Urban regulation and diverse housing supply: An Investigative Panel

Abstract

Dimensions of housing diversity that are lacking in Australia’s major cities There has long been concern that new housing supply is failing to meet the changing needs of Australia’s diverse population. Diversifying housing stock has become a goal of metropolitan region planning in the context of demographic changes; increased barriers to home purchase; growth in private renting; and concerns about the environmental and social performance of Australian homes and communities. Dimensions of housing diversity include not only built form but factors such as tenure and price/ affordability.
The need for diverse housing supply reflects not only varying capacities to pay for housing but housing and lifestyle preferences across age cohorts and household types. The built-environment and housing industry experts involved in this study emphasised that housing diversity embraces a wide range of factors relating to dwelling size and design; tenure and governance arrangements; construction method; and the development and financing model.

In the three cities that were the focus of the research, they perceived a need for
• More diversity in dwelling types and sizes, particularly in lower-density suburban areas characterised by detached houses.
• Medium and high-density housing forms that can better accommodate resident design and lifestyle preferences.
• Rental housing that can offer increased security of tenure compared to the private rental sector which, in Australia, is dominated by small-scale buy-to-let investors.
• Housing across tenures that is affordable to very low to moderate-income households.