In October 1999 the Housing Corporation, as part of its commitment to support the strategic thinking and planning of RSLs, brought together a group of senior managers to think about the future. Housing Futures was a one-day event designed to explore the direction of social housing over the next five to seven years. It involved some 60 participants, selected from across the social housing sector. They were asked to work together in groups representing the key stakeholder interests to develop strategic responses to scenarios for the years 2000, 2003 and 2007. These scenarios were prepared by the Office for Public Management and Professor Christine Whitehead of the London School of Economics.

The scenarios were not intended to be entirely accurate predictions nor to represent the 'most probable' future. However, they were based on plausible policy directions and economic scenarios. They enabled exploration and explanation of the preferred strategic choices of different players. This led to an increased understanding of the interactions between those choices.

In reality, the extent to which players can pursue their preferred strategy depends on events, and their ability to negotiate and shape the world around them. Nevertheless, the issues that emerged offer significant insights that should help in the planning of 'real' strategy in the field of social housing.

The full report is available free of charge from the Publications Unit publications@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk (telephone 020 7393 2228)