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The Raize the Roof Charity Home, a home that was built with the help of volunteer, local companies and business people, has been scheduled for auction on October 20.
It has been offered by Jason Roses and Katrice Velnaar from Raise The Roof. 
Local Founders Danielle &amp; Lincoln Dal Cortivo will be donating 100% of the proceeds to Children's Starlight Foundation Canberra and SOS Children's Village Botswana.
Positioned in an elevated 654 sqm parcel of land, the house at <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/act/sale-residential/17-clancy-mckenna-crescent-bonner-canberra/1317580081511" target="_blank">17 Clancy McKenna Crescent</a>, Bonner features three bedrooms, master bedroom with private balcony, formal lounge, spacious family and meals area, gourmet kitchen, and kids retreat or study. 
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2018/9/24/bonner%202.jpeg" alt="">
Other highlights include double glazed windows with views of Gungahlin, high ceilings, multiple outdoor entertaining spaces, water tanks and solar panels. 
It's just a short walk to local Bonner Shops and Amaroo Shopping Centre, and a short drive to Gungahlin Town Centre.
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2018/9/24/bonner%203.jpeg" alt="">
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Raize the Roof Charity House goes to auction mid October

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EXPERT OBSERVER
Infrastructure has a great connection to demand and increased dwelling prices and this is particularly the case in Sydney and Melbourne.
However, the allocation of significant funding to infrastructure upgrades in many urban and regional areas in the 2018 Federal Budget will also have a positive impact on dwelling supply.
For example, you can build houses in the west of Sydney to increase supply, and therefore affordability, and still have great access to the CBD provided the infrastructure is good.
Population growth, job creation, an improved economy and good infrastructure would draw more people to an area and therefore increase demand for property, but this then had to be backed up with an increase in dwelling supply.
The Queensland Government was taking significant steps to grow its economy, with Brisbane in the midst of a $15 billion infrastructure boom over the next few years.
And where there is an improved economy and major infrastructure projects and developments in the works, we will see significant long-term capital growth.
As a result, the local property market in Queensland was likely to prosper and the state would continue to attract a high number of interstate migrants in search of affordable housing and employment.
In regional NSW, the State Government has put in place a 20-year vision focusing on connectivity and water security to industry and community leaders in Bathurst and including the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund.
The goal is to promote regional development and job creation, unlocking the potential in the region by providing the infrastructure, the services and the support it needs to thrive.
It comes down to undersupply of suitable dwellings that force the prices up and makes them completely unaffordable. But that is not the case in regional NSW where house sizes and blocks are more than adequate for a growing family.
There is also an increasing trend of 'mobile professionals' who were prepared to work from home to maximise lifestyle and avoid the daily city commute.
Doron Peleg is the RiskWise Property Research CEO 
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Infrastructure is the key to housing affordability in our major cities: Doron Peleg

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New research has ranked Sydney as one of the most unaffordable cities in the world – with Melbourne not far behind.
Property research firm RiskWise  places Sydney second on its analysis and Melbourne 11th.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/9/3/Unit%20unaffordability%20-%20World_MEL.jpg" alt="" style="font-size: 12.16px;">
RiskWise CEO Doron Peleg said that the analysis looked at only units 105 square metres in size and not average-sized dwellings, like the Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey does.
“The problem with Demographia's method is that it does not compare apples to apples,” Peleg said.
The Demographia survey ranked Hong Kong as the world’s least affordable city, followed by New York, Tokyo and London with Sydney was ranked 9th and Melbourne coming in at No.11.
Peleg said that in Hong Kong the average-sized unit is only 46 square metres, while in Sydney it is 105 square metres.
“Sydney and Melbourne are not as bad as first thought when compared to other cities,” he said.
“And yes, while in general families cannot afford a 105 square metre unit, the situation in other places is significantly more serious.
“Both Sydney and Melbourne, as global cities, could potentially be even less affordable.”
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/9/3/Unit%20unaffordability%20-%20AUS.jpg" alt="">
Peleg said that Victoria was ranked as more affordable sue to the greater supply of units and less capital growth.
"However, while in the last five years capital growth of units has been good, it has not been as good as Sydney,” stated Peleg.
Sydney prices have fallen 4.5% year on year, while Melbourne prices have also decelerated as lending restrictions and the Banking Royal Commission has clamped down on the market.
"The needs of families differ from those of singles and couples and many new apartments are not suitable, meaning there is an imbalance between the supply of units to the market needs,” Peleg said.
“Whether you take a world view or an Australian one, there appears to be a complete disconnect between the price of units suitable for families to the median household income.
“The people who own the majority of residential properties that are suitable for families are mainly higher income earners and investors.
“They are not standard household earners. They are, largely, people at the top 50% of income earners or investors who are cashed-up."
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Sydney the second least affordable city in the world for housing: RiskWise

