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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-buxton-1381">Michael Buxton</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>

In Sydney and Melbourne, the squeeze is on. Population is booming; house prices are still rising; roads and trains are congested. Australian governments generally have ignored the benefits of relating metropolitan and regional planning.

However, some state governments are now investigating more integrated sectoral and spatial planning strategies, initially through shifting public sector jobs to regional centres.

In particular, improved regional rail connections do work. Already <a href="https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/projects/rail-projects/">rail investments</a> have brought Ballarat, Geelong and other regional centres closer in travel time to Melbourne than many outer suburbs, and this trend will continue.

<hr>
Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/commuters-help-regions-tap-into-city-driven-growth-63097">Commuters help regions tap into city-driven growth</a>

<hr>
Sydney has similar opportunities with regional rail connections, but has not yet exercised them. Rail services to and from Gosford, Newcastle and Wollongong have improved little over recent decades.

<h2>Rail bypasses clogged arteries</h2>

For decades, policymakers’ <a href="https://theconversation.com/victoria-needs-a-big-picture-transport-plan-that-isnt-about-winners-v-losers-65567">preferred solution to congestion</a> has been adding and widening freeways. But promises of faster travel times and freer movement have been illusory. New roads and freeway lanes <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-freeways-cure-congestion-time-to-put-the-myth-to-bed-13896">induce more traffic</a> and will provide short-lived solutions in our biggest cities.

<hr>
Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/traffic-congestion-is-there-a-miracle-cure-hint-its-not-roads-42753">Traffic congestion: is there a miracle cure? (Hint: it’s not roads)</a>

<hr>
These cities are the main drivers of Australia’s national economy, attracting advanced business service professionals and knowledge providers.

Access to high-value jobs, transport arteries that function well, and better-managed population growth will become critically important to urban economies as these cities move towards populations of 8 million people.

In Sydney and Melbourne, critics are claiming that major new road projects such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-fewer-drivers-are-likely-to-use-westconnex-than-predicted-38286">WestConnex</a> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/modelling-for-major-road-projects-is-at-odds-with-driver-behaviour-63603">Western Distributor</a> will <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-council/.../may16-fmc2-agenda-6-1.pdf">increase central city traffic congestion</a>, particularly for <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-city-council-report-is-critical-of-western-distributor-plans-20160512-gou0tq">work-related journeys</a>.

<hr>
Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/modelling-for-major-road-projects-is-at-odds-with-driver-behaviour-63603">Modelling for major road projects is at odds with driver behaviour</a>

<hr>
<h2>Victoria proves regional rail works</h2>

Contrast that with the success of regional rail development. Victoria has invested several billion dollars in a series of projects. These have raised maximum regional train speeds to provincial cities to 160kph, increased reliability, provided new and much <a href="http://www.railfutures.org.au/2016/08/intercity-how-regional-rail-can-re-balance-population-growth-and-create-a-state-of-cities-in-victoria/">faster trains and transformed frequency</a>.

<figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/181124/area14mp/file-20170807-6948-tecx1i.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/181124/width237/file-20170807-6948-tecx1i.jpg"></a>

<figcaption>Victoria’s investment in regional rail has quadrupled train services and almost halved travel time between Ballarat and Melbourne. <a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/camperdown/28038626890/in/photolist-JHFhVy-Khcmja-K41PqS-Kacg5q-sQLNRo-JxQmGN-Ht53h3-Krv3yb-yC5G2E-K9mrf8-JxJsDj-JxSCxF-xXj8Ya-K2oyrj-JxJoeC-E1Qxyk-KnyQVx-Kno1tT-scpF6Y-sR1Q8H-bX8kv3-6hCxPF-6hGHcA-KhcqQp-sQYuxi-KufDw8-Kum23z-qV4ajk-UULjeH-UThL7X-VVUCUC-WduPzL-aHieqX-VmhYvH-X7BVan-nzEMuB-nkcFBD-UihKzM-TMo3zY-nAswF7-nku4UJ-aHpbxz-TbJf5q-TRzjkj-bX8mif-W9Vppf-qr1EH8-aHpbxD-UihJKR-h9SDEX">Hugh Llewelyn/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></figcaption></figure>The 119km peak-hour trip from Ballarat to Melbourne before these investments took two hours, with four trains a day on offer. Today 22 daily trains operate in each direction between Melbourne and Ballarat. Boarding the 4.33pm from Southern Cross delivers passengers to Ballarat 65 minutes later.

