Ford, JRugg, JBurrows, R2026-04-222026-04-220042-0980WOS:000179574600006ORCID:/0000-0001-6837-1586/work/212227846https://hdl.handle.net/1885/733808617This paper uses both survey and qualitative panel data collected from five different case-study areas in England in order to offer a conceptualisation of the contemporary role that housing is playing in the transition to adult life. The data suggest that the types of housing pathway that young people follow are a function of differences in the combination and intensity of three main factors: the ability of young people to plan for and control their entry to independent living; the extent and form of constraints that characterise their access to housing; and the degree of family support available to them. Based around these three dimensions (each of which is a continuum), the following ideal typical pathways can be identified: a chaotic pathway, an unplanned pathway, a constrained pathway, a planned (non-student) pathway and a student pathway.13en©2002 The authors200210.1080/004209802200002705922144485370