What is your project title?

Cold, Damp and Governance: The Persistence of Unhealthy Condition in Wales’s Pre-1919 Housing.

Tell me about yourself:

I am a Research Assistant at Cardiff University, Branch Consultant for IHBC Wales and research volunteer with CADW. I am also a co-organiser of the conference for the Association of Heritage Interpretation and a committee member of ICOMOS-UK. My research explores housing conditions, governance, and heritage interpretation to enhance public understanding of the built environment.

Tell me about your project:

Cold, damp, and poor ventilation remain common problems in many pre-1919 homes in Wales despite decades of housing policies, technical guidance, and investment. This project investigates why these unhealthy conditions persist and how decisions about housing improvement are shaped by competing priorities, including public health, energy efficiency, heritage conservation, and affordability. Focusing on historic Welsh neighbourhoods, the research combines archival research, spatial analysis, and interviews with housing and built-environment professionals to explore how policies are interpreted and implemented in practice. By examining the relationship between governance, housing conditions, and the historic built environment, the project aims to identify barriers to effective intervention and support more sustainable approaches to improving the health and performance of existing housing stock