates.
Summarising the changes
Part II has shown that just like the 29 large post-war housing estates in 10 European countries studied by Musterd et al in the 2000s, the 20 mixed size, mixed age English estates were also ‘highly differentiated by origin and history, the recent trajectory and problems, their local contexts and their prospects for the future’ (Musterd et al 2009:1). In addition, Part II has shown that different residents, staff and others could experience the same time in the same place in different ways.
However, longitudinal quantitative and qualitative evidence in Part II has shown that, over their lifetimes to date, all of the 20 estates experienced falls and then rises across most of the important dimensions explored:
• Absolute and relative housing quality fell in all first-and secondgeneration estates from first letting until the first improvements began. Third-generation estates all started off with less relative advantage over other local housing in terms of amenities and most experienced premature ageing. Various improvements, reorganisations and redevelopments led to rising absolute and relative quality, alongside further falls due to ongoing ageing and rising standards.
• All 20 estates experienced rising and then falling problems with crime and vandalism, according to qualitative sources.
• Some estates were relatively unpopular compared to other council housing in their local authorities from first letting, while others were initially of average or even above average popularity. Thirteen fell in relative popularity over time, before rising again. Seven experienced other trajectories: a fall in popularity, a rise after initial unpopularity, and stable unpopularity.
• Available evidence suggests that total estate populations fell throughout estate lifetimes in all 20 estates, meaning they were playing a decreasing role in meeting national and local housing need.
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- Information
- The Fall and Rise of Social Housing100 Years on 20 Estates, pp. 239 - 246Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2020