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New research has found that property prices halved in many mining regions over the past decade.
Property Investment Professionals of Australia (PIPA) chairman Peter Koulizos is currently reviewing research he undertook for a book that was published in 2008.
As part of the new research, however, Koulizos used CoreLogic data to calculate the best and worst performing areas over the past 10 years and found a clear front – runner for bottom of the pile – mining locations.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2018/9/11/mining%20property.jpg" target="_blank">Click here</a> to enlarge:
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/9/11/mining%20property.jpg" alt="">
Souce: PIPA
“What this data shows us is that if you had bought property in one of these towns, not only did your property not increase in value over this 10-year period, but it is actually worth less,” Koulizos said.
“West Australia – which benefited the most from the mining boom – has also suffered the most from the mining bust.
“There is a very long list of underperforming mining towns in WA, but the worst is South Hedland, a suburb in Port Hedland, where house prices fell a whopping 74.8%.
“Newman came in a close second to South Hedland, where the median house price was $501,000 in 2008 and now it is only $147,000.”
Queensland mining towns and suburbs within those towns have also suffered, according to the data.
Gladstone was promoted by many property spruikers and it’s clear they have seriously come unstuck, Koulizos said.
“South Gladstone house prices fell by 31.7% and West Gladstone house prices fell by 47.6% over that time period,” he said.
“However, these two suburbs are not the worst performers. Property prices in the mining town of Dysart fell a whopping 77.4%, while at the same time Brisbane house prices increased by 24%.”
House prices in the mining town of Roxby Downs in South Australia fell by 36%, according to the data, plus sales have fallen from 140 in 2008 to just 51 in 2018.
“It’s important to understand that buying property outside of capital cities still makes financial sense. In fact, there are many regional and country areas that are deserving of your investment dollars,” Koulizos said.
“The moral of the story is that successful property investment is about long-term economic fundamentals, not supposed short-term financial gains.
“And that usually means investing in locations with diverse, multi-faceted economies, not areas that financially ebb and flow depending on the strength – or weakness – of a single industry.”
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Mining property prices have dramatically dropped over past decade: PIPA

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Site works are set to start at developer Level 33’s new project in Wolli Creek.
The group purchased the 5600 square metre residential site at 30-32 Guess Avenue for $29.5 million.
The site had an existing development approval (DA) and construction certificate for 176 apartments across two towers, both at seven storeys in height.
Level 33’s Eddy Haddad said marketing of the apartments will soon begin.
“Our vision is to deliver a new residential community to the highest design standards with all the modern conveniences of apartment living where residents will be able to enjoy the lifestyle benefits of living in close access to the Cooks River and nearby Discovery Park,” said Haddad.
Will Wehbe of St Trinity Property Group, which is marketing the project, said:
“The project represents an excellent opportunity for first home buyers who have been carefully saving deposits to get into the Sydney property market and take advantage of tens of thousands of dollars in government grants and stamp duty concessions while these incentives apply.
“Savvy investors will also be attracted to this project given its close proximity to transport, the CBD and the airport.”
Level 33 are currently working on projects in Blakehurst, Kogarah and Miranda, as well as the $75 million project SKYE in Wollongong’s CBD.
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Developer Level 33 buys Wolli Creek site with dual-tower development approval 

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Banks will start sharing lending data ahead of comprehensive credit reporting from next July covering the entire financial system.
"Suddenly banks will discover when they have been hoodwinked by borrowers using multiple banks," The Australian columnist Robert Gottliebsen warns.
"The bottom line is that bank lending for housing will fall further and so will prices in vulnerable areas."
His recent column noted the credit squeeze is already reducing dwelling prices and there is more to come.
The tough times in many areas of real estate (but not all) will continue until the squeeze is reversed, he wrote.
"At this stage there is no crash on the horizon.
"But those dwelling price falls will in time reduce consumer confidence and the price of shares in companies affected by consumer confidence."
Gottliebsen noted that Westpac was the most aggressive of lenders to housing investors.
He noted the fastest-growing area of loans was 'interest only' and Westpac led the pack.
"There has been a huge crackdown and these loans are being converted to interest-and-principal repayments."
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Bank lending for housing will fall further after comprehensive credit reporting: Robert Gottliebsen

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An award-winning 1888 architecturally renovated Little Bay house on a 735 square metre block has been sold for $2,795,000. 
It was offered by Peter Goulding and Nick Ujvary from NG Farah.
It has been believed to be the first doctor's residence constructed. 
The historic coastal home situated at<a href="http://www.ngfarah.com.au/19222669/22-jenner-street-little-bay" target="_blank"> 22 Jenner Street</a> features formal and casual entertaining areas, indoor and outdoor living, palatial master suite, other three bedrooms and Caesar Stone gas kitchen.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/9/24/little%20bay%202.jpg" alt="">
Other highlights include landscaped gardens, tiled and carpeted floors, ducted air conditioning and rear lane beach access.
It is only two minutes stroll to Prince Henry's retail and cafe centre, 10 minutes to Pacific Square and airport and 20 minutes to the city. 
The suburb's median house price sits at $1.8 million according to CoreLogic. 
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/9/24/little%20bay%203.jpg" alt="">
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Award-winning Little Bay trophy home sold

