Housing Studies Association 
Annual Conference 2027

Housing Under Pressure: Wellbeing, Systems and Change

Housing is under growing pressure from multiple directions. Affordability challenges, poverty, housing insecurity, climate change, poor housing conditions, public health concerns, technological change, and shifting policy environments are reshaping homes, neighbourhoods, and housing systems. At the same time, housing remains central to everyday life, wellbeing, inequality, and social justice.

The Housing Studies Association Annual Conference 2027 (#HSA2027) will bring together academics, policymakers, practitioners, and others from across disciplines and sectors to explore how housing is changing, where pressures are being most acutely felt, and what responses are needed in research, policy, and practice. The conference will provide space to share cutting-edge research, reflect on emerging challenges, and consider how housing systems can better support people, places, and communities.

We warmly welcome contributions from UK-based and international researchers (within and outside of academia, from all disciplinary backgrounds and at all stages of their careers), policymakers and practitioners, campaigners, activists, and communities and contributions that consider both single country and comparative cases.

At the Housing Studies Association, we are proud of our welcoming and friendly atmosphere, and we strongly encourage the submission of papers related to housing-related research, practice, and education, irrespective of their direct alignment with the conference theme, fostering a diverse and inclusive discourse on housing studies.

Our conference offers an opportunity to engage in broader discussions including (but 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 insecurity
  • Place, neighbourhoods and communities
  • Urban planning, change and housing development
  • Housing organisations, leadership and practice
  • Homelessness, welfare reform, and precarity, and, 
  • Other topics relating to housing-related research, education, and practice.  

The Housing Studies Association 2027 Annual Conference will be returning as a hybrid conference, with face to face sessions in Sheffield between 12th and 14th April, and online sessions in June. We have listened to feedback over the past few years and we have evolved how we offer a hybrid experience. This ensures we actively provide a space for discussion and presentation from different groups but also reflects the voluntary nature of the Housing Studies Association and the organisation of the conference. 

Key dates

  • Bursary applications open: 20th November 2026
  • Paper submission deadline: 20th November 2026
  • Registration opens: 4th January 2027
  • Notification of acceptance: 22nd January 2027
  • End of early-bird rates: 26th February 2027

In-person: 12th to 14th April 2027

Online: Throughout the conference period and there will be dedicated online sessions between the June 2027 (TBC)

Location

Online and in-person at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sheffield, UK 

Further information will be announced soon.  

Conference Team

For 2027, we are piloting a more collaborative approach to organising the conference, bringing together board members and colleagues through a series of focused working groups. 

This year's conference is led by:

  • Dr Tom Simcock (Conference Co-ordinator and Lead Organiser)
  • TBC (Conference Co-Ordinator and Lead Organiser)