From Geelong, the transformation has been even greater. The recently completed <a href="http://economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/transport/rail-and-roads/public-transport/regional-rail-link">Regional Rail Link</a> runs 55 daily trains each way. The project was the first to be approved by Infrastructure Australia, backed by A$3.8 billion in state and Commonwealth funding.

<h2>Patronage boom calls for more work</h2>

These upgrades, however, have become victims of their own success. Some lines have recorded a <a href="http://www.railfutures.org.au/2016/08/intercity-how-regional-rail-can-re-balance-population-growth-and-create-a-state-of-cities-in-victoria/">300% increase in patronage</a>. Similar increases are projected for the next decade.

Remarkably, within two years of opening, patronage growth has already <a href="http://www.railfutures.org.au/2016/08/intercity-how-regional-rail-can-re-balance-population-growth-and-create-a-state-of-cities-in-victoria/">reached capacity</a> on the inner part of the Regional Rail Link (which segregates metropolitan from country trains for travel to and from central Melbourne). There is little or no capacity for extra trains to be run in peak times.

Trains are becoming ever more crowded. Long-distance commuters have valued their ability to work, read or sleep on these trains, especially during their homeward journeys. They must now compete for seats with others from rapidly expanding western suburbs, which are yet to gain their own suburban train services.

A short-term fix would create longer trains of eight carriages instead of six. A medium-term fix would electrify and provide separate services to the part of the Geelong line that serves the new dormitory suburbs.

These changes need to be complemented by more frequent and better co-ordinated feeder bus services to stations. In addition, easily accessed large commuter carparks need to be built on vacant land on the Melbourne side of the major regional centres.

In the longer term, the answer lies in providing more multiple tracks to fully segregate suburban and regional trains in suburban areas. Providing robust double-line railways in each corridor will prevent the cascade effect that occurs when trains delay each other on single lines.

The completion of level-crossing removals will also allow higher operating speeds and safer operations. Trains will be able to move progressively to maximum speeds of 200kph where feasible rather than 160kph.

<h2>Regional cities must avoid past mistakes</h2>

These rail investments will further promote population growth in regional cities. Already, regionally developed services, more affordable housing stock and less frantic lifestyles are acting as attractors.

It is essential to integrate the planning of major regional transport projects with spatial planning to avoid the undesirable results of fragmented policy.

Some regional centres are repeating the worst mistakes of metropolitan low-density urban sprawl by expanding on greenfield sites far from town centres. <a href="http://soacconference.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Buxton3.pdf">Modelling of Victorian regional towns</a> has shown that they contain in-fill opportunities to at least double existing populations and provide a range of affordable housing options.

To maintain liveability for expected high population growth, heavy rail investment is vital. Carefully targeted regional rail investment can shrink distance, provide access to more jobs and better lifestyles, and contribute to wider housing choices.

This investment is a critical requirement for continued prosperity in Australia’s largest urban centres.

