Housing Philosophy

This book addresses key issues in housing policy through the lens of the philosophical concepts that underpin them. It is intended to be an introduction to philosophical subjects and how they relate to key housing issues and deals with the concepts with enough rigour and depth to be of use to undergraduate and postgraduate students and teachers.

Both practitioners in the housing sector and academics researching housing-related subjects often use terms such as ‘fairness’, ‘social justice’, ‘tenure’, ‘property’, ‘home’ and others as if there is a single agreed meaning for these terms. But these terms can be highly contested and there are multiple viewpoints for each of them that could change how we approach them, and how we therefore create, interpret and implement policies and procedures. This book aims to introduce certain concepts and provide guidance and stimulate thinking around how they make an impact on real-world policy. Each section opens with a relevant case study designed to highlight the philosophical concepts to be discussed and coverage ranges from homelessness to the role of government and the state, to house prices, value and property rights.

This book will be of interest to students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, studying housing qualifications or philosophy, sociology, politics, governance and social policy – it will be of particular use for those interested in the application of philosophical concepts to a real-world policy area with clear consequences.