Newsroom University of 99�þþ�Ʒ

From Salford to Shanghai: how cities around the world are taking back control of housing

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0100

A major new international study led by The University of 99�þþ�Ʒ has revealed how policymakers around the world are becoming far more active in constructing affordable housing. Drawing on evidence from cities including Salford, Shanghai, Nairobi and Paris, the research shows how governments are stepping in where private markets have failed - reshaping housing systems, markets and state institutions in the process.

Key findings

Governments across the global North and South are increasing their role in delivering affordable housing
States are adopting new tools to influence housing supply, finance and land development
Public-private partnerships and new financial models are being used to support large-scale housing
Cities are experimenting with different ways to balance social need and market pressures
Salford and Shanghai highlight contrasting but equally interventionist approaches

What did the study find?

Led by Dr Tom Gillespie, the study provides one of the first global comparisons of how states are responding to a growing housing crisis affecting billions of people.

Drawing on research from Shanghai, Salford, Nairobi, Paris, Casablanca and Rome, it shows that governments are increasingly stepping in as private markets struggle to deliver adequate and affordable homes at scale.

While previous decades favoured light-touch state involvement, this is now changing, with governments taking a more active role in shaping housing systems.

How are governments responding?

The research shows that states are adopting a wide range of new approaches to influence housing supply, finance and land development.

In many cases, this includes experimenting with public-private partnerships, land value capture and new state-backed financial mechanisms to make large-scale housing programmes viable.

Across all six cities, the researchers identified common themes, including what motivates governments to intervene, how new financial and institutional tools are being used, and how risks in housing markets are being redistributed.

What is happening in Salford?

Salford is highlighted as one of the most distinctive examples in the study.

Within England’s market-driven planning system, the local authority has developed an unusually interventionist approach. While earlier regeneration focused on property-led development such as Salford Quays, more recent efforts have aimed to address the lack of affordable housing.

From 2016, the Council began redirecting developer contributions into a council-owned company to build new social housing. These homes are let at below-market “Salford rents” and are exempt from the national ‘right to buy’, helping to protect them from speculative pressures.

Although still relatively small in scale, the model is identified as an example of local state action designed to “de-financialise” housing while still working within a market-led system.

What about Shanghai?

Shanghai offers a contrasting but equally interventionist model.

After decades of market-driven housing growth, the city has shifted towards a more active role, using state control of land and developers to deliver affordable homes for different social groups.

Policies include shantytown renewal, shared ownership schemes and subsidised rental housing, aimed at tackling rising property prices while supporting social stability and inclusion.

Why is this shift happening?

The study highlights a broader global shift away from reliance on private markets alone.

As housing affordability crises deepen, governments are increasingly intervening to address gaps in supply and access. This marks the end of an era of minimal state involvement and the emergence of more active, experimental approaches to housing policy.

Researcher quote

“Our research shows that states are once again becoming central players in efforts to tackle the global affordable housing crisis, but this isn’t a simple return to old models of public housing,” said Dr Tom Gillespie. “Instead, we are seeing a wide range of new approaches emerging as governments try to balance social needs with the realities of financialised urban development.

What are the implications?

The researchers suggest that understanding how different cities are responding can help inform future housing policy.

By identifying shared patterns and innovative approaches, the study provides a framework for policymakers seeking to tackle housing crises in their own contexts.

Publication details

The study was published in journal Urban Studies.

DOI:

Eviction is a ‘deliberate feature’ of the housing system, says new book

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0100

A new book by Dr Jessica Field from The University of 99�þþ�Ʒ has revealed that eviction is a ‘deliberate and enduring feature’ of Britain’s housing system, rather than simply being a consequence of a housing crisis.

Eviction: A Social History of Rent, published by Verso, is a detailed look at the complex history of rented housing in the UK, tracing policy evolutions from the late 19^th century to the contemporary private rental sector. It examines how rental policies and housing structures have historically positioned low-income tenants as vulnerable to displacement, showing that the threat of eviction has long been woven into the design of the housing market rather than arising from occasional crises.

The book offers a compelling and often unsettling look at the persistent reality of housing insecurity for low-income tenants in Britain over the past century and a half. It argues that eviction is not an aberration, but is fundamentally ingrained in the nation's housing system, often masked as progress.

