Dawn Cole

MA Urban Regeneration, University of Manchester, 2005-2007.

BA (Hons) Modern History, University of Oxford, 1988 - 1991.

Housekeeping Biographies and the Construction of 'Liveable' Places.

Supervisors: Kevin Ward and Mark Jayne.

The social reproduction of everyday life.

How individuals make sense of their surroundings to construct a sense of place.

Social change and the impact on urban space.

The operation of local education markets.

Urban regeneration policy and implementation.

What constitutes a socially sustainable housing 'market'? How should our understanding of housing markets be extended beyond a purely rational economic model to incorporate an appreciation of how they also exist as socially constructed and performed entities? How does our understanding of housing markets change if we recognise the extent to which they overlap and intertwine with other markets, such as those for labour, education or care? What happens to understanding of housing demand and supply if the inner workings of the household are opened up for analysis? The key objective of this research is to understand how a sustainable housing market is constructed; to appreciate how it is represented in the minds of (potential) residents; how the household unit arrives at a mutually agreeable conclusion about where is the 'right' place to live; and how this decision is subject to temporal and social specificities.

Based on a case study of an inner residential suburb of Manchester, the research first of all explores, through a series of semi-structured interviews with local service providers (including estate agents, retail proprietors and local authority officers), how external agents, consciously or unconsciously, go about creating distinctive sense of place for the neighbourhood. Following this further semi-structured interviews and focus groups with local residents then investigate how these and other images of the locality are deciphered, arranged and traded by households as they construct a sense of place. In recognition of the fact that this is a dynamic process the research will particularly focus on how changing gender roles and working practices have impacted on the decisions people make about where to live.

Funding

Part funded by Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder.

Current employment

Management Accountant - Creative Support Ltd.

Previous employment

Finance and Performance Manager - Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder.

Corporate Performance Manager - South Ribble Borough Council.