Example housing dissertation topic 2:

A social history of housing conditions in the ‘hutments’ of Britain after the Second World War.

Faced with an acute housing shortage as a consequence of war-time damage, an almost total stoppage in construction during the war, and the demographic realities of returning service men, earlier ages of marriage and a resultant baby boom, this dissertation looks at an aspect of social housing within England that is often overlooked. In the years between 1945 and 1951 (later in some parts of the country), former slum dwellers and returning servicemen and their families were relocated into prefabricated Nissen huts situated in the plethora of temporary army bases that had been constructed during the war. Services were, contemporary accounts suggest, below basic, with few amenities, even less privacy and an almost total lack of services. Using both primary and secondary sources this dissertation provides an insight into the planning decisions that led to the conversion of army huts – or ‘hutments’ as some local authorities coined – into accommodation for periods of up to six years as well as providing a social commentary of the nature of living within them.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Ministry of Health (1945). Temporary housing programme. Cmd. 6686. London: HMSO.
• Vale, B. (1995). Prefabs: The history of the UK temporary housing programme. London: Routledge.
• Women’s Group on Public Welfare (1951). ‘The effect of the design of the temporary prefabricated bungalow on household routine’. Sociological Review, vol. 43, pp. 17-48