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Gold Coasters are re-investing in their own backyard when it comes to downsizing, according to Colliers International Residential Director Andrew Roubicek.
Roubicek said locals have led sales enquiries for Pindan's luxury Mahala apartment project at Mermaid Beach. 
"We received in excess of 300 enquiries in the first three weeks for Mahala's 94 two, three and four bedroom large owner occupier-style apartments, with interest predominantly stemming from residents in surrounding suburbs," he said.
Mahala received development approval in late July.
Early works have commenced on Mahala which overlooks Hedges Avenue.
There has also been interest from prospective purchasers in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, Roubicek said. 
Pindan’s Nick Allingame, said Mahala, created by Cottee Parker Architects, specifically tailored for the surf lifestyle through surfboard storage space, bike storage and even an outdoor shower area.
"Mermaid Beach has always been regarded as an exclusive residential enclave as opposed to a holiday hotspot, so Mahala has been designed to cater to owner occupiers," Allingame said. 
"Virtually all of the apartments will have two car bays and offer larger than average living spaces, basement storage and big private balconies in addition to the shared residents' entertainment terrace which boasts a pool, barbeques, cabana, lounge and private dining room."
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Locals leading enquiries for Mahala development at Mermaid Beach 

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Following a review of the New South Wales Residential Tenancies Act 2010 in 2016 and extended consultations, the NSW government has introduced a number of reforms to parliament. Debate is expected to occur this week. However, without reform to current eviction proceedings, many housing advocates have expressed concern that these generally good proposals will have little effect. Today, 45 housing researchers from a range of disciplines have signed the following open letter.
We are academics who research and teach about housing. We come from a range of disciplines – for example law, economics, social sciences, planning – and many of us have worked variously with housing providers, tenants’ groups and government agencies on housing issues. We have in common commitment to the principle that everyone should have a secure, affordable home of decent standard, whether they own or rent.
Too often, however, our rental housing sector fails to deliver on this principle. There are numerous reasons for this; one of them is the legal insecurity of tenants under current New South Wales residential tenancy laws. In particular, the provision for landlords to give termination notices, with no grounds, at the end of a fixed-term tenancy or during a continuing tenancy is contrary to genuine security.
“No grounds” termination notices give cover for bad reasons for seeking termination, such as retaliation and discrimination. The prospect that a “no grounds” termination notice may be given hangs over all tenancies, discouraging tenants from raising concerns with agents and landlords and undermining the legal rights otherwise provided for by their leases and the legislation.
The deficiencies of our current laws are becoming worse, as more households rent, and rent for longer into their lives. About 32% of NSW households rent and this proportion is growing. Over the five years to 2016, 63% of the net growth in the number of NSW households was households in rental housing. And 42% of NSW renter households include children.
Our deficient current laws are also increasingly out of step with tenancy laws in comparable jurisdictions. Many European countries, as well as most of the Canadian provinces and the largest US cities, do not provide for “no grounds” terminations by landlords.
Last year, Scotland reformed its tenancy laws to remove provisions for “no grounds” terminations and replace them with prescribed reasonable grounds for termination. In Australia, Tasmania has for some years not allowed “no grounds” terminations of continuing tenancies. This month, the Victorian Parliament amended its residential tenancies legislation to remove provision for “no grounds” termination notices for continuing tenancies and for fixed-term tenancies, except at the end of the first fixed term.
We call on the NSW state government to improve security for renters, by legislating to end no-grounds termination by landlords and providing instead for a prescribed set of reasonable grounds for terminations.
These reasonable grounds would include grounds already in the legislation, such as rent arrears and other breaches by the tenant, and sale of the premises, as well as new grounds, such as where the landlord needs the premises for their own housing, and where the premises are to be renovated, demolished or changed to a non-residential use.
The prescribed reasonable grounds should have different notice periods, reflecting their different degrees of urgency and priority. Proceedings on notices should go, as they currently do, to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and the tribunal should determine whether the ground exists and whether termination is justified in all the circumstances.
