Slum clearance and relocation: a reassessment of social outcomes combining short- term and long-term perspectives

Kearns, A. , Wright, V. , Abrams, L. and Hazley, B. (2019) Slum clearance and relocation: a reassessment of social outcomes combining short- term and long-term perspectives. Housing Studies, 34(2), pp. 201-225. (doi: 10.1080/02673037.2017.1409342)

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Abstract

Housing research rarely takes a long-term view of the impacts of short-term housing changes. Thus, in studies of post-war relocation, narratives of ‘loss of community’ and ‘dislocation’ have dominated the debate for decades. This paper combines a ‘re-study’ methodology with oral histories to re-examine the experience of relocation into high-rise flats in Glasgow in the 1960s and 1970s. We find that both the immediate and longer term outcomes of relocation varied greatly; while some people failed to settle and felt a loss of social relations, many others did not. People had agency, some chose to get away from tenement life and others chose to move on subsequently as aspirations changed. Furthermore, relocation to high-rise was not always the life-defining event or moment it is often depicted to be. Outcomes from relocation are mediated by many other events and experiences, questioning its role as an explanatory paradigm in housing studies.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Wright, Dr Valerie and Kearns, Professor Ade and Hazley, Dr Barry and Abrams, Professor Lynn
Authors: Kearns, A., Wright, V., Abrams, L., and Hazley, B.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
Journal Name:Housing Studies
Publisher:Taylor and Francis
ISSN:0267-3037
ISSN (Online):1466-1810
Published Online:17 December 2017
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor and Francis Group
First Published:First published in Housing Studies 34(2):201-225
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
625811Housing, Everyday Life and Wellbeing over the Long Term in Glasgow c.1950-1975Lynn AbramsLeverhulme Trust (LEVERHUL)RPG-2014-014HU - HISTORY