The Privatisation of the Gorbals. A Scottish Housing Association's Path to Inner City Regeneration

The neighbourhood of Gorbals, Glasgow, has undergone significant changes in its urban morphology, architecture, demographics, and property ownership during the past two centuries. Three large-scale clearances have seen the area transition from densely populated 19th century stone tenement blocks to modernist high-rise estates and most recently, to post-modernist open tenement blocks accompanied by terraced housing. The initial clearances aimed at addressing overcrowding and deprivation by forcibly relocating a substantial portion of the local population, reducing it by up to 90% over sixty years. In contrast, the latest urban regeneration effort seeks to restore Gorbals by privatizing two-thirds of the new urban developments, Crown Street and Laurieston Living. This involves rehousing the few remaining existing residents within the area and reverting to architecture and urban forms inspired by tradition. This thesis explores the pivotal role played by the community-based charity New Gorbals Housing Association, responsible for social housing development and maintenance in Gorbals since 1989. By shifting the responsibility for social housing provision and transferring social housing stocks from local municipalities as well as constraining funding options, central government has effectively circumvented Glasgow City Council. This has put New Gorbals Housing Association into a pivotal role in the privatisation and development of Gorbals through public-private partnerships. The prevailing narrative of social and economic deprivation surrounding Gorbals has contributed to the acceptance of privatization.