Why is there social housing in luxury areas?

[john]

Areas that are "nice", as you put it, are highly profitable for those who acquire land and build dwellings, because they are capitalising on the inputs and care that topography and previous craftspeople, councils and occupiers have bestowed upon the area. Many occupants will have inherited homes there, so you should not make assumptions about the character of residents from land values or house prices, or the number of fine trees visible there. Clearly where prices are now relatively high, the need for some social housing is greater. When homes were built in the Victorian and Edwardian age they often incorporated rooms for servants. Now that we have realised the social and humanitarian benefits of not living within premises controlled by your employer ("tied cottage syndrome"), there is a much greater need for neighbourhoods to be configured for a wide mix of talents, age groups and personalities. In the language of a sociologist, stratified or segregated communities fail to satisfy our future needs. Incidentally, many attractive neighbourhoods evolved in the south west quarters of cities simply because prevailing winds blew smoke away from them. Now that we have tackled industrial pollution for some 60 years, surely we should try to re-balance our cities somewhat, but clearly we should nurture and safeguard the best features of ALL localities, regardless of whether they are perceived as "desirable" by influential sub-cultures. The alternative would be to aggregate wealth and concentrate poverty. The tragedy of affordable housing in the UK is that its geographic distribution is decided largely "behind closed doors" in the Housing Corporation, but this will soon be wound-up. Every neighbourhood has good features - its just that some are easier to spot than others. Areas with a history of deprivation often have stronger social networks and a bedrock of voluntary organisations than places that look privileged! Don't be deceived by appearances or land value variations into thinking some places are inherently nicer over long periods.