Housing supply and brownfield regeneration in a post-Barker world: is there enough brownfield land in England and Scotland?

Dixon, T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4513-6337 and Adams, D. (2008) Housing supply and brownfield regeneration in a post-Barker world: is there enough brownfield land in England and Scotland? Urban Studies, 45 (1). pp. 115-139. ISSN 1360-063X doi: 10.1177/0042098007085104

Abstract/Summary

The findings of the Barker review, which examined the reasons for the undersupply of UK housing, have important implications for the devolved constituents of the UK, including Scotland. This paper traces the emergence of the brownfi eld regeneration policy agenda across the UK and examines how the Barker review connects with this brownfi eld policy focus. The paper compares housing and brownfi eld policies and practices in England and Scotland, places them in an international context and elicits wider lessons for devolved governance in relation to housing policy, in terms of ‘centrist–local’ tensions. Estimates based on published data suggest that Barker’s emphasis on increased housing supply cannot easily be reconciled with the current emphasis on brownfi eld development and is likely to require a return to greenfield development in both countries.