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Home: Why Public Housing is the Answer
Thousands are homeless, tens of thousands are languishing on social housing waiting lists, even more are unable to afford to rent or buy. Why is our housing system so dysfunctional? Why can it not meet social and affordable housing needs? Why Public Housing is the Answer examines the structural causes of our housing emergency, provides a detailed critique of government housing policy from the 1980s to the present and outlines a comprehensive, practical and radical alternative that would meet the housing needs of the many, not just the few. For three decades Government policy has been marked by an undersupply of social housing and an over-reliance on the private market to meet housing needs. Housing has become a commodity, not a public good. The result is a dysfunctional housing system that is leaving more and more people unable to access appropriate, secure and affordable homes. The answer, as argued in this transformative new book, lies in establishing a Constitutional right to housing, large scale investment in a new model of public housing to meet social and affordable housing need, real reform of the private rental sector and regulation of private finance, development and land.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 23, 2019
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139 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 26, 2021
I’m not entirely sure who this book is for. For someone is looking to get a handle on the Irish housing system the book isn’t a history, just a list of events without engaging much in the dynamics at play in the economy/politics of the time. For someone looking to be inspired, it reads more like a policy paper.
April 2, 2021
One part excellent, if a bit dense, history of Ireland's permanent housing crisis, one part policy prescriptions to fix it. Very hopeful, in that it argues that much of the dysfunction is fixable in the medium term. Depressing, in that some gombeen Fianna Fáil also-ran is housing minister instead of the author.
July 2, 2022
This book is slow reading.
For me it achieves two things;
1) It describes the history of Irish housing policy in unnecessary and minute detail. Although there was some interesting information to take from this, there was simply too much unnecessary historical content.
2) it lays out a normative argument and normative plan for more social housing provided by the Irish state. I agree with his points against the current housing system and a lot of his normative positions.
The major problem is this.
There are no real world housing supply difficulties addressed in this normative and historical focused book.
How exactly will the state build the houses?
Where is the state going to find the requisite staff and land to build these houses?
How exactly will the state fund all of this building?
How exactly will state housing be delivered to people requiring state housing?
How would one be eligible for state housing and how would one not be eligible?
What legal obstacles are in the way for this to take place?
Real questions aren't addressed.
Normative housing philosophy is useful but extremely limited.
I respect the man but this book was just a bit tepid owing to the absence of the real world action plan.
For me it achieves two things;
1) It describes the history of Irish housing policy in unnecessary and minute detail. Although there was some interesting information to take from this, there was simply too much unnecessary historical content.
2) it lays out a normative argument and normative plan for more social housing provided by the Irish state. I agree with his points against the current housing system and a lot of his normative positions.
The major problem is this.
There are no real world housing supply difficulties addressed in this normative and historical focused book.
How exactly will the state build the houses?
Where is the state going to find the requisite staff and land to build these houses?
How exactly will the state fund all of this building?
How exactly will state housing be delivered to people requiring state housing?
How would one be eligible for state housing and how would one not be eligible?
What legal obstacles are in the way for this to take place?
Real questions aren't addressed.
Normative housing philosophy is useful but extremely limited.
I respect the man but this book was just a bit tepid owing to the absence of the real world action plan.
October 30, 2020
This is excellent. Eoin has a very clear expertise on Irish housing, and uses this book to set out his plan for how to fix our historic problems. Its very compelling - the main idea being that we need a very large reserve of high-quality houses available for everyone, from the most in need up to those with decent industrial wage jobs. A modern version of what Aneurin Bevan did for housing in Britain in the 1940s.
One thing missing from the book is the idea that homes really need to be situated in vibrant communities to really deliver happiness. There's a bit of mention of communities, but mainly from the point of view of activism and political involvement. Which for most of us, despite our best intentions, is all incredibly worthy but not how we envisage spending our weekends. If the plan is to design 200,000 homes, well a lot of new communities are going to be set up here, and we need to plan for these being fun, friendly, low stress, places to live. That's something that can be hardcoded into housing plans.
I'd therefore recommend following up this book with a read of 'Happy City' on how to design homes for happy communities and great places to live.
One thing missing from the book is the idea that homes really need to be situated in vibrant communities to really deliver happiness. There's a bit of mention of communities, but mainly from the point of view of activism and political involvement. Which for most of us, despite our best intentions, is all incredibly worthy but not how we envisage spending our weekends. If the plan is to design 200,000 homes, well a lot of new communities are going to be set up here, and we need to plan for these being fun, friendly, low stress, places to live. That's something that can be hardcoded into housing plans.
I'd therefore recommend following up this book with a read of 'Happy City' on how to design homes for happy communities and great places to live.
