Editorial

Citation

Reed, R. (2008), "Editorial", International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Vol. 1 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhma.2008.35101caa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Volume 1, Issue 3.

Launching a new journal is not easy task. This process takes many years where the initial conception commences with a blank sheet and much later the first issue is eventually published. In a similar manner to a higher research thesis the success or failure is not known until the final product has been produced after an extended period of time. In the case of a new journal it is not until the first issue is read and feedback received that there are any indications of how well the proposed journal has been received. It can now be reported that, as anticipated, this journal has been exceptionally well received by the readership as well as submitting authors and the international property market at large. This judgement can be made with reference to the large number of quality submissions, the overall interest in the journal (from a reader's perspective) and also a quickly established rejection rate in order to preserve the quality.

In a very short space of time the International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis has been able to publish a cross-section of papers addressing a broad range of issues in an equally diversified number of countries. For example in this third issue there are six countries represented: Australia, China, Finland, Malaysia, Sweden and USA. In addition each paper covers a wide range of housing-related topics and each is co-complementary to the other. The paper on the Australian market examines urban issues in Brisbane with the focus placed on two case studies. The findings provide a unique insight into a western city in a state of transition from a town to a city format, especially after hosting Expo 1988. The paper from China closely examines housing affordability in Beijing; at a time when housing affordability is now a major issue in most western societies, this paper is very timely and presents a rare insight into the complications in a society that is undergoing an economic transition.

The paper on Finland was co-authored by Finnish and Australian researchers and analysed the communicative action that occurs in the planning and development processes. It placed the attention on the customer and how they are communicated with for planned residential developments. The Malaysian paper on research into “choice criteria” involved a detailed survey of nearly 150 bank customers with regards to their decision criteria for home financing. Whilst the findings provide an invaluable insight into the choice criteria for this country, it also highlights the diverse nature of international housing markets and the important influence that religion can have on the housing decision. Following the planning theme in the paper on Finland, the links between planning and housing were again evident in the Swedish paper. Attention was placed on the role of housing developers and their perception of the planning process.

The paper from the USA is an ideal contribution to this issue and truly completes the international debate on housing. This paper examined the relationship between heritage designation in an area and local housing values, although importantly was able to accurately quantify the influence on housing values. As editor I am increasingly pleased to be able to co-ordinate and deliver such high class research into international housing markets. I encourage your feedback (ijhma@bigpond.net.au) and also your submission for review and potential publication in the journal.

Richard Reed