Unpopular housing in England in conditions of low demand: coping with a diversity of problems and policy measures

The aim of this paper is to provide an understanding of unpopular housing in a way that links the identification of causes to remedial prescriptions and also allows a consideration of the views of residents and practitioners. Three discourses of change are identified economic, social and radical - which are partly complementary and partly contradictory to one another. Each discourse provides a narrative of neighbourhood decline, favours distinct remedial measures and generates lessons about the aims and methods of policy. The identification of different discourses therefore provides a more comprehensive understanding and a more practical framework for policy generation than any single approach. The recent history of neighbourhood regeneration is one where measures to tackle unpopular housing have become increasingly absorbed into a broad social inclusion agenda. Nevertheless, the distinction between types of discourses and types of responsive measures persists.