homefolk
Frustrated as a student about how terrible housing provision in our city can be? Feeling fed up with extortionate, unaffordable rent? Angry about the climate crisis, loneliness and mental health epidemic but without a clear direction for how to solve everything in an intersectional way? Do you want to be part of the change in London's housing crisis?
Idea for research
Idea for research
A strategic research project exploring land use, planning frameworks, and spatial opportunities for the implementation of tiny-home villages in urban & sub-urban environments. Student researchers with background planning literacy and GIS tools will conduct desktop research, policy analysis, and spatial feasibility mapping. The project will identify potential land parcels using open GIS datasets and evaluate feasibility against planning policy, land ownership structures, and environmental constraints.

Existing data:
- Existing notes and research on ‘site strategy’.
- Previous conversations with planners and councils.
- Early sketches of site-strategy concepts.

Suggestions for data collection:
- GIS analysis of potential sites using open datasets (land use, constraints, accessibility).
- Review of planning frameworks and relevant council policies (eg. CLH champion authorities, novel architecture track record).
- Interviews with planners, land officers, and housing leads.
- Spatial scoring matrix for evaluating site suitability.
Impact of idea
- Identify realistic potential locations for tiny-home villages.
- Produce a spatial-strategy toolkit and policy briefing for local authorities.
- Improve volunteers’ understanding of planning systems and spatial data.
- Strengthen the evidence base needed to progress conversations with councils and policymakers.
- Equip homefolk with a scalable pathway beyond a one-off pilot.

If you have any existing data or information you would like included in a project, please tell us what kind of data these are

Application process
Application criteria
Our research proposal has been developed alongside UCL SU by and for our community rather than just ‘about it’ - our community being ‘Generation Rent’... aged between 18-35 & without prospect of buying a home in areas we live and work.

Youth who identify themselves as affected by the housing crisis will be principal investigators in shaping homefolk’s research analysis and methods, through experiential qualification alongside more formal/academic research. We’d also like to advertise & select volunteers to this program to ensure those with intersecting unaddressed needs (accessibility, protected characteristics or vulnerable groups) are prioritised as our investigators.

Engaging “Generation Rent” directly ensures our model reflects lived priorities — from affordability and security, to wellbeing and community life. This approach also empowers young people, builds networks, and strengthens the legitimacy of our proposals with policymakers and funders.

homefolk & No Burnout Culture
homefolk CIC are committed to a supportive, no-burnout research culture. Student researchers will ideally work in pairs or small groups, sharing tasks, reflecting together, and collaborating rather than individualised pressure.

We warmly welcome applications from friends or course-mates who wish to pair up, and we will also organise research groupings for those applying individually, aiming that everyone has a buddy and feels included.

Our aim is to create a research environment that is social, caring, and mutually encouraging — a space where learning is shared and wellbeing comes first.
Is this project fully accessible to students with the disabilities?
Yes
Disabilities information
Yes – digital participation options will be offered; workshops should be will be in accessible spaces; materials will be in easy-read formats where needed.

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