August 29 2007

Last week Prospect hosted a special debate on social housing at the Edinburgh College of Art, coinciding with the Saltire housing exhibition.

Chaired by Prospect editor Penny Lewis, the speakers included Lynsey Hanley author of Estates (2007); renowned architect Gordon Murray of gm+ad; Diane Watters, co-author of Little Houses (2006) and Miles Glendinning, co-author of Tower Block (1994).

Hanley’s book has been hailed as both an excellent personal account of growing up on a council estate and an compelling critique of post-war social housing, and proved to be an excellent starting point for the debate on its effectiveness.

Overall opinion seemed to suggest that the effectiveness of social housing was mostly positive, following summaries and a lively q and a session with the audience, although there was a call for more personal accounts such as those found in Hanley’s book.

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