Convenor: Darren Smith (Loughborough University) 

The rural dimensions of the contemporary ‘housing crisis’ in the UK are arguably under-stated in national media and political discourses, despite commentators raising serious concerns of rural housing affordability and exclusion (e.g. Colomb and Gallent, 2022; Korden and Naumann, 2024; Shucksmith, 2025; Woods, 2025). Over the last decade, the unaffordability of rural housing for many local social groups has been exacerbated by processes of rural gentrification (Sherman, 2023); increasing second/multiple home ownership (Gallent et al., 2023 ); the proliferation of short-term rentals, including AirBnBs and holiday lets, and; the rising availability of agricultural properties for conversion to residential housing (as farms increasingly wind-down due to harsh economic conditions) (Franks, 2022). The predilection for rural living has also been intensified by opportunities for affluent groups to counterurbanise and work-from-home, and reduce commuting (Wilson et al., 2025). At the same time, state-led pressures for more new-build housing have led to many rural spaces on the fringes of metropolitan, provincial and small market towns, as well as villages and hamlets, being transformed. Although this may provide an opportunity to provide more affordable housing, these new estates often comprise relatively high cost, exclusive housing, with limited proportions of ‘affordable housing’. 

These processes of rural change are giving rise to widening social inequalities between and within many rural places in the UK, which is also having a cascading impact on the supply and demand for rural services, such as pubs, post offices, health centres and retail. In this session, we seek papers that connect with the broad issue of rural housing and social inequalities, and which examine factors and outcomes associated with growing inequalities in rural housing markets and rural places. 

For consideration, please send a title, 250-word abstract, and your full contact details and affiliations to Darren Smith (d.p.smith@lboro.ac.uk) by Monday 23rd February.

References 

Colomb, C., & Gallent, N. (2022). Post-COVID-19 mobilities and the housing crisis in European urban and rural destinations. Policy challenges and research agenda. Planning Practice & Research, 37(5), 624-641. 

Franks, J. R. (2022). UK Agriculture at a Crossroads. Outlook on Agriculture, 51(4), 448-459. 

Gallent, N., Stirling, P., & Hamiduddin, I. (2023). Pandemic mobility, second homes and housing market change in a rural amenity area during COVID-19–The Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. Progress in Planning, 172, 100731. 

Kordel, S., & Naumann, M. (2024). The rural housing crisis: analytical dimensions and emblematic issues. Housing Studies, 39(12), 3029-3046. 

Sherman, J. (2023). “Please don’t take this”: Rural gentrification, symbolic capital, and housing insecurity. Social Problems, 70(2), 491-510. 

Shucksmith, M. (2025). The exclusive countryside post‐pandemic. The Geographical Journal, 191(4), e12524. 

Wilson, R., Noble, C., & Currie, M. (2025). The changing rural idyll and the ideal migrant: The case of Scotland during COVID-19. Journal of Rural Studies, 114, 103497. 

Woods, M. (2025). Rural recovery or rural spatial justice? Responding to multiple crises for the British countryside. The geographical journal, 191(4), e12541.