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Bradford Housing Lives - Aspirations, Agency and Fairness

Exploring the aspirations and experiences of new migrants in relation to their housing pathways

Immigration, in particular, the impact of immigration,  has risen up the political and media agenda. At the same time, there has been a renewed emphasis on the importance of place, for the well-being both of individuals and society overall. Housing is recognised as having a central role in achieving a sense of place. However, perceived competition over scarce resources, such as social housing, is recognised as an important source of neighbourhood and ethnic tension.

The city of Bradford is one of the localities where 'place' and immigration issues have come together and are being felt most acutely. To improve our understanding of the relationship between housing and immigration (particularly as perceived by the public) and to explore more positive discourses of immigrants and their housing experiences, three critical issues need to be unpacked and investigated: aspirations, agency and fairness.  Moving forward in this area will require a better understanding of different perceptions of fairness (as linked to individual or group aspirations), sense of agency and aspirations amongst new immigrants and between them and settled (ethnic minority and white) communities.

This research project will undertake an in-depth exploration of the constituent elements of the housing and immigration discourse in Bradford by focusing on:
  • People: to better understand perceptions, aspirations and behaviour across migrant and settled communities;
  • Resources: to examine the material, social and psychological value of housing, home and neighbourhood;
  • Systems: to understand how the relationship between people and housing is mediated with a focus on local and national stories and perceptions of fairness.
Across each of these areas, the focus will be on distinguishing the 'official story' told about immigrants and housing, popular myths and the everyday lived experiences of different immigrant groups and the 'settled' communities. The project will include two detailed case studies of Bradford neighbourhoods. The ultimate aim will be to bring together and critically contrast and interrogate such differential experiences and set out implications for households, communities, the media and local policy and practice.

This project will run in parallel with the project Building Shared Visions of Housing Futures in Bradford, carried out by the University of Leeds Geography Department. Both projects are being funded by the Josepth Rowntree Foundation.

The project will run between May 2008 and September 2009. If you would like to know more about the project, please contact Zubaida Haque, Senior Researcher, who is leading the project.