This reform would make all tenants feel more secure, without unduly restricting landlords in reasonable uses of their properties. The only inconvenience would be to the retaliators, the discriminators and those who cannot cope with even a modest level of accountability. If the reform prompted these landlords to leave the sector, they would sell to a new home owner or to a more professionally minded landlord – either of which is to the good.
There is more to be done across a range of policy areas to improve the functioning of all aspects of our housing system. We need more accessible home ownership, a differently structured and more professional market rental sector and a revitalised social housing sector. These changes require a comprehensive housing policy, coordinated across areas and levels of government and carried out over a long term.
But, in tenancy law, the single most important reform is ending “no grounds” termination by landlords. And the parliament could do it now.
Signatories
Dr Chris Martin, Research Fellow, Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales
Professor Brendan Edgeworth, Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales
Professor Chris Gibson, Human Geography, University of Wollongong
Professor Keith Jacobs, Director, Housing Community Research Unit, University of Tasmania
Professor Alan Morris, Institute for Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology, Sydney
Professor Kath Hulse, Director Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology
Professor Hal Pawson, Housing Research and Policy, University of New South Wales
Professor Pauline McGuirk, Director Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong
Professor Peter Phibbs, Urban Planning, The University of Sydney
Professor Bill Randolph, Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales
Professor Eileen Webb, Faculty of Business and Law, Curtin University
Adjunct Professor Michael Darcy, School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University
Associate Professor Hazel Easthope, Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales
Associate Professor Daphne Habibis, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania
Associate Professor Kurt Iveson, Urban Geography, The University of Sydney
Associate Professor Kristian Ruming, Department of Geography and Planning, Macquarie University
Associate Professor Judith Yates, School of Economics, The University of Sydney
Dr Gareth Bryant, Political Economy, The University of Sydney
Dr Nicole Cook, Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Wollongong
Dr Louise Crabtree, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
Dr Laura Crommelin, Research Lecturer, Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales
Dr Tanja Dreher, Associate Professor, School of Arts and Media, University of New South Wales
Dr Christina Ho, Senior Lecturer, Social &amp; Political Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney
Dr Justine Humphry, Lecturer in Digital Cultures, Department of Media and Communications, The University of Sydney
Dr Edgar Liu, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales
Dr Sophia Maalsen, IB Fell Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney
Dr Daniel Ooi, Research Fellow, Victoria University
Dr Justine Lloyd, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Macquarie University
Dr Jean Parker, Research Associate, Department of Gender and Culture Studies, The University of Sydney
Dr Madeleine Pill, Researcher, Department of Government and International Relations, The University of Sydney
Dr Emma Power, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
Dr Dallas Rogers, Program Director, Master of Urbanism, The University of Sydney
Dr Ben Spies-Butcher, Senior Lecturer, Economy and Society, Macquarie University
Dr Adam Stebbing, Director of Bachelor of Social Science, Department of Sociology, Macquarie University
Dr Amanda Tattersall, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Henry Halloran Trust, The University of Sydney
Dr Lawrence Troy, Research Fellow, Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales
Dr Robert Mowbray, Older Persons Project Officer, Tenants’ Union NSW
Deb Batterham, Researcher, Launch Housing
Zahra Nasreen, Researcher, Department of Geography and Planning, Macquarie University
Pratichi Chatterjee, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney
Sophie-May Kerr, PhD Candidate, University of Wollongong
Craig Lyons, PhD Candidate, School of Geography and Sustainable Communities, University of Wollongong
Gemma McKinnon, Researcher, University of New South Wales
Bill Swannie, Academic, College of Law and Justice, Victoria University
Alistair Sisson, PhD Candidate &amp; Research Assistant, School of Geosciences, The University of Sydney<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103825/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
John Watson, Section Editor: Cities + Policy, The Conversation
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-open-letter-on-rental-housing-reform-103825" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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An open letter on NSW rental housing reform

