Hannah and Stephen meet up with a long-standing friend and colleague to discuss ways in which our concept of home is shaped by social, economic and political forces. We explore how the idea of home shifted in the popular imagination over the course of the last century. Has 'home' now become synonymous with 'capital asset'? If homes are really our most intimate, emotional spaces, why would we want to put them under the hammer? Has the market finally found a way to monetise our inner lives and our most private experiences and choices?

Alison is past President of the Chartered Institute of Housing. She currently Chair of TPAS, the social housing engagement experts and Co-founder of SHOUT, the social housing campaign group. She describes herself as a housing enthusiast who is hard to pigeonhole. We wholeheartedly agree!

Today's obscure cultural reference from Stephen is to a Ben Okri story which touches his experiences during the 1960s regeneration of inner London. From: Okri, B (1993), Incidents at the Shrine. Despite voiciferous protestations, Hannah succeeds in brinding Michel Foucault into the debate.

Hannah once again promises to oil her squeaky desk, and is pleased to announce that the WD-40 has finally made it from her online basket to the checkout. In spite of our best endeavours to ensure the best possible recording quality, a diesel locomotive mysteriously appears in the studio.

Dr James Gregory joins Stephen and Hannah to discuss the concept of wellbeing and the relationship between wellbeing and housing tenure. Owner-occupiers, private tenants, and social tenants experience different levels of wellbeing and contentment in relation to their homes. Why might that be, and how can the differences be explained? What is making it difficult for people in all tenures to sustain a stable and satisfying sense of home?

Our discussion is based around ideas and research findings from James's excellent and highly recommended book:
Gregory, J, (2022) Social Housing, Wellbeing and Welfare.

James first trained as a political philosopher at the London School of Economics, before moving into think-tank work, starting at the Fabian Society. It was here that he developed a long-standing interest in housing and urban development, ultimately leading to nearly two decades of empirical research experience. He has maintained an active engagement with the concepts and principles of political and moral philosophy, and often applies these to contemporary social policy issues. Over the last few years, the focus of James's work has been the relationship between housing, social policy, and wellbeing. His current research continues this theme, whilst also exploring the wider circumstances of the Millennial generation, compared to Baby Boomers and Generation Z.

Reading recommendations from James:

1. For a shorter account of the politics of homeownership in Britain, I recommend my own paper, on Property Owning Democracy: Gregory, J., 2016. How not to be an egalitarian: The politics of homeownership and property-owning democracy. International Journal of Housing Policy, 16(3), pp.337-356.
2. For a wider discussion of ownership and ideology, it is worth looking at Richard Ronald: Ronald, R., 2008. The ideology of home ownership: Homeowner societies and the role of housing. Springer.
3. For ‘live’ discussion of housing policy and politics, I recommend Jules Birch’s blog: https://julesbirch.com/

Why do some buildings feel unnerving, unsettling or just somehow wrong? Is it the location, the design, the geometry, or are there other forces at work? Why are we spooked by a house that doesn't feel like a home? What do the conventions and tropes of horror fiction and horror films reveal about our deepest anxieties about home? Why are we spooked by the echoes of former occupation in abandoned buildings? Is Birmingham city centre haunted by the ghost of Telly Savalas?

To discuss these and many other questions, Stephen and Hannah meet up with the wonderful Leila Taylor to discuss ideas from Leila's excellent book - Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread.

Leila (she/they) is a Brooklyn-based writer, speaker, and designer whose work focuses on the intersection of history, horror and the gothic in contemporary art, media, and culture. Author of Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread and Darkly: Black History and America’s Gothic Soul, her work has appeared in Lapham’s Quarterly, The Repeater Book of the Occult, Us: The Complete Annotated Screenplay, and the graphic novel Bitter Root. She’s given talks on the eerie and the esoteric for the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, Morbid Anatomy, The International Gothic Association, The Collective for Radical Death Studies, and The Occult Humanities Conference. By day, she is the Creative Director for Brooklyn Public Library.

You can find out more about Leila's work on Bluesky and Instagram.

Works referenced in this podcast:
Taylor, L. (2025), Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread.
Pliny the Younger, Epistulae (Letters), Book VII, Letter 27.
Anson, J. (1977), The Amityville Horror.
Antosca, N., & Zion, L (Creators), (2021), Brand New Cherry Flavor [TV series].
Lowery, D. (Director), (2017), A Ghost Story [Film].
Soderbergh, S. (Director), (2024), Presence [Film].
Kiersch, F. (Director), (1984). Children of the Corn [Film].
Lanthimos, Y. (Director), (2009), Dogtooth [Film].
Golden, C. (2023), “The Importance of a Tidy Home” in Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology, ed. Ellen Datlow
Haynes, T. (Director), (1987), Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story [Film].
Baim, H. (Director) (1981), Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham