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The emergence of a Build to Rent model: The role of narratives and discourses

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  • Frances Brill
  • Daniel Durrant

Abstract

This paper analyses ‘Build to Rent’ (BTR), a new form of tenure in London’s housing market. We examine the ways in which private and public sector actors have shaped the context of BTR’s emergence, and developed a model for delivery in London. We argue they relied on and constructed narratives of negativity about the private rental sector, which were juxtaposed with their product to position BTR as a solution to part of London’s housing crisis. Building on this, and leveraging an emerging but supportive institutional context, real estate professionals have adapted a US model to the UK. We argue that both the narrative-generating activities and the model development reveal tensions, which help theorise the ways new models of financing housing emerge.

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  • Frances Brill & Daniel Durrant, 2021. "The emergence of a Build to Rent model: The role of narratives and discourses," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(5), pages 1140-1157, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:53:y:2021:i:5:p:1140-1157
    DOI: 10.1177/0308518X20969417
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Raco, Mike & Ward, Callum & Brill, Frances & Sanderson, Danielle & Freire-Trigo, Sonia & Ferm, Jess & Hamiduddin, Iqbal & Livingstone, Nicola, 2022. "Towards a virtual statecraft: housing targets and the governance of urban housing markets," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114315, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Frances Brill, 2022. "Governing investors and developers: Analysing the role of risk allocation in urban development," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(7), pages 1499-1517, May.

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