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GUEST OBSERVATION
I began my life as an activist academic in 1979 when the Western Australian government closed the Fremantle railway, saying buses would be better. Patronage immediately fell by 30% and I ran a four-year campaign to save the railway. We won. I have been writing books and running campaigns ever since on why trains and trams are better than buses. But I have changed my mind. The technology has changed, and I think it will end the need for new light rail.
“Trackless trams” are based on technology created in <a href="https://www.alstom.com/aptis-new-experience-electro-mobility" target="_blank">Europe</a> and <a href="http://www.crrcgc.cc/en/g7389/s13996/t286142.aspx" target="_blank">China</a> by taking innovations from high-speed rail and putting them in a bus.
I went to China to check out the CRRC trackless tram (they call it autonomous rail transit, or ART). I came back convinced it’s a transformative transit technology.
Light rail is a connecting service. It joins up corridors or links heavy rail stations to surrounding areas and sometimes completes shorter corridors that lack rail lines. Buses were filling these functions in most cities but failing on two fronts:
<ul>
<li>buses were not competing with cars so cities were filling with traffic</li>
<li>buses did not enable denser development to be viable so cities were sprawling rather than redeveloping.</li>
</ul>
Light rail had many success stories of competing with cars and attracting denser development, so commentators like me did our best to make them policy-relevant (see, for example, <a href="https://theconversation.com/all-aboard-the-growth-of-global-rail-and-our-future-cities-10377" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-in-the-knitting-urban-rails-growing-significance-13754" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-to-follow-the-us-in-funding-urban-rail-projects-64666" target="_blank">here</a>).
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237648/original/file-20180924-129871-1xcaehy.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
The battery-powered trackless tram, or ART, in operation in Zhuzhou, showing the trackless autonomous guidance system. CRRC Zhuzhou Institute, Author provided
So what can the new technology do?
Trackless trams are neither a tram nor a bus, though they have rubber wheels and run on streets. The high-speed rail innovations have transformed a bus into something with all the best features of light rail and none of its worst features.
It replaces the noise and emissions of buses with electric traction from batteries recharged at stations in 30 seconds or at the end of the line in 10 minutes. That could just be an electric bus, but the ART is much more than that. It has all the speed (70kph), capacity and ride quality of light rail with its autonomous optical guidance system, train-like bogies with double axles and special hydraulics and tyres.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bXB87NWHvDg?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" width="440" height="260"></iframe>
The first trackless tram rolled out for a road test in Zhuzhou, south China’s Hunan Province, on October 23 2017.
It can slide into the station with millimetre accuracy and enable smooth disability access. It passed the ride quality test when I saw kids running up and down while it was going at 70kph – you never see this on a bus due to the sway.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237821/original/file-20180924-85776-6jou1l.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
 A child runs along the trackless tram with the author looking on. Author provided
The autonomous features mean it is programmed, optically guided with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System" target="_blank">GPS</a> and <a href="http://www.lidar-uk.com/how-lidar-works/" target="_blank">LIDAR</a> technologies, into moving very precisely along an invisible track. If an accident happens in the right of way a “driver” can override the steering and go around. It can also be driven to a normal bus depot for overnight storage and deep battery recharge.
The standard ART system is three carriages that can carry 300 people, but it can take five carriages and 500 people if needed. In three years of trials no impact on road surfaces has been found.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/290106133" frameborder="0" width="500" height="281"></iframe>
The author discusses his conclusions after visiting China to assess the operation of trackless trams.
How do trackless trams improve on light rail?
Trackless trams can avoid the worst features of light rail – disruption and cost. It can take years to lay rail tracks, causing major disruption to local economies, as is happening in Sydney.
Similar disruption has happened in the Gold Coast, Canberra and elsewhere, but ultimately light rail systems have been highly successful in attracting patronage and land development. This will happen in Sydney too when the project is complete.
However, the cost has been far beyond original expectations. Sydney is costing over $120 million per kilometre. The Gold Coast was similar. Canberra and Newcastle are over $80 million per kilometre, as was the cancelled light rail in Perth.
The trackless tram costs around $6-$8 million per kilometre. And it can be put into a road system over a weekend.
The big test is whether the trackless tram can attract development around its stations as light rail can. That is the missing link in our cities. How can we unlock urban regeneration and prevent our cities sprawling ever outwards with poorer and poorer suburbs while the well-placed inner and middle suburbs become more and more expensive?
The divided city needs something that can unlock affordable medium- and high-density housing in new urban centres across the city. Following many discussions with the urban development industry, I think the trackless tram can do this. The cost can be afforded as a contribution to any new development and will bring the uplift in land value that unlocks investment.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/278969345" frameborder="0" width="500" height="281"></iframe>
 Trackless trams could be transformative for a city.
We have developed a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073988591630097X" target="_blank">model</a> that means governments do <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://vimeo.com/278969345" target="_blank">not need to find all or even any of the capital costs</a>. This is how trams were <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/2/3/84/htm" target="_blank">first built as real estate projects</a>.
But governments are needed to manage the process and create the land assembly and other urban regeneration processes as well as community engagement. This will help show where best to route such a system and how to manage it as a transit system operating for the public good. Governments can help with risk management on the financing, as in <a href="https://theconversation.com/spills-and-city-deals-what-turnbulls-urban-policy-has-achieved-and-where-we-go-from-here-102184" target="_blank">City Deals</a>. We have produced a <a href="http://sbenrc.com.au/research-programs/1-55/" target="_blank">guide and manual</a> for how to do this.
Australian cities are lining up
Cities across the world are lining up to trial these trackless tram systems. So far, Australian cities moving to use them are Townsville, Hobart, Melbourne (in Fishermans Bend and other sites), Sydney (in Liverpool and perhaps Parramatta Road where the first studies were done) and Perth – where five separate corridors are competing to run the first ART trial.
The table below summarises the main characteristics of buses, light rail and trackless trams, showing the improvements the new technology provides on key criteria.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237660/original/file-20180924-88806-u7yo20.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237660/original/file-20180924-88806-u7yo20.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Others would rate some characteristics higher or lower, but for me the trackless tram looks a winner due to its ride quality, land development potential and cost.
Time will tell if the early demand for ART translates into a real transformative change – a disruptive innovation. It reminds me of the early days of solar and batteries, which are now completely disrupting coal power systems.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103690/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-trackless-trams-are-ready-to-replace-light-rail-103690" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Why trackless trams are ready to replace light rail: Peter Newman