<hr>
This article was co-authored by Bill Russell of the <a href="http://www.railfutures.org.au/">Rail Futures Institute</a>, Melbourne.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/81902/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">Find out more about what Victoria can do to overcome the commuter crush at <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/railway-remedies-cutting-the-crush-on-geelong-trains-tickets-36216041154">Railway Remedies: Cutting the Crush on Geelong Trains</a>, hosted by the RMIT Centre for Urban Research (CUR) and Deakin University at the Percy Baxter Theatre, Deakin Geelong campus, on Wednesday, August 9.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-buxton-1381">Michael Buxton</a>, Professor of Environment and Planning, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-is-how-regional-rail-can-help-ease-our-big-cities-commuter-crush-81902">original article</a>.
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theconversation

This is how regional rail can help ease our big cities' commuter crush

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolyn-whitzman-9944">Carolyn Whitzman</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a>

Liveability is an increasingly important goal of Australian planning policy. And creating cities where residents can get to most of the services they need within 20 to 30 minutes has been proposed, at both <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/politics/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-reveals-plan-to-streamline-road-and-rail-transport-in-cities/news-story/85f81d42bbef834721e696db113b3a36">federal</a> and <a href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2016/05/30/turnbulls-30-minute-city-serious-election-issue/">state</a> level, as a key liveability-related mechanism.

The previous federal government’s 2010 <a href="https://infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure/pab/files/Our_Cities_National_Urban_Policy_Paper_2011.pdf">National Urban Policy</a> stated:

<blockquote>
Liveable cities are socially inclusive, affordable, accessible, healthy, safe and resilient to the impacts of climate change … Liveable cities provide choice and opportunity for people to live their lives, and raise their families, to their fullest potential.
</blockquote>

<hr>
Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-30-minute-city-how-do-we-put-the-political-rhetoric-into-practice-56136">‘The 30-minute city’: how do we put the rhetoric into practice?</a>

<hr>
In Victoria, keeping Melbourne “attractive and liveable” is the cornerstone of the state government’s newly updated <a href="http://www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/377206/Plan_Melbourne_2017-2050_Strategy_.pdf">Plan Melbourne 2017-2050</a> strategy. Liveability is seen as a way to stay globally competitive, attracting more business and more international students, <a href="http://economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/victorian-economy-in-focus/priority-industries-sectors/international-education">Victoria’s most profitable service export</a>.

<a href="http://www.communityindicators.net.au/files/docs/Liveability%20Indicators%20report.pdf">Our summary</a> of research on liveability indicators also points to strong links with general population health and environmental sustainability.

<a href="http://www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/377206/Plan_Melbourne_2017-2050_Strategy_.pdf">Plan Melbourne’s</a> vision of liveability involves:

<blockquote>
… a city of 20-minute neighbourhoods … where people can access most of their needs within a 20-minute walk, cycle or public transport trip.
</blockquote>

The plan discusses people’s need for access to a long list of local services – shopping centres, health facilities, schools and lifelong learning opportunities, playgrounds and parks (including community gardens, green spaces and recreation facilities), affordable housing (including the ability to age in place) and “local public transport”.

It also values attributes such as “safe”, “walkable” and “attractive”. Specifically excluded is a 20-minute commute to most employment, although the plan mentions local work opportunities.

<hr>
Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-a-difference-a-month-makes-but-victoria-can-still-do-more-to-get-housing-and-planning-right-74233">Victoria can still do more to get housing and planning right</a>

<hr>
To create a city of 20-minute neighbourhoods over Plan Melbourne’s 30-year time frame, at least three strategic planning challenges must be overcome.

<h2>How do we define and measure success?</h2>

First, the plan fails to specify what access means and how it is measured, as well as what local needs are key. For instance, the average speed of a leisurely walk by a healthy adult along a relatively flat footpath is <a href="http://www.usroads.com/journals/p/rej/9710/re971001.htm">five kilometres per hour</a>. Older and younger pedestrians may be slower.

Including the time lost to stopping at intersections and meandering footpaths, a <a href="http://www.activehealthycommunities.com.au/plan/gis-analysis/walking-cycling-pedshed-analysis/">“pedshed” analysis</a> often equates a 20-minute walk with a distance of 800 metres.

