rulapeep reviewed Municipal Dreams by John Boughton
Review of 'Municipal Dreams' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
This was a super thoroughly researched and insightful look at the way social housing has shaped and been shaped by societal change in the UK over the last 150 years or so.
I feel like I've learned a huge amount and have a much better appreciation for social housing as a 'concept' and how this has been enhanced and devastated by governmental ideology. I found the links to the Garden City Movement (& figures like William Morris) really interesting as I had no idea about this! The chapter on the 80s was utterly heartbreaking - I didn't think I could hate Thatcher / The Tories more but I do every day. I found the last chapter in particular fascinating as it veered more into philosophical discussions of housing in general - I think these moments gave me what I was really looking for when coming into this book. Many people …
This was a super thoroughly researched and insightful look at the way social housing has shaped and been shaped by societal change in the UK over the last 150 years or so.
I feel like I've learned a huge amount and have a much better appreciation for social housing as a 'concept' and how this has been enhanced and devastated by governmental ideology. I found the links to the Garden City Movement (& figures like William Morris) really interesting as I had no idea about this! The chapter on the 80s was utterly heartbreaking - I didn't think I could hate Thatcher / The Tories more but I do every day. I found the last chapter in particular fascinating as it veered more into philosophical discussions of housing in general - I think these moments gave me what I was really looking for when coming into this book. Many people are aware of the disastrous affects Thatcher had on social housing and working class communities in general, but seeing how these were not only replicated but emboldened by New Labour and Tory Austerity in the 2010s was deeply anger inducing. Turns out Grant Shapps is even more of a twat than I already thought!
The only reason it isn't a 5 is personal preference - sometimes I think the writing got a bit too bogged down in the bureaucratic minutiae of local government politics and very specific numerical information about specific developments - while to the avid reader I'm sure this is really fascinating some of it went slightly over my head! I also would have appreciated some more personal stories from people within specific housing projects to feel the emotional impact of the policies described to a greater extent. Also more pictures! I found myself googling the buildings described every 5 minutes to get a better idea!
Overall a book I would definitely recommend reading in full if it's a topic you already have an interest in. If not maybe dipping in the first and last chapters to get some more of the philosophical elements, or even reading chapters on specific time periods would be the way to go!