Setting the Scene: Transformations in Irish Housing

Abstract

For a nation somewhat obsessed with property and property rights it is surprising that there has been a comparative dearth of published material on the system of housing provision and housing policy in Ireland, whereas in most other western European countries, particularly the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, sophisticated housing research infrastructures have been developed, not only in the universities but also in national and local government and in non-governmental sectors. Recently this gap in publication has started to be filled. For example, Norris and Winston (2004) have produced a comprehensive overview of Irish housing policy developments over the past decade, while in late 2004 the National Economic and Social Council (2004) published an analysis of housing policy with a particular focus on affordability and land policy. Despite these publications, however, it is still true to say that the amount of original primary research on housing issues is meagre and unbalanced. We know, for example, a good deal about social housing and the tenants who live in this sector (Fahey, 1999), which accounts for less that 10 per cent of all housing, but our in-depth knowledge of the owner-occupied sector, which accounts for 80 per cent of all housing, is paltry in comparison. This lack of information and analysis is anomalous in view of the fact that since the early 1990s housing has become one of the central economic, social and environmental issues in Ireland. This centrality stems directly from the importance of housing in providing basic shelter and accommodation, its role as a home, its role as a financial investment, its role in economic development and its role in shaping our urban and rural environment. While these are general attributes, they have been brought into even greater prominence in the past decade by the extraordinary surge in housing output across the state, generated by the economic boom and population growth. Not only have our urban centres