Published by the Word Bank in 2019, copies are now available from Thirsty Books

The Housing, Town Planning, etc Act 1919, and its Scottish counterpart known as the Housing, Town Planning, etc (Scotland) Act 1919, was an important turning point in the history of British housing policy and social housing provision. The passage of this legislation was a direct response to the widespread popular support for the building of “Homes Fit for Heroes” during the closing stages of WW1. Both the standard of accommodation and the physical character of the envisaged dwellings were strongly influenced by the theory and practice of the nascent Garden City movement.

Scotland’s Homes Fit for Heroes is a major contribution to the historical literature on early 20th Century housing reform and town planning in Scotland. Against the background of an indigenous tenement tradition, and the early development of the mainstream garden city movement, the book provides a broad overview of the key influences of garden city principles in Scotland, highlighting their impact on the built form of working class housing and the general pattern of urban expansion.

The work is based on a wide-ranging review of official documents and contemporary reports, along with insights gained from site visits to various locations across Scotland. Although no full-scale garden cities were actually built in Scotland between 1900 and 1939, the promotion of garden city ideas generated a lively debate about the relative advantages of cottages versus tenements for working class families. Before the outbreak of WW1, innovative cottage developments began to appear in the Scottish landscape, sponsored by a handful of progressive voluntary bodies and local authorities. This type of provision increased during WW1 through a variety of efforts to construct suitable accommodation for incoming defence workers.

After the war, a more concerted attempt was made to deliver garden city style cottages under the newly-enacted Housing and Town Planning (Scotland) Act of 1919. In difficult economic circumstances, Scottish local authorities managed to build 25,000 houses throughout the country and voluntary bodies produced another 500. Although these outputs were seen to be disappointing in quantitative terms, the general standard of accommodation was highly impressive in terms of quality. Virtually all of the 1919 Act housing has been well cared for over the years, and the best developments have become symbols of the aims and achievements of the ‘Homes Fit for Heroes’ campaign for better living conditions.

Foreword by Richard Rodger, Professor of Economic and Social History, University of Edinburgh

‘At a time when UK governments are desperately floundering in their attempts to develop workable housing and planning policies, we can learn from history… that careful planning, and a concern for quality in housing, turn out to be exceedingly worthwhile investments.’
- Rob Cowan, Institute of Historic Building Conservation

‘For the first time we have a convincing explanation as to how the tenement form mutated into the distinctive council housing of Scotland in the inter-war years.’
- Richard Rodger, Professor of Economic & Social History, University of Edinburgh

‘This book should be read by any serious student of Scotland’s built environment...’
- David Ross, Sunday Herald

‘...a very valuable contribution to our understanding of the evolution of working class housing provision in Scotland in the early part of the 20th century. It is meticulously researched, well written, attractively laid out and generously illustrated with photographs, plans and period artwork.’
- Built Environment Forum Scotland

Lou Rosenburg is an honorary fellow based at the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies, University of Edinburgh. He is the co-author of two previous books, Renewing Old Edinburgh: The Enduring Legacy of Patrick Geddes (Argyll Publishing, 2010) with Jim Johnson, and Urban Housing Policy (APS Publications, 1975) with William G. Grigsby