The Scottish Government commissioned CCHPR to write a literature review on the subject of the social and economic impact of housing.
The current downturn and tighter fiscal environment have highlighted the need to develop a better understanding of the links between the housing sector and the Scottish economy, in order to ensure that housing policy development is properly aligned with the Scottish Government's overall purpose of supporting sustainable economic growth. it is also important to ensure public sector housing investment decisions maximise their contribution to this purpose. In terms of the links between housing and the economy, the review explores the links from housing investment on the one hand and housing more widely i.e. what are the economic impacts of the monies invested in affordable housing (direct) and what are the subsequent economic impacts thereafter (indirect). Alongside this economic analysis the report considers the social impact, and associated social benefits, of current public sector housing investment activity and how this can be maximised.