In his column on Friday Ben referred to Danny Dorling and I have been having a rummage through his website.
I found this video dating from February 2014, which I thought I would share with you.
In it, Danny Dorling explains his views on the housing crisis to Jon Snow on Channel 4 news – its worth a watch.
See what you think.
I really get a sense of a tide turning. I have no idea whether its for the better or not but being plugged into this stuff as a tenant, a housing enforcement officer and housing journo I can feel the shift.
People in all areas of housing are starting to ask different questions from simply that tired old rubric of supply and demand. The stock questions and answers arent delivering the goods, as is evident from the Channel 4 clip
Einstein said something about not being able to solve a problem with the same thinking that created the problem. I’ll be following these questions and debates closely.
One thing I’ve not seen mentioned much is the demographics of ownership. The baby boomer generation are much more likely to own than any other age group. Essentially our property owning class is no longer the “landed gentry” of Jane Austen but the baby boomers. Many large family homes are occupied by baby boomers with little incentive to move or downsize.
However, one pressure they can’t avoid is the increasing mortality rate of their generation as they move into their 70’s and beyond. This will increase the number of homes coming on the market as forced sales and hence put downward pressure on prices.