CfP: Homes Fit for Heroes Centenary Conference: Learning from 1919. London, 18-19 July 2019

Call for Papers: Homes Fit for Heroes Centenary Conference: Learning from 1919. London, 18-19 July 2019

Institute of Historical Research, Malet Street, London.
This conference is convened by the Learning from 1919 Steering Group in partnership with the Institute of Historical Research to commemorate the centenary of the passage of the 1919 Housing Act and the Homes fit for Heroes programme that it inaugurated. It will explore new historical perspectives on the Act and the housing that was built under its provisions (and those of subsequent Acts in 1923 and 1924), which established the principle of state-subsidised social housing for the next 60 years, as well as wider themes in social/council housing policy and design across the centenary period, and look towards the future of housing in the next century.
Academics at all stages of their careers, independent researchers, practitioners, policy makers, housing campaigners and members of housing interest groups are invited to submit proposals for 20-minute papers in response to the themes listed below. The aim is to bring together multi- disciplinary perspectives that reflect on the past, present and future of mass housing.
The conference themes are:

  • New historical perspectives on the 1919 Act and the housing that was built under its provisions (and those of subsequent Acts in 1923 and 1924): we are interested in proposals that add to, amend or challenge received wisdom about inter-war housing.
  • Issues in in social housing policy and design across the centenary period: we are interested in proposals that consider broader themes that have informed housing theory and practice from 1919-2019. These include (but are not con ned to): housing standards/ space standards; domesticity; cottages vs ats; housing campaigns/campaigners; the third sector (housing associations/cooperatives, public utility societies etc); designers and managers; system building/modern methods of construction; policy and funding models.
  • Looking towards the future of housing in the 21st century: we are interested in proposals that consider how social housing can and might develop whether that be in terms of policy, design, economics (inter alia) or what might be learnt from the previous century.

Paper proposals, in a Word document with a text of 300-500 words, should be emailed to: 1919Housing@gmail.com by 5 January 2019. Please include contact details and a affiliation. Proposals will be anonymised and considered by the Steering Group and the Conference Scientific Committee. Notification of acceptance will be sent no later than March 2019.
The Learning from 1919 Steering Group comprises Dr Elizabeth Darling (Oxford Brookes University), Dr Michael Passmore (University of Greenwich), Professor Mark Swenarton (University of Liverpool), Dr Matthew Whitfield (Historic England) and Matthew Bristow (Institute of Historical Research).
Further information can be accessed at www.history.ac.uk/events/event/16727
Contact: General enquiries and the Word files of proposals should be emailed to: 1919Housing@gmail.com

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