The financialisation of Purpose Built Student Accommodation: Transforming landscapes of the city, housing, and student lives in Dublin

Alice Reynolds

Research output: ThesisDoctoral Thesis

93 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This thesis advances understandings of rental market financialisation through the example of Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) in Dublin. Due to a favourable environment for institutional investors, including a significant undersupply of student accommodation, Dublin has seen the construction of for-profit PBSA, and rent increases, skyrocket. This is occurring in the context of an acute housing crisis in Dublin, characterised by an undersupply of housing, unaffordability, and homelessness. This research is positioned at the intersection of, and bridges the gap between, scholarship on the financialisation of housing and student geographies. Financialisation has extended traditional conceptualisations of studentification through the emergence of a ‘luxury’ student accommodation market. This thesis presents the transformation of Dublin’s student accommodation landscape through processes of financialisation, the consequences for students’ right to housing, and how financialisation has been contested. Methodologically, data presented was collected between 2019-22 via semi-structured interviews and focus groups with students, interviews with key stakeholders, observations, and secondary sources. This thesis provides some of the first scholarship to date on the Irish student housing landscape. The first empirical chapter explores the central role of financial actors in reshaping the student accommodation landscape in Dublin, supported by the role of the state as a facilitator and enabler of financialisation. The second empirical chapter centres the student voice by exploring the consequences of financialisation on students’ access to housing, illustrating students frequently experience ‘chaotic’ housing pathways, characterised by instability and precarity. The final empirical chapter presents the active role of students in contesting financialisation and examines the transformative potential of housing movements. The research shows that students are a powerful force who possess persistent agency and political savvy.
However, achieving a radical right to housing for students requires fundamental changes to existing provision. The thesis concludes by discussing alternatives and presenting recommendations for policy and practice. As the financialisation of housing continues at pace around the world, important considerations are presented for the future planning of our housing systems.
Original languageEnglish
QualificationPh.D.
Awarding Institution
  • Royal Holloway, University of London
Supervisors/Advisors
  • Brickell, Katherine, Supervisor
  • Mould, Oli, Advisor
Thesis sponsors
Award date1 Feb 2024
Publication statusUnpublished - 2024

Keywords

  • Dublin
  • financialisation
  • higher education
  • housing
  • housing movements
  • right to housing
  • students
  • student accommodation

Cite this