Furman, S. orcid.org/0000-0002-8166-5834 and Hadjri, K. orcid.org/0000-0001-8243-8396 (2025) A critical review of social housing commodification in England. International Journal of Urban Sciences. ISSN 1226-5934
Abstract
Social housing in the UK and England has slowly been replaced by affordable housing as part of a general trend towards its hyper-commodification in England. However, social housing and affordable housing serve different purposes and different socioeconomic groups. By tracing the context, emergence, and trajectory of these terms, this article reveals a wider paradigm shift in housing provision from the welfare state towards market-based solutions. This article employs a literature review methodology to trace the history of social housing from the Industrial Revolution until the mid-1970s, and the subsequent emergence of affordable housing in the UK, particularly England. Affordable housing is then introduced and defined before following both housing trajectories in the context of housing commodification. The findings highlight key historical moments that have shaped the UK, particularly England’s, response to the housing crisis through social housing and affordable housing, alongside corresponding impact on socioeconomic groups. The analysis reveals how deregulation, financialisation, and globalization have transformed housing from a functional dwelling space with social and environmental use value into an asset for capital accumulation and exchange value. Today, housing—in its material, social, and legal functions—has been hyper-commodified. Establishing the emergence of affordable housing and its relationship to social housing in England is crucial for policymakers, housing providers, and researchers to understand and address the unique user needs, challenges, and opportunities of socioeconomic groups. This fosters a more equitable and inclusive housing system by considering all socioeconomic groups in the design and policies of social, affordable, and sustainable housing. Additionally, understanding the relationship between affordable housing and social housing in England aids in choosing the appropriate term for various socioeconomic contexts. This will facilitate effective policymaking, resource allocation, and targeted interventions to address housing challenges and ensure equitable access to suitable housing for everyone.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Authors. Except as otherwise noted, this author-accepted version of a journal article published in International Journal of Urban Sciences is made available via the University of Sheffield Research Publications and Copyright Policy under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | Social rental housing; affordable housing; sustainable housing; hyper-commodification; privatization; neoliberalism |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of Architecture and Landscape |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EUROPEAN COMMISSION - HORIZON 2020 956082 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 04 Jun 2025 14:13 |
Last Modified: | 04 Jun 2025 14:13 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Informa UK Limited |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/12265934.2025.2504668 |
Related URLs: | |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:227443 |
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Licence: CC-BY 4.0