Oh God, What Now? Build, baby, build – Is Labour losing the Regeneration Game?
Sep 30, 2025
Join Anna Minton, a Reader in architecture and author on housing issues, as she dives deep into the challenges of urban regeneration. She reveals the pitfalls of private-led projects and how they prioritize land value over community needs. Minton compares regeneration horror stories from around the world, discusses the limitations of placemaking, and highlights models from Europe that focus on social housing. The conversation also touches on the political implications of local decline and the urgent need for a shift in housing policy.
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Placemaking As Marketing
- 'Placemaking' is often marketing for real-estate strategies that prioritise investor returns.
- Real placemaking exists, but the term has been stretched to justify privatized, trophy developments.
Plans Stalled By Funding Gaps
- Huddersfield’s Buxton House shows councils can plan quality social housing but lack affordable contractors and funding.
- That gap leaves residents trapped in substandard homes despite good local plans.
Developers Aren't Social Housing Providers
- Relying on private developers to deliver affordable housing is flawed because their duty is to shareholders.
- Decades of this approach show developers consistently underdeliver affordable homes.
