Clarke, Linda;
Edwards, Michael;
Watt, Paul;
(2023)
Engels and the housing question 150 years on: A roundtable discussion.
Theory & Struggle
, 124
(1)
pp. 66-71.
10.3828/theory.2023.8.
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Abstract
How far does the current housing crisis resemble the housing question as Engels analysed it one hundred and fifty years ago? Three housing experts, Linda Clarke, Michael Edwards and Paul Watt, explored this question in a panel discussion at the Marx Memorial Library on 30th January 2023. They pointed to the continuing relevance of much of Engels’ approach, rooted in a Marxist analysis of industrialisation, urbanisation and conflicting class interests in relation to land ownership, property development and the housing crisis. Market forces continue to drive so many people out of city centres, for a start. The panellists then went on to identify some of the issues that Engels missed (particularly the role of the construction industry) as well as some of the issues that weren’t so evident in Engels’ time, such as the changing nature of state intervention, the roles of local authorities and the unions, and the increasing influence of the financial sector. The discussion concluded by focusing on what a progressive government could be doing to ensure that decent housing is provided as a right. And how to link housing struggles with wider struggles, fighting for a more sustainable future for us all.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Engels and the housing question 150 years on: A roundtable discussion |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3828/theory.2023.8 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3828/theory.2023.8 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © Liverpool University Press. This PDF is licensed as Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en). |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > The Bartlett School of Planning |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10207390 |
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