February 26, 2020
Ireland has a home crisis, construed as a homelessness crisis. O'Brion shows us what we already know, we inhabitants of this damp rock are pissing our last away in the teeth of squalor and growing out of damp dereliction. Those who fail to cling on become The Homeless. The reason? Money can rest and gain value in The Land.
In a delightful affectation, O'Brion's book is presented in Musical Movements, with the introduction being an Overture and the text divided into Three Movements.
O'Brion tells the tale of the radical idealism that founded the nascent state, of how the democratic programme of Dáil Éireann 1919 committed that the interests of private property must be subordinate to the public right and welfare. It's a story of how solutions are bountiful, solutions created by and placed in our own communities. Yet at each step the lusty embrace between the monied interests and the political class colluded to subvert the public right and welfare. There is no romanticism here, with O’Brion showing how our leaders have cultivated a long ignoble culture of corruption and cronyism.
The problems of housing in Ireland are entirely systemic and until the perverse contingencies that perpetuate this system are addressed, nothing will fundamentally change. Years ago in a pub in Dublin, I remember a friend of a friend, shrugging his shoulders and saying, 'Well, that's just money making money.' People with land, just watch their assets increase in value and that's just how it is. It hadn't occurred to me that what he was describing was the inflation of a bubble, and bubbles invariably burst.
In 2017 I discovered a newly published book called 'Evicted. Poverty & Profit in the American City' by Matthew Desmond. We were then, as we are now gripped by a housing crisis and our media was presenting it as an Irish issue. Homelessness isn't a uniquely Irish problem, it happens wherever banks are allowed to attach the other side of their balance sheets to property.
In the Ireland of the recent past, the prevailing doctrine was, 'The Market will do everything'. To go against this principle was like arguing with gravity and seldom did our discourse stray from this truism. So today, it's seen as obvious as the whiteness of snow, that banks profit from the sale of mortgages and we pay.
O'Brion argues for an alternative, we need to decouple land from the storage of wealth and view it as a common good. I just wish he did it with a little more pizzazz. Sadly parts of the book are practically unreadable since they are as dull as the proverbial dishwater. I wanted this book to be better, but more than that I want O'Brion's vision to be realised, if only it were articulated a little better.
In a delightful affectation, O'Brion's book is presented in Musical Movements, with the introduction being an Overture and the text divided into Three Movements.
O'Brion tells the tale of the radical idealism that founded the nascent state, of how the democratic programme of Dáil Éireann 1919 committed that the interests of private property must be subordinate to the public right and welfare. It's a story of how solutions are bountiful, solutions created by and placed in our own communities. Yet at each step the lusty embrace between the monied interests and the political class colluded to subvert the public right and welfare. There is no romanticism here, with O’Brion showing how our leaders have cultivated a long ignoble culture of corruption and cronyism.
The problems of housing in Ireland are entirely systemic and until the perverse contingencies that perpetuate this system are addressed, nothing will fundamentally change. Years ago in a pub in Dublin, I remember a friend of a friend, shrugging his shoulders and saying, 'Well, that's just money making money.' People with land, just watch their assets increase in value and that's just how it is. It hadn't occurred to me that what he was describing was the inflation of a bubble, and bubbles invariably burst.
In 2017 I discovered a newly published book called 'Evicted. Poverty & Profit in the American City' by Matthew Desmond. We were then, as we are now gripped by a housing crisis and our media was presenting it as an Irish issue. Homelessness isn't a uniquely Irish problem, it happens wherever banks are allowed to attach the other side of their balance sheets to property.
In the Ireland of the recent past, the prevailing doctrine was, 'The Market will do everything'. To go against this principle was like arguing with gravity and seldom did our discourse stray from this truism. So today, it's seen as obvious as the whiteness of snow, that banks profit from the sale of mortgages and we pay.
O'Brion argues for an alternative, we need to decouple land from the storage of wealth and view it as a common good. I just wish he did it with a little more pizzazz. Sadly parts of the book are practically unreadable since they are as dull as the proverbial dishwater. I wanted this book to be better, but more than that I want O'Brion's vision to be realised, if only it were articulated a little better.
February 17, 2020
While a well reserched book, the lack of detail and costings on how the outlined plan will actually be inforced is an opportunity lost, which is a shame.
It's obvious that the answer to Irelands housing issue is to build more houses, Ó Broin to his credit makes a strong case for social housing to be at the heart of these builds over, reliance on the private market. However, he does so without outling costs and how this plan would actually be implemented.
Through out the book questions are answered vaguely or for example met with lines such as 'Answering all of these questions is beyond the scope of this book, however they are issues of significant importance which need to be considered' as seen on pg. 179.
