The second edition of The Encyclopedia of Housing is a timely update for housing research after the recent economic turmoil and mortgage crisis in the United States. Editor Andrew T. Carswell aspired to accurately portray the multidisciplinary field of housing studies today. The result is a two-volume encyclopedia with over 250 diverse entries ranging from housing finance and environmental concerns to development patterns and innovative housing technologies.

Willem van Vliet’s previous edition of The Encyclopedia of Housing (SAGE Publications, 1998) was a pioneer volume in housing reference since it featured a broad scope of articles rather than the narrow focus on terminology as in Kamel S. Sayegh’s Housing: A Multidisciplinary Dictionary (ABCD-Academy Book, 1987) and Jack Rostron and Michael A. Nutt’s Dictionary of Housing (Arena, 1997). The two-hundred-plus contributing authors featured in each edition of The Encyclopedia of Housing are experts from academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private firms. The multidisciplinary nature of housing research includes subjects like urban planning, landscape architecture, sociology, anthropology, political science, and law. Since the encyclopedia covers so many disciplines, it thoroughly introduces topics instead of supplying a complete comprehensive analysis on one subject area.

With research developments and the change in economic conditions over the past fifteen years, the updated and new content is pertinent and thought provoking. New topics such as “Subprime Mortgage Crisis” and the “Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP)” adequately summarize contemporary events and their root causes. The themes of sustainability, development, and planning are prominent throughout entries like “Green Building,” “New Urbanism,” and “Smart Growth.” The encyclopedia also touches on select racial, ethnic, gender, and age group issues in relation to housing.

Geographically, The Encyclopedia of Housing focuses primarily on the United States. Seven entries on “Housing Abroad” offer a general review of various regions including Africa, Asia, Canada, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East, and Western and Northern Europe. However, these sections do not provide much context on individual countries. Carswell argues that these “international entries help set out a framework for evolutionary policy making, which enables U.S. housing policies and practices to be informed by the experiences from other countries” (xxx). Susan J. Smith’s The International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home (Elsevier Science, 2012) provides a much more comprehensive analysis of the topic over seven volumes for nearly six times the cost of The Encyclopedia of Housing.

The second edition expands on its predecessor’s work with improved usability. Researchers can easily cross-reference entries with increased visibility on the related subject terms after each entry and the added reader’s guide section at the front of each volume, which groups subject areas together. Another great improvement is the addition of descriptions for related organizations and periodicals listed in the appendices. Listing website addresses among the organization descriptions encourages readers to seek out more information on these institutions. As a whole, the contributors’ writing styles are very accessible. Readers outside the field of study should understand entries, despite a slight variation between authors from technical and sociological perspectives.

Overall, the contemporary content, multidisciplinary perspectives, and improved usability make The Encyclopedia of Housing a quality reference resource for college and university libraries. Even if your institution owns the first edition, I recommend updating the collection with the second.