Dr Field uses her own family’s story as the heart of the book, focusing on a housing estate in south Leeds nicknamed “Cardboard City.” This neighbourhood, which was built in the 1950s by the National Coal Board (NCB) to house miners and their families, became home to generations of working-class tenants. It was a close-knit community where neighbours supported one another, socialised as close friends, and raised families.

Eviction charts the path of these homes from state-owned worker housing to privately rented properties, detailing cycles of neglect and financialisation. Despite promises of security, NCB properties - like many council houses - suffered from inadequate maintenance, and were eventually sold off to private speculators for a pittance.

In 2017, the property company that now owned the estate announced plans to demolish the homes and build ‘executive’ houses in their place. This would mean evicting seventy households, many of whom had lived there for at least a decade, including Dr Field’s parents. The residents formed a campaign group, Save Our Homes LS26, and fought hard to save their homes - but despite their efforts, most were eventually forced to leave. Dr Field’s parents were evicted in 2022.

In the book, Dr Field shares how the fight to stop the eviction affected her mother’s health and well-being, and how the loss of their home shattered a once-thriving community. She situates those personal experiences in the long history of renting in Britain, showing how renters have always had fewer rights than homeowners and how evictions have often been treated as inevitable or even for the good of the tenants.

Through a mix of personal storytelling and historical research, Eviction challenges the idea that private renting has ever been a secure or fair option for families – even during the apparent post-war golden era of council house expansion. It also highlights the importance of community, neighbourly support and tenant-led activism and celebrates the achievements of many women-led activist movements over the decades.

"My parents fought for five years to save their community from a mass eviction. They lost, but their story reveals a brutal truth about Britain's housing system. For working-class families, the housing crisis isn't new – it's the enduring status quo”, says Dr Field.

Eviction: A Social History of Rent is available now from .

Housing for people living with dementia must reflect their specific needs – finds new Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ report

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 07:25:00 +0000

The lives of people living with dementia in Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ, alongside carers and loved ones, can be improved through better access to housing that reflects the changing needs and diversity of the population, according to the finding of .

The report launch comes days after the government launched the White Paper detailing a wide ranging 10-year vision for Social Care with a recurring phrase, ‘Make every decision about care a decision about housing’.

Housing and Living Well with Dementia: from Policy to Practice in Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ, has been produced by the Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ Health and Social Care Partnership and The University of 99�þþ�Ʒ (Healthy Ageing Research Group and the 99�þþ�Ʒ Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing).

The report examines the existing health, social care, and housing options available to people living with dementia - focusing on how to provide housing within community settings.

Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning. There are many different causes of dementia, and many different types.

In 2019, at least 21,851 Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ residents were living with dementia, 1 in 25 of this number diagnosed with younger onset dementia (people under the age of 65).

The report calls for all services that support people living with dementia, carers and loved ones to work more closely together. It makes clear recommendations on how the diverse needs of housing for people living with dementia must be taken into greater consideration, and how people’s specific circumstances - such as ethnicity, age, and sexual identity - must be at the centre of future planning and developments.

The report has been shaped by the views of people with lived experience of dementia, carers and loved ones, as well as professionals from across Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ’s housing, health and care sector that provide support to those living the condition.

Warren Heppolette, Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ Health and Social Care Partnership’s executive lead for strategy & system development said:

“Dementia can affect anyone - and as such, people have very different needs if they are to continue to live as fulfilling a life as possible.

“More needs to be done to treat people as individuals, so we can make sure they can get the type of support that is right for them – including housing. This report shows how that can be achieved through making information more accessible and being more aware of the changing demographic of Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ.

“The Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ Health and Social Care Partnership is in a unique position to lead the way in addressing the challenges identified by this report, as we seek to build on the city-region’s position as the first in the UK to join the WHO Global Network of Age Friendly Cities.”

Alistair Burns, Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, University of 99�þþ�Ʒ, said: “The University of 99�þþ�Ʒ is a global leader in the fields of ageing research, working to improve policy and practice through providing evidence that promotes health, wellbeing and equity in later life.

“Our work to ensure the lives of those living with dementia, their loved ones and carers is critical, especially as we look towards integration of our care systems and the re-imagining of social care with the role of the home as a central tenet for enabling someone to live well and with dignity in their home for as long as they wish.”

The recommendations of the report will be used to develop a three-year plan (2022-2025) implemented through the forthcoming Greater 99�þþ�Ʒ’s Integrated Care System.