ABSTRACT
The reframing of multiculturalism that has characterised the first decade of the 2000s from a prescription for state policy to a description of a diverse society has triggered in Britain policy developments. Housing in Britain during much of the twentieth century was characterised by a continued, though uneven, expansion of both owner occupation and social housing, the expansion of social housing was reversed by the 1980 Housing Act. The housing patterns evidenced both a significant ethnic minority suburban growth and a growing ethnic minority concentration in private and social rented housing. Southtown is a town of just under 100,000 inhabitants. Developed during the mid- to late-nineteenth century. Accordingly, the housing choice, initially born out of economic necessity, is re-framed as a residential preference by the younger generation. In Simon's words, all sorts of people moved on to the estate', and it was generally acknowledged, by residents, local politicians and housing officers.
