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A Review of “The politics of social housing in Britain” by Jamileh Manoochehri

and, finally, five qualities of a good community design. Although written clearly, these properties and qualities are too general and there are some serious overlaps and contradictions between them. It also remains unclear how this contributes to the already existing literature. In the last chapter, however, Brower takes a few of the contradictions between the aforementioned properties and qualities and elaborates on them in three small studies on neighborhood stores, mixed-income housing (HOPE VI) projects, and participatory planning in a Baltimore park. These three case studies are interesting and show much more analytical depth than the cases discussed in earlier chapters. All in all, here is a book that is highly accessible and easy to follow. The descriptions of the historic origins of planned communities are informative and interesting. For readers interested in these aspects, I can truly recommend the book. Nevertheless, most readers will, after finishing it, remain troubled by two questions: First, “what is new?,” and second, “what is the added value of the book?” As mentioned in the beginning of this review, Brower seems to intend this book primarily as a record of his own exploration of the connection between design, housing, and community, inviting the reader to join him on this intellectual journey. While this is a sympathetic starting point when aiming for a wide (albeit undefined) audience, a more elaborate academic problem statement, research questions, aim, and recapitulation by thorough conclusions would have helped to establish what this book actually contributes to the field. It is left to the reader himself or herself to connect the insights offered in this book to the general state of knowledge with regard to the relations between design, neighborhood, and community. In a time in which scientific knowledge dissemination is increasingly conducted through journal papers, internet-based sources and (social) media instead of paperback books, this is not a strong recommendation.