Alex’s primary research interest is housing markets and housing policy. His recent focus has been on issues of regulation and enforcement in rental housing, including rent control, non-price regulation and raising standards. He also works on the application of systems thinking to housing issues and, relatedly, on the housing strategy process.

Alex is interested in housing policy for its substance but also as a vehicle for thinking about policy processes more generally. Recurrent interests here relate to the role of evidence; systems and complexity; narratives and framing.

Alex has a secondary stream of work looking at urban technology and smart cities. He is particularly interested in the role – or, frequently, the lack of role – for citizens and communities in smart city development. In this work he has been preoccupied with developing distinctive institutionalist approaches. Much of his work in this area has been undertaken in collaboration with colleagues at Anáhuac University in Mexico CIty.

Alex is a former Managing Editor of the journal Housing Studies. He is currently the chair of the Housing Studies Charitable Trust and of the Policy & Politics Management Board.