Example housing dissertation topic 8:

A critique of the housing reforms of John Prescott with especial reference to building homes upon flood-plains in Norfolk and the Thames Gateway.

A little over a decade has passed since the housing reforms ushered in by John Prescott enabled more homes to be built upon flood-plains within the south of England. In the meantime, the country has witnessed some of its wettest years on record with insurance claims following flooding reaching an all-time high. Concentrating on Norfolk and Lincolnshire this dissertation evaluates the successes and failures of Prescott’s housing policy and queries whether the time has now come to prohibit all further development upon floodplains. A dissertation that would ideally suit someone who has an interest in furthering a career that combines both housing and town planning. This study would also benefit from the undertaking of primary interviews with builders, planners, and residents.

• Allmendinger, P. and Tewdwr-Jones, M. (2000). ‘New Labour, new planning? The trajectory of planning in Blair’s Britain’. Urban Studies, vol. 38(8), pp. 1379-1402.
• Nicolaou, L. and Chaplin, S. (2010). ‘The Thames Gateway’. In, Punter, J. (ed.), Urban design and the British urban renaissance. London: Routledge, pp. 224-241.
• Raco, M. and Henderson, S. (2006). ‘Sustainable urban planning and the brownfield development process in the United Kingdom: Lessons from the Thames Gateway’. Local Environment, vol. 11(5), pp. 499-513.