The neo-liberal restructuring of urban housing markets and the housing conditions of low-income households: An international comparison

There is growing recognition how cities and urban development across Western societies have been affected by the rise of neo-liberalism and free market principles in policy-making in the context of a shift from a Fordist to a Post-Fordist regulatory regime since the 1970s. This book sets out to specifically contribute to a better understanding of the market-oriented transformation of urban housing markets within the course of wider neo-liberalization trends. The starting point is the notion that housing markets in many cities, particularly in Western Europe, were shaped in important ways by the Fordist regulatory regime that dominated the period of the 1950s and 60s. In the course of the building-up of post-war welfare states and the accompanying intensification of measures to regulate housing markets, de-commodified rental housing stocks in many cities expanded. Alongside the gradual retreat of welfare arrangements from the mid-1970s onwards, however, policies to de-commodify housing have also lost momentum, giving way to the promotion of private market provision and triggering a profound restructuring of the urban housing supply. Within this frame, the book presents four separate studies that deal with the political and academic debate about the neo-liberal restructuring of urban housing markets. The specific intention is twofold. Firstly, to move forward the debate about the effects of neo-liberal restructuring on the housing conditions of low-income households. Secondly, to contribute insights into the role of welfare and housing regulation contexts in shaping neo-liberal restructuring and its effects