Further opportunities to look at issues surround the debate are passed over, rather than siezed as an opportunity to forward the point - for example on pg 214, the author outlines that the Safe as Houses report was critisised by the Dept of Housing, representatives of the building and architecture trades and local govt. but rather than discussing this crtique he glosses over them.
That said the book also contains some interesting points on the needs for stronger regualtion of both buildings and rental markets. The idea of an NCT style review of rental housing conditions and regulations surrounding landlords are interesting points which should be explored. However within the book they aren't fleshed out in a workable manor.
As mentioned the book is very well researched. The history of housing in the early part of the book is very interesting and important to note. The amount of reports cited is impressive also. However, once again implementing the recommendations of these reports in the manor suggested within the book, while admirable, without costing and suggesting of structures for bodies to be set up, is its weakness.
To his credit, as a sitting politician Ó Broin should be comended for actually writing a book on a relevent issue to his role. Such books should be a regular occurrence for our elected TDs, across all parties, to do so, allowing us to understand better the issues and their thinking.
That said, this book has been repeatedly held up after the recent election as the starting for fixing Irelands housing system. As mentioned while well reserched and imformative of the general issues surrounding housing, I felt after reading it that while it outlines a general plan of sorts, without explaining how it would be implemented and work it's not necessary living up to the billing touted by those in the media unfortunately.
It's obvious that the answer to Irelands housing issue is to build more houses, Ó Broin to his credit makes a strong case for social housing to be at the heart of these builds over, reliance on the private market. However, he does so without outling costs and how this plan would actually be implemented.
Through out the book questions are answered vaguely or for example met with lines such as 'Answering all of these questions is beyond the scope of this book, however they are issues of significant importance which need to be considered' as seen on pg. 179.
Further opportunities to look at issues surround the debate are passed over, rather than siezed as an opportunity to forward the point - for example on pg 214, the author outlines that the Safe as Houses report was critisised by the Dept of Housing, representatives of the building and architecture trades and local govt. but rather than discussing this crtique he glosses over them.
That said the book also contains some interesting points on the needs for stronger regualtion of both buildings and rental markets. The idea of an NCT style review of rental housing conditions and regulations surrounding landlords are interesting points which should be explored. However within the book they aren't fleshed out in a workable manor.
As mentioned the book is very well researched. The history of housing in the early part of the book is very interesting and important to note. The amount of reports cited is impressive also. However, once again implementing the recommendations of these reports in the manor suggested within the book, while admirable, without costing and suggesting of structures for bodies to be set up, is its weakness.
To his credit, as a sitting politician Ó Broin should be comended for actually writing a book on a relevent issue to his role. Such books should be a regular occurrence for our elected TDs, across all parties, to do so, allowing us to understand better the issues and their thinking.
That said, this book has been repeatedly held up after the recent election as the starting for fixing Irelands housing system. As mentioned while well reserched and imformative of the general issues surrounding housing, I felt after reading it that while it outlines a general plan of sorts, without explaining how it would be implemented and work it's not necessary living up to the billing touted by those in the media unfortunately.
May 28, 2020
Highly informative and detailed. O Broin begins with the history of housing from tenements to today. He explains how we overcame the housing struggles of the past. Most of the book is dedicated to explaining how the government of the Free State has tried and failed to solve the housing crisis. The author breaks down why these approaches failed. The final third of the book contains O Broins solutions to the housing crisis. Overall the book is informative and detailed. Useful for anyone who wants to get a grip on the housing crisis, how we got here and where we can go in the future.
The book is slow in the middle as it breaks down each successive governments attempts to solve the crisis. This feels at times like wading through a sea of acronyms as each government introduces a new body or board. It can be hard to keep these separate and remember which one does that.
The book is slow in the middle as it breaks down each successive governments attempts to solve the crisis. This feels at times like wading through a sea of acronyms as each government introduces a new body or board. It can be hard to keep these separate and remember which one does that.
February 15, 2020
An excellent book of the need for public housing.
Easy to understand and well written
Easy to understand and well written
March 6, 2020
Cracking read on this subject, accessible to the general reader, helpful and informative to the academic reader. Not in complete agreement ideologically but still enjoyed the arguments made.
April 25, 2020
Excellent history of Housing Policy in Ireland since the founding of the State with a brief history of Housing before independence. Written in a very readable style
February 13, 2024
I like EOB but found this a bit long winded and laborious. Especially the ad nauseum history of 20th C Irish housing policy.
I'd probably recommend reading just the conclusions, the text in boxes and the last chapter to get the main gist of this.
I'd probably recommend reading just the conclusions, the text in boxes and the last chapter to get the main gist of this.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews