The Challenges of Housing in Govanhill, Glasgow

Govanhill is a densely populated multi‑ethnic working‑class neighbourhood located in the south side of the City of Glasgow, currently home to about 18,000 people, including the largest Roma population in Scotland and a large Pakistani community. Govanhill is arguably one of the best‑preserved Victorian neighbourhoods in Glasgow, but it is also home to a significant number of squalid tenement houses. Considering the very specific nature of the neighbourhood’s urban fabric and the significant contribution of Govanhill Housing Association, this paper delves into the neighbourhood’s housing issues in relation to its historic environment and Scotland’s major shifts in housing policy over the last 30 years or so through two main lenses: the specificities of tenemental housing and the community-based housing association’s critical role in providing social rented housing and transforming the neighbourhood.