We are delighted to open the call for papers and presentations for the Housing Studies Association Annual Conference 2027:

Housing Under Pressure: Wellbeing, Systems and Change

Housing systems are under growing pressure. Affordability challenges, poverty and the cost of living, housing insecurity, climate change, poor housing conditions, public health concerns, technological change, and shifting policy and regulatory environments are reshaping homes, neighbourhoods and communities. These pressures are experienced unevenly, reinforcing existing inequalities while creating new challenges for households, organisations, policymakers and places.

At the same time, housing is fundamental to everyday life. Where and how we live shapes our health and wellbeing, financial security, relationships, opportunities and sense of belonging. Understanding housing under pressure therefore requires us to look not only at individual homes and households, but also at the wider systems, institutions and social, economic and political forces through which housing is produced, governed and experienced.

The Housing Studies Association Annual Conference 2027 (#HSA2027) will bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners and communities from across disciplines and sectors to explore these issues. We want to examine where pressures are being felt, how housing systems and organisations are responding, what these changes mean for wellbeing and inequality, and what alternative approaches might be needed.

The conference will provide a welcoming space to share new research, engage with policy and practice, debate emerging challenges, and develop conversations across disciplinary, professional and geographical boundaries.

We warmly welcome contributions from UK-based and international participants, including researchers within and beyond academia, at all stages of their careers; policymakers and practitioners; campaigners and activists; and community organisations. We welcome work examining individual countries and places as well as international and comparative perspectives.

The Housing Studies Association is proud of the welcoming, supportive and interdisciplinary environment of its Annual Conference. Submissions do not need to directly address the conference theme. We strongly encourage papers and presentations examining any aspect of housing research, policy, practice or education.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Housing, health and wellbeing
  • Affordability, poverty and the cost of living
  • Climate change, sustainability and resilience
  • Technology, data and smart housing systems
  • Housing finance, policy and regulation
  • Inequality, exclusion and housing justice
  • Homes, households and everyday life
  • Renting, tenure and housing insecurity
  • Place, neighbourhoods and communities
  • Urban planning, housing development and regeneration
  • Housing organisations, leadership and professional practice
  • Homelessness, welfare and precarity
  • Housing research, methods and education
  • Other topics relating to housing research, policy, education and practice

Conference format

The Housing Studies Association Annual Conference 2027 will again be delivered through a hybrid format.

Our in-person conference will take place in Sheffield from 12–14 April 2027, with a further programme of online conference sessions taking place in June 2027.

Following feedback from previous conferences, we are continuing to develop our approach to hybrid participation. Rather than attempting to replicate the same conference simultaneously online and in person, the 2027 format will provide dedicated opportunities for both face-to-face and online participation. This enables us to create meaningful spaces for presentation, discussion and engagement while ensuring that the conference remains inclusive, accessible and sustainable for a voluntary association to organise.

Find out more about the #HSA2027 conference and submit your presentation for consideration