Significant sociospatial changes have recently taken place within the British council housing sector. In this paper the evolution of life-cycle patterns on Birmingham council estates between 1971 and 1981 is investigated. An analysis of household life-cycle characteristics on 10 representative study estates is carried out using relevant census data. A more detailed examination of change within one of these estates is also conducted. Although household ageing in situ is identified as the primary process, the findings also indicate notable decreases in families with children on those inner-city and suburban estates whose dwelling stocks include high proportions of flats. Such decreases are consistent with recent shifts in local authority policies of housing allocation.
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