MRes in Affordability, Housing Markets and Private Renting in Edinburgh United Kingdom | Heriot-Watt University

This theme explores major economic challenges reflected in the housing sector and their effects on societal results across national, regional, and community scales. Surging property markets led to widespread affordability crises, later followed by the Credit Crunch and economic downturn that undermined traditional housing finance and access methods. Supply-increasing initiatives (prompted by the 2004 Barker Review) yielded underwhelming results, giving way to England's bold shift toward decentralized planning approaches. While private rentals show notable expansion after nearly 100 years of contraction, questions remain: does this growth genuinely address housing shortages and affordability, or does it simply add further complexity to the situation?