Housing Supply and Affordability
About this event
Architect Michael Smith posed this question in The Age….
When your kids grow up, where are they going to live?
The answer he believes is “……. likely one of three possibilities : the outer suburban fringe, a small city apartment or living with Mum and Dad.”
With interest rates increasing and banks tightening lending criteria, the likelihood of being able to access a loan to purchase a home has become even more unlikely even with a relative “cooling off” of property prices.
More concerning are reports of rising rents across capital cities, as landlords seek to recoup rising borrowing costs.
According to research firm Core Logic’s quarterly rental review, rents are now 9.1% higher across capital cities and 10.8% higher in regional areas compared with June 2021 and have seen the fastest rise in 14 years across Australia.
The effects of the above are particularly challenging on low-income households and place increased reliance on social housing programs.
Politicians and developers believe the answer is simply - release the regulatory shackles that slow development and free up land for subdivision and redevelopment.
But is it as simple as that?
As Smith argues…..” Australian cities are already the worst offenders for urban sprawl globally…the suburbs we build also create unsustainable and unachievable transport infrastructure demands, increasing the cost of living and time pressures for those living on the fringes”
So, what can be done?
Join us nto hear from our panel of architects, planners and property experts who debate and consider the challenges we face to increase housing supply and other options for sustainable solutions to our housing crisis.
The discussion includes:
What reforms are necessary for planning systems to give more certainty for stakeholders, including architects?
How do we change societal expectations about home ownership and what that home looks like?
What planning and regulatory changes are required to facilitate greater diversity and options for where and how people live?
What changes and reforms are required at the planning appeal stages?
How do we align housing supply to housing demand – are we building homes to meet the changing expectations and needs of our communities?
How can social and affordable housing and programs help mitigate the impact of rising rents for low-income households?
Can we better utilise existing housing stocks to accommodate demand?
How do we accommodate increased density in our suburbs with the requirements for infrastructure improvements, open spaces and community facilities?
Meet the Experts
Michael Smith
Michael Smith is a director of the architecture practice Andever (formerly Atelier Red+Black). Andever specialize in small to medium scale residential architecture in Victoria. Michael has an active interest in advocating for better built environments through architectural practice, media participation and community activism. In the media realm, Michael is a writer, having started with his own blog The Red and Black Architect in 2012. This collection of opinion pieces and interviews led to writing regular pieces for Domain.com.au. Most recently Michael is an opinion writer for The Age specifically looking at built environment issues within Melbourne. Complementing this work, Michael is the Consulting Architect for Built Environment Channel, a dedicated digital screen network specifically for built environment professionals in Australia. As an advocate for better built environments, Michael was involved in the successful community campaigns against the East West link and also the ‘Our City Our Square’ campaign to save the Yarra Building at Federation Square from demolition.
Anthony Nolan
Anthony is a partner of Kennedy Associates Architects, an architectural and urban design practice based in Annandale, Sydney, specialising in urban design and community, public, residential and environmental architecture. Anthony has over 25 years’ experience in the design, documentation and contract administration of a wide range of projects and is an acknowledged industry leader in the integration of sustainability and architecture, with a particular focus on the provision of social, affordable and accessible housing. Anthony’s recent projects are heavily weighted to the provision of specialist housing for social and affordable housing providers and for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The projects are spread across a wide range of typologies and scale and provide a good overview of the diversity of housing options for people with housing needs that fall outside of mainstream housing.
Colleen Peterson
Colleen is the CEO of Ratio Planning Consultants. Colleen regularly appears as an expert witness for VCAT and panel hearings and is an active participant in the professional development of the industry, its representative organisations and tertiary education in Victoria. Colleen has been a leading force in the planning industry’s opposition to the extensive rollout of the Neighbourhood Residential Zone and regularly appears in the media on this and other planning related issues. In addition to her planning expertise and passion for the built environment, she has developed a specialisation in social and economic impact assessments and liquor related matters and is a highly regarded expert in these areas.
CPD - Participation in this 2.5-hour webinar will deliver 2.5 formal CPD points.
Learning outcomes - At the conclusion of this webinar attendees will be able to explain the different types of housing models in Australia, list strategies that foster integration of social housing into local communities, describe how housing models in Australian cities and regions can be better matched to meet needs of communities and list possible changes in regulatory policy that would lead to more sustainable housing outcomes.
AACA Competencies: Practice Management and Professional Conduct PC 12 & Project Initiation and Conceptual Design PC 32.
The webinar includes time for Q&A with our speakers.
Send your responses to CPD questions to mark@meccaevents.com.au for the issue of a certificate of completion. Keep your receipt, completed questions and certificate for your CPD records.