In this episode of the A is for Architecture Podcast, I spoke with John Boughton, social historian, writer and blogger. John has written the hugely insightful and important blog, Municipal Dreams since 2013, on which he explores the history, impact, and legacy of social and council housing in Britain, highlighting its architectural, political, and social significance. In 2018, his first major book, Municipal Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing, was published by Verso, followed in 2022 by A History of Council Housing in 100 Estates, published with RIBA Publishing.

John’s work traces the history of council housing and council estate architecture in Britain, from its origins in the c19 and early 20th century as a response to poor living conditions, to its peak in the post-war era, when UK social housing policy provided millions with high-quality, state-funded homes. We discuss this and how shifting political and economic priorities, concretized in the Right to Buy policy UK under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, led to the widespread privatization of council housing, reducing public housing stock and contributing to today’s housing crisis. 

Well-planned social housing remains crucial in addressing the global housing permacrisis. John’s work is a perfect resource for showing us how it has been, and could be done again. So, listen to John then read his blog and books,

Start here. 

John can be found on his blogs, linked above, as are his books.

# ArchitecturePodcast #MunicipalDreams #JohnBoughton #CouncilHousing #SocialHousing #AisforArchitecture

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Music credits: ⁠Bruno Gillick