ABOUT BOOK

The home and family have always been mutually embedded, with ~the former central to the realization and reproduction of the latter. ~More recently, this mutuality has taken on a more critical salience as ~realignments in housing markets, employment and welfare states in ~many countries have worked together to undermine housing access ~for new households. In this context, families have become increasingly ~involved in smoothening the routes of young adults members up ~the ‘housing ladder’ into home ownership. Intergenerational support ~appears to have become much more widespread and not just confi ned ~to familialistic welfare regimes. The role of intergenerational support ~for housing remains, however, highly diff erentiated across countries, ~cities and regions, as well as uneven between social and income ~classes. This introduction to the Special Issue explores how the role ~of housing wealth transfers has impacted the renegotiation of the ~generational contract. In doing so, it sets the scene for the articles ~that follow, each of which contribute signifi cantly to advancing ~understanding of housing as a key driver of contemporary social ~relations and inequalities.