Neoliberal paradigms and the privatisation of housing have recently been confronted with social movements in many large European metropolises. The political and social need for more participation in housing, for new forms of urban land politics and for specific and powerful rental regulation is obvious. The special book section analyses these dimensions of housing and housing politics in a comparative European perspective and discusses new policy approaches for urban housing. Furthermore, the Jahrbuch StadtRegionoffers scientific articles and reports, as well as a monitoring section and book reviews related to interdisciplinary urban research and planning issues.

Rainer Wehrhahn is professor of urban geography and population and migration studies at Kiel University. Jörg Pohlan is professor of urban development and quantitative methods of urban and regional research at the HafenCity University, Hamburg. Christine Hannemann is professor of architectural and housing sociology at the University of Stuttgart. Frank Othengrafen is assistant professor in regional planning and governance at Leibniz Universität Hannover. Brigitta Schmidt-Lauber is professor of European Ethnology at the University of Vienna.