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Housing

results
report

Thames Freeport Commission

In 2025, the Thames Freeport Board asked the Royal Society of Arts to establish an independent commission to recommend an approach to the Social Value Framework. Read the commission’s recommendations in this report.
8 May 2026
Abstract illustration featuring a human profile, geometric shapes, a house, trees, clouds, birds, and a rainbow in shades of teal, grey, black, and white.
Feature

Far from home

Today’s housing systems exclude the young and vulnerable, says former UN Special Rapporteur Leilani Farha – and it will take a radical shift to treat housing as a human right, not a privilege.
23 Sep 2025 Nicholas Wroe
Illustration of six houses suspended in the air, each attached to thick yellow ropes that intertwine and connect at the center, forming a web-like structure against a white background.
RSA NextGen

RSA NextGen: Anna Merchuk

Anna Merchuk, the co-founder of refugee charity, Nadiya, and would-be actress tells us about her ambitions, passions and inspirations.
23 Sep 2025
Portrait of a young woman with wavy blonde hair, smiling softly in front of a colorful abstract background. Text around the border reads "RSAJOURNAL" and "ANNA MERCHUK.
Feature

How feminist urban design is shaping a fairer Glasgow

What happens when cities are built for some but not all? A feminist town-planning movement in Glasgow is challenging urban inequality and building a landscape where everyone can belong
9 Jul 2025 Holly Bruce
Two stylized female symbols made from layered paper, each depicting a cityscape with buildings, trees, roads, and a central bridge. The left background is dark blue, the right is light blue, both bordered in pink.
Online

How we let Grenfell happen

Journalist Peter Apps explores the devastating tragedy of Grenfell Tower five years on. What caused the disaster and what kind of housing policy reform is most needed now to ensure it never happens again?
17 Nov 2022
A high-rise building with a charred exterior, indicating fire damage, stands in a cityscape with numerous buildings and trees around. The sky is clear, and the urban area extends into the distance.
Online

Tenants – living through a housing crisis

Examining history, politics and deeply personal stories, journalist Vicky Spratt traces the policy decisions that have created a housing emergency and offers a new route forward for supporting tenants in Britain.
19 May 2022
A tall apartment building with numerous windows stands against a clear blue sky. Fluffy white clouds are visible to the left of the building.
Comment

The power of piggybacking

To enrich our world we need big government spending, but we also need to use what we already have. Zografia Bika and Adrian Gaskell explain how an army of Italian grandmothers showed the way.
27 Apr 2023 Zografia Bika, Adrian Gaskell
A cobblestone path leads to a mix of old and modern buildings. On the left, there are red brick buildings with chimneys and adjacent trees. To the right, contemporary multi-story structures rise against a blue sky with clouds.
Feature

Hometown Glory

One Fellow’s place-based approach to creating change in her hometown of Chesterfield
6 Apr 2023 Clare Gage
Aerial view of a large stone church with a tall spire in a town. Surrounding buildings and roads are visible, set against a backdrop of lush greenery and hills under a cloudy sky.
Feature

Belonging

What does it take to transform a neighbourhood into a community?
5 Apr 2023 Nicola Bacon
A floating island shaped like a pair of brown shoes hosts a scenic park with lush trees, a playground, and people walking and socializing. The background is a gradient of light blue.