An entity directed by HSN's Rafi Assouline and Rebel Property's Allen Linz has filed plans for an impressive new precinct in Woolloomooloo.

The major mixed-use development would transform a prominent William Street site into a new residential village anchored by affordable housing and a large public park.

The proposal, submitted as a State Significant Development Application, covers 164-172 and 174-194 William Street, a 6,398 sqm site between Forbes Street and Dowling Street on the southern edge of Woolloomooloo.

Designed by fjcstudio in collaboration with Bangawarra, Studio Bright and Tribe Studio Architects, the scheme would deliver 227 apartments across four residential buildings ranging in height up to 18 storeys, alongside retail space, public domain improvements and a new publicly accessible park.

<img alt="Rebel" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0eb59b7c-914a-4a5c-b849-3a56749f5e93" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-12%20at%2011.18.51%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=mxM6EEqeoLjrCiTlCzTKTvzpKuh6kSkH" />

It's another design scheme for Rebel, who took <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-rebel-property-group-takes-woolloomooloo-precinct-to-nsw-government">concept plans to the NSW Gov late last year</a>.

The latest plans will be a mix of 167 build-to-sell apartments and 60 affordable apartments, with the affordable housing component representing 15 per cent of the project's gross floor area. The apartment mix includes 12 one-bedroom, 53 two-bedroom, 89 three-bedroom apartments and 13 penthouses, while the affordable housing component would comprise 42 one-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom apartments.

<img alt="Rebel" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3b3d4553-8a8c-4af5-aa8c-519ffb1e28c6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-12%20at%2011.20.12%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=_Yb6ibN7eDnOtQjCNDK2eviORa4qzgv." />

Rebel Property is seeking to take advantage of the NSW Government's infill affordable housing bonus provisions under the Housing SEPP, which provide additional floor space and height in exchange for the delivery of affordable housing for a minimum of 15 years. The planning pathway allows a 30 per cent increase in floor space ratio and building height where 15 per cent of the development is dedicated to affordable housing.

&nbsp;

At the centre of the development is a 1,356 sqm sunlit public park designed to become a new community gathering space at the gateway to Woolloomooloo. The park would be complemented by a network of pedestrian laneways connecting William Street with the surrounding streets, improving permeability through what is currently a largely impermeable block.

<img alt="Rebel" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="257af931-a393-4007-8c6d-7219796df58d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-12%20at%2011.20.51%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=KAHy94GrhaReFsWTGDKfy39EDJ8gEEv4" />

The design team says the public domain has been heavily influenced by the site's topography and Aboriginal cultural heritage, drawing on the escarpments, gullies and landscape characteristics that historically defined the area before urbanisation. The landscape design has been developed in partnership with First Nations consultancy Bangawarra.

The project would be delivered across four separate buildings. The William Street East and William Street West buildings, designed by fjcstudio, would contain the majority of the apartments. Melbourne-based Studio Bright has designed the Forbes Street building, while Tribe Studio Architects is responsible for the Dowling Street building.

Rebel had secured approval for the concept plans late last year.

Joel Robinson

First look: HSN, Rebel, advances Woolloomooloo precinct plans

A locally heritage-listed furniture showroom on Water Street is set to become the centrepiece of a new mixed-use residential development as local developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/keylin-group">Keylin</a> seeks approval for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/lotus-on-water-street-290-water-street-fortitude-valley-qld-4006">Lotus on Water Street</a>, a 15-storey project on the Fortitude Valley side of Spring Hill.

The proposal spans 290 Water Street and 137-141 Warry Street, combining several properties into a 2,869 sqm site that sits between Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill and the rapidly evolving Victoria Park precinct. Keylin's plans would deliver 132 apartments alongside new retail, hospitality and commercial space, while retaining and repurposing the historic Brunswick Home Furnishers Showroom that fronts Water Street.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/jackson-teece">Jackson Teece</a>, Lotus on Water Street comprises a 12-storey residential tower rising above a three-storey podium and communal rooftop terrace. The development includes 76 apartments classified as multiple dwellings and a further 56 units proposed as short-term accommodation, designed to be flexibly used as either accommodation or permanent residences. The apartment mix comprises six one-bedroom, 54 two-bedroom and 16 three-bedroom homes.

<img alt="First look: Keylin unveils heritage-led Lotus on Water Street tower in Fortitude Valley" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9822bb79-6c49-49c9-95ba-319e8c8d81c3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/fortitude%20valley%20front.png?VersionId=ioW8zbN4UVebbLetTFuv92t.HkdgfR5e" />

Residents would have access to an extensive rooftop recreation level spanning more than 1,200 sqm of communal open space. Plans include a pool, gym, sauna, infrared sauna, yoga area, library, private dining room, barbecue facilities and landscaped entertainment spaces, making the rooftop the project's largest shared amenity offering.

At street level, the proposal focuses on the adaptive reuse of the heritage buildings along Water Street, where 518 sqm of retail and commercial space is planned across shop, office and food and drink outlet uses. A permeable residential lobby would be positioned between the retained heritage buildings, creating a pedestrian connection between the historic streetscape and the new tower behind.

