Housing and real estate

My interests are in housing and urban governance, citizenship and social cohesion.

Current PhD projects:

• Community-based housing, activism and the urban commons
• Community-based housing and regional enabling hubs in England 
• The future of the social housing professional

Contact Professor John Flint

My research interests focus on understanding the structure of the urban housing market and specifically exploring the relative merits of different approaches to capturing neighbourhood segmentation within house price models by using quantitative methods. My research adopts a variety of econometric methods to the analysis of property markets by investigating the effectiveness of different modelling techniques at capturing housing market segmentation. I am also interested in the structure and operation of real estate markets particularly from investor's and developer's perspective.

Contact Dr Berna Keskin

Olayiwola’s research focuses on the economics of real estate markets and the ways through which the efficiency of real estate operations and practice can be enhanced. One of the core research areas examines the mechanisms through which lifecycle, socio-economic, demographic and socio-cultural factors influence housing tenure, location and mobility patterns of individuals and households, and further attempts to link these to rents and house prices. Another core research interest focuses on the underlying demand and pricing mechanism of operational real estate assets (such as student accommodation, hotels, short-lets, care homes etc.), while a third research area explores digital tools and solutions (PropTech) that can enhance the efficiency of real estate operations and practice. 

Suggested project topics: 

• The Impact of Migration-related factors on Urban and Regional Economies
• The Influence of Lifecycle Transition and Changing Demographic Patterns on Housing/Urban Markets 
• Demand and Pricing Mechanisms in Operational Real Estate Assets
• Enhancing Real Estate Operations and Practice through innovation and digital/IT (PropTech) tools.  

Contact Dr Olayiwola Oladiran

My core research interests coalesce around the UK housing system, particularly understanding people’s experiences of changing housing and neighbourhoods. My research had primarily involved exploring the drivers of, and individual responses to, the changing nature of urban living, particularly the way in which this may result in reconfigured housing aspirations and adjusted expectations of housing outcomes. I maintain a strong interest in processes of marginalisation, identity formation, belonging and place. Having previously worked in the social housing sector, I am also interested in applied research in policy and practice settings, for example relating to the changing nature of affordable housing provision in England.

Suggested PhD topics:

• Expectation adjustment in changing housing systems
• Belonging in new build housing developments

Contact Dr Jenny Preece

My research practice is situated at the interface of planning, geography and social policy and focuses on exposing and understanding contemporary challenges in urban society and critically analysing the responses of policy and practice. Particular areas of interest include: aspiration and choice in the contemporary housing system; housing and population ageing; the politics and provision of social housing; disadvantage and discrimination in the housing system; and the hidden and neglected experiences of particular groups.

Indicative projects:

• Ageing and the (un)making of home – exploring notions of being at home in older age and implications for understandings of ‘ageing in place’ and ‘healthy ageing’
• For-profit social housing – exploring the transformational politics and practice of publicly funded for-profit housing associations
• Revisiting ethnic inequalities in the housing system – exploring the processes and experiences of discrimination and the contemporary policy and practice response
• The shifting housing aspirations of young people – what dimensions of housing are young people prioritising and how are they negotiating access within the constraints of the contemporary housing system?

Contact Professor David Robinson