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Book review of "Broken Cities: Inside the global housing crisis" by Deborah Potts

Broken Cities: Inside the Global Housing Crisis by Deborah Potts takes readers on a deep dive into the complex, multifaceted nature of the global housing crisis. Potts examines how urban development, migration, economic inequality, and political decisions have all contributed to the struggles facing cities around the world, highlighting issues like housing affordability and housing insecurity.


The book is structured in a way that allows readers to explore both global and local perspectives on the issue. Potts provides case studies from different regions, offering a comprehensive look at how various factors—from skyrocketing rent prices to the rise of informal settlements—are reshaping the urban landscape.


There is no singular solution to the global housing crisis

Potts also delves into the human side of the housing crisis, illustrating how housing insecurity affects people's lives, from the dislocation of communities to the psychological toll of living in inadequate conditions. Her exploration of informal housing and slums is particularly enlightening, showcasing how these areas often become overlooked or stigmatized while playing a critical role in absorbing the pressures of urbanization. The book highlights how migration and the rapid expansion of cities exacerbate housing affordability challenges.

While Potts’ analysis is thorough, the book doesn’t offer easy solutions to the crisis. Instead, it encourages readers to think critically about the systems that perpetuate inequality in urban housing. It highlights the need for long-term, systemic change—whether in housing policy, economic structures, or social attitudes toward housing as a human right. The main argument in the book is truly that the housing market and its stakeholder cannot solve this crisis. Similarly to the saying "the master's tools cannot dismantle the master's house". For any tangible change that will solve the crisis for the people it affects salaries must get higher and the government must have more allocated housing and funding. Regulations won't take us back to before the world became so unaffordable, only an overhaul of the beneficiaries of the housing market and the rental market as it stands today.


Addressing the crisis

In conclusion, Broken Cities is highly relevant to today’s ongoing housing crisis, especially as cities continue to grow and inequality remains a major challenge. Potts’ book provides valuable insight into the interconnected forces that shape housing markets worldwide. As housing affordability becomes an increasingly pressing issue, Potts’ examination of these global trends serves as a timely reminder that addressing the crisis will require a comprehensive and collaborative approach across various sectors, including real estate, urban development, and housing reform.



Book cover of the book Broken Cities: Inside the Global Housing Crisis by Deborah Potts
Book cover of Broken Cities by Deborah Potts

We would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in getting a very comprehensive background to the global housing crisis and learn partly of the history and factor which played a big part in getting us to the point today. It may give you the information you need to start implementing change or lobbying for the fall of the housing and rental market as we know it today.


You can find a copy of "Broken Cities" by Deborah Potts in our web shop via the link below.




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