Plan Melbourne does not list the essential social infrastructure or distance measurement methods that will be used to create the 20-minute radius for each neighbourhood. This poses problems for the important task of tracking progress.

In contrast, the US city of Portland’s <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/portlandplan/?a=288547&amp;c=52256">strategic plan</a> for a 20-minute city requires four key pieces of social infrastructure located close to affordable residential housing. These are: public primary schools, grocery stores, green parks, and public transport stops with <a href="http://atrf.info/papers/2012/2012_Curtis_Scheurer.pdf">minimum travel frequency standards</a>.

<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/180670/area14mp/file-20170802-11403-1nhdx6r.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/180670/width754/file-20170802-11403-1nhdx6r.jpg"></a>

<figcaption>Regular public transport is one of four key pieces of social infrastructure that Portland’s strategic plan specifies must be close to affordable housing. <a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portland-oregon-usa-september-20-2014-643210243?src=A62MgmJEzQRXXX92L02Bnw-1-19">Dee Browning / Shutterstock.com</a></figcaption></figure>In Australia, given our <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-27/australians-are-older-ethnically-diverse-and-less-religious/8654440">growing elderly population</a>, bulk-billing health services might also be required infrastructure in each 20-minute neighbourhood.

<h2>Infrastructure deficit is daunting</h2>

In 1995, homes selling for A$100,000 or less were well within the means of median-income households in areas with good public transport access, like Maribyrnong, Dandenong and Heidelberg.

By 2015, homes selling for $415,000 (the new 25th percentile) were in areas like Gippsland, Sunbury and Bacchus Marsh. That’s well beyond the reach of metropolitan public transport.

Plan Melbourne does talk of “two cities” – the well-serviced, unaffordable central city, and underserviced middle and outer suburbs. But the plan does not adequately recognise the city’s severe and unfairly distributed infrastructure deficit.

The words “liveable” and “liveability” appear 40 times in 152 pages (with prefixes such as “protect”, “improve” and “world-renowned”); “equitable” and “equity” only five times.

This infrastructure deficit casts a daunting shadow over Plan Melbourne. To provide adequate transport and health services to Melbourne’s outer suburbs, <a href="http://ngaa.org.au/media/1065/cost_benefit_analysis_final_report.pdf">SGS Economics and Planning</a>, working with the National Growth Areas Authority, estimated funding of $5 billion a year will be needed over the next 15 years.

The Grattan Institute <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/news/should-you-worry-about-a-schools-shortage-it-really-depends-on-where-you-live/">has calculated</a> that Victoria will need around 220 new schools, mostly in outer suburbs, over the next ten years. Each primary school costs an average of $15 million to build, and high schools more than twice that.

In May, the state auditor <a href="http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/publications/20170511-School-Infrastructure/20170511-School-Infrastructure.pdf">highlighted</a> the chronic underfunding of 1,500 existing primary schools as a concern. The report also emphasised the need to greatly improve strategic planning for new schools.

Social housing, recognised as a vital priority in Infrastructure Victoria’s recent <a href="http://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/sites/default/files/images/IV%2030%20Year%20Strategy%20WEB%20V2.PDF">30-year strategy</a>, is a critical shortfall across Melbourne. The shortfall is particularly acute in areas with adequate infrastructure. The strategy estimates 75,000 to 100,000 low-income households’ needs are unmet.

To keep pace with population growth, 50,000 dwellings a year must be built. At least half would need to be accessible to households in the bottom half of the income scale.

A Commonwealth <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/HousingAffordability">advisory report</a> on housing affordability found almost half of Australian renters are in housing stress, as median home ownership costs have risen from the recommended 2.5 times annual household income to well over six times.

<hr>
Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/tackling-housing-unaffordability-a-10-point-national-plan-43628">Tackling housing unaffordability: a 10-point national plan</a>

<hr>
The well-serviced central cities have the highest housing prices, with Sydney and Melbourne the worst.

Plan Melