Greater Manchester Housing Action maintain the main Housing Futures website where you will find information about current and past activity, including the events programme. GM Housing Action also operate a Housing Futures mailing list using MailChimp. Subscribe here.
Who we are
Housing Futures brought together academics, housing sector professionals, and members of the Greater Manchester cooperative and housing movement to co-produce knowledge and action about a range of community-led models, from cooperatives and co-housing to community land trusts. We worked through a research steering group, supported by a wider reference group of informed advisors. Greater Manchester Housing Action was a key partner and is taking forward the findings of the research following the conclusion of the formal partnership (at the end of 2018).
Our approach
We aimed to integrate practical experiences in Greater Manchester, across the UK, and internationally, with existing academic knowledge in order to understand the many benefits, as well as the challenges, involved in realising community-led models for housing. We produced a set of proposals, tailored specifically to the Greater Manchester context, about the kinds of approaches that may be most appropriate for meeting the needs of particular groups – with a focus on low-income neighbourhoods; and for achieving ‘affordability plus’ outcomes: such as improving health and well-being, or enhancing local democracy. Through learning exchanges, networking events, and public debates, the Housing Futures team continue to foster a Greater Manchester Community-led Housing Network made up of individuals and organisations interested in taking action in response to our findings.
Dr Sophie King was the Realising Just Cities lead for Housing Futures. Email Sophie.
Download the main report:

Want to learn more about community-led housing options? Watch videos from the Housing Futures event series on the Realising Just Cities UK YouTube Channel.