<img alt="First look: Keylin unveils heritage-led Lotus on Water Street tower in Fortitude Valley" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="269cf3e0-7d13-48bf-a318-05a00deb5c10" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/fortitude%20valley%20podium.png?VersionId=DLXmTCLsp6GOcLpQ0h.0z7wKCw59EhN_" />

The heritage retention strategy is central to the scheme. The development application notes that the Brunswick Home Furnishers Showroom and adjoining heritage buildings will remain, with only non-significant structures on the site earmarked for removal under a previously issued Heritage Exemption Certificate. Levels one and two of the new podium are recessed behind the heritage façades to maintain their prominence within the streetscape.

Jackson Teece has drawn inspiration from the site's manufacturing history when designing the podium. The planning documents state that the façade incorporates perforated metal screening that references the woven and rattan furniture historically produced on the site. Cascading and climbing plants are integrated throughout the podium to soften the building's presentation and screen parking levels behind. The landscape strategy also informs the project's name, Lotus on Water Street, drawing on the historic Spring Hollow waterholes that once ran through Spring Hill and the blue water lilies associated with Meeanjin, Brisbane's traditional name.

The proposal also incorporates the neighbouring property at 141 Warry Street, currently occupied by a healthcare service. The existing building would remain, with nine dedicated parking spaces allocated within the new development to support its ongoing operation. In total, Lotus on Water Street proposes 117 car spaces, including 110 resident spaces and seven visitor bays, alongside 100 bicycle spaces.

<img alt="First look: Keylin unveils heritage-led Lotus on Water Street tower in Fortitude Valley" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="70cf07bc-4fd8-4e70-92dd-be8b21c4e4f0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/fortitude%20valley%20site.png?VersionId=txlxrJImM0Sm_vTzHVKh5DDUkyL_CiiA" />

The site sits within the Spring Hill East Precinct of the Spring Hill Neighbourhood Plan and is positioned around 650 metres from both Fortitude Valley Station and Exhibition Station. It is also within walking distance of the King Street precinct, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston Quarter and Victoria Park, which is earmarked to become a major venue precinct ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Planning documents describe the location as a key gateway between Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley and highlight the area's increasing importance as new transport infrastructure and Olympic-related investment reshape Brisbane's inner north. The development team argues the project will contribute additional housing supply while activating a section of Water Street that has historically received less investment than other parts of the Valley.

Keylin has become increasingly active across Brisbane and southeast Queensland, assembling sites in strategic inner-city locations. They are currently selling and delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/oria-spring-hill-447-gregory-terrace-spring-hill-qld-4000">Oria Spring Hill</a>, just over 140 apartments due for completion in 2027.

Keylin plans heritage-led Lotus on Water Street apartment development in Fortitude Valley

Roseville is poised for a wave of new apartment development following the NSW Government's rezoning of land around Roseville Station under its Transport Oriented Development program.

The new planning controls have unlocked significant development potential within walking distance of the station, with a number of sites expected to be amalgamated and redeveloped in the coming years as developers seek to take advantage of the increased density allowances.

One of the more restrained developments in the precinct, and set among the first to be delivered having commenced well before the recent changes, is Hyecorp's Juliet. The boutique apartment project is already well under construction and remains on track to welcome residents by the end of the year, offering a markedly different proposition to many of the larger-scale developments now likely to emerge across the suburb.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7395 project_image_fid=278194]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/juliet-roseville-64-pacific-highway-roseville-nsw-2069">Juliet</a> will comprise just&nbsp;34 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments opposite Roseville Station. For Hyecorp, which has delivered projects across Sydney's Lower North Shore for more than three decades, Roseville presented a rare opportunity to address a growing gap in the market.

"<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/roseville-nsw-2069">Roseville</a> has long been one of the North Shore's most tightly held and desirable suburbs, offering a unique combination of village charm, established greenery, excellent transport connections, and proximity to some of Sydney's best schools and lifestyle amenities," Hyecorp said.

"We recognised a growing demand from local homeowners seeking to downsize without leaving the community they have built their lives around. The location presented a rare opportunity to create homes that cater specifically to that buyer profile."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7395 project_image_fid=278196]

The six-level development has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/pbd-architects">PBD Architects</a> as a collection of residences that feel more like homes than apartments. The brief centred generous floorplans, abundant natural light, quality finishes, and strong connections to outdoor space.

PBD Architects drew inspiration from Roseville's established garden suburb character, creating a building that sits comfortably within its surroundings rather than dominating them. The architecture incorporates natural materials, soft forms, layered landscaping, expansive balconies, and generous setbacks to strengthen the connection between residents and the suburb's leafy environment.

"The focus was on designing spacious, house-like residences for discerning owner-occupiers and downsizers who wanted to remain on the North Shore without compromising on comfort, privacy, or design," PBD said.&nbsp;

"Every apartment was to feel considered, timeless, and highly functional."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7395 project_image_fid=278195]

Inside, residences feature engineered timber flooring, stone kitchen benchtops and splashbacks, integrated Fisher &amp; Paykel appliances, ducted air conditioning, and large outdoor entertaining areas designed to take advantage of district and treetop views.

Residents will also have access to a rooftop barbecue and lounge area, alongside practical amenities including parcel lockers, EV charging capability, bicycle storage, a dog wash bay, and a basement car wash facility.

The majority of purchasers so far have been local owner-occupiers from Roseville, Lindfield, Chatswood, Killara, and the broader Upper North Shore, many of whom are transitioning from larger family homes.

"Buyers are looking for spacious, house-like apartments that allow them to downsize without feeling like they are sacrificing comfort or functionality," Hyecorp noted.

"They value large kitchens, generous living areas, ample storage, quality finishes, secure parking, lift access, and low-maintenance living."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7395 project_image_fid=278204]

Juliet sits directly opposite Roseville Train Station and within walking distance of Roseville Village, while Chatswood's retail and dining precinct is only minutes away. The development is also surrounded by some of Sydney's most established schools, including Roseville College, Ravenswood, Pymble Ladies' College, and Knox Grammar, as well as nearby parklands and golf courses.

Juliet is currently more than 75 per cent sold ahead of its anticipated completion in late 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=7395]

Juliet to sit quietly amid Roseville apartment boom

Sherpa Property Group has unveiled the third instalment of its Flourish series, securing full approval for the two-tower, $500 million Flourish Soleira development in Palm Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-soleira-1150-1154-gold-coast-highway-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Soleira</a> will rise from a prominent site in the commercial heart of Palm Beach, the long-time home of Cash Converters and a range of local retailers.

The project will introduce a new retail and dining precinct at ground level, beneath 286 apartments.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=370959]

“We’re very committed to not only providing affordable residential offerings that are much needed in Palm Beach, but also delivering a vibrant new commercial heart that complements the extraordinary growth of the southern Gold Coast,” Sherpa Property Group founder Christie Leet said.

The development will sit under Sherpa's Flourish brand, which is aimed at providing a pathway into the beachside suburb for locals, first-home buyers and downsizers. In a move designed to assist first-home buyers entering the market, Sherpa has reserved all one and two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments exclusively for eligible first-home buyers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=370964]

“Our vision through Flourish is to create a vibrant retail and lifestyle focal point within the Palm Beach centre zone, delivering thriving communities underpinned by lifestyle-rich locations,” Leet said.

“So far, Flourish has been an incredible success, and we hope to carry this momentum as we progress the next two Flourish projects in Palm Beach.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=371430]

Located across 1150-1164 Gold Coast Highway and 3 Sixth Avenue, the development will comprise two towers. The northern tower will deliver 154 apartments, while the southern tower will add a further 132 residences, helping address ongoing demand for new apartments in the tightly held coastal suburb.

Flourish Soleira will also feature the most extensive rooftop amenity offering ever delivered in Palm Beach.

The two towers will be connected by a skybridge, with residents gaining access to a rooftop recreation deck featuring a full-width swimming pool, hot and cold plunge pools, wellness spaces, a gymnasium, private dining facilities, massage treatment rooms, barbecue areas, a basketball court, golf simulator, indoor and outdoor dining spaces, sun lounges and extensive landscaping.

LPS Group is expected to start construction later this year.

Sherpa is already well advanced on construction of its debut Flourish project, Flourish Amargo, located just around the corner from Soleira. Meanwhile, Flourish Oasis, positioned opposite Amargo, recently commenced construction and has nearly sold out its collection of 47 apartments.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150017]

Sherpa unveils $500m mixed-use Palm Beach precinct, Flourish Soleira

Are mortgage holders set to get a reprieve from the RBA in 2026?

Big Four bank NAB believes so. They are now expecting the next move from the RBA to be a cut, rather than a hike, which they had pencilled in for August. They are unsure of the timing of the cut however, they note in their latest&nbsp;NAB Economics RBA Watch.

NAB Chief Economist, Dr Sally Auld, said recent data suggests the economy has lost momentum and the outlook for rates has shifted, noting that the broader economic backdrop has changed since earlier in the year.

“The next move in the cash rate is likely to be down, but the timing is uncertain," Dr Auld said.

"In February, growth was above trend, the economy was operating above capacity and there was uncertainty over the restrictiveness of rates. None of these conditions exist today,” she outlined.

Dr Auld said recent data pointed to softer momentum across the economy while acknowledging that at the same time, uncertainty remains a key feature of the outlook.

“Both Q1 GDP data and the NAB business survey suggest momentum in the economy has slowed, meaning that growth has likely peaked for the cycle. That said, we are cognisant there is still considerable uncertainty around the outlook, both with respect to activity and inflation.”

Dr Auld said inflation risks and labour market outcomes would be important to watch.

“On the prices side, we are still forecasting above target core inflation through to mid-2027. Margins will compress and weaker labour market outcomes are a risk.”

She said tighter financial conditions are expected to weigh on housing and activity.

“Tighter financial conditions will be reflected in a slowing in house price growth and housing credit growth. In summary, we have greater conviction that the next move in rates is down, but less conviction on the timing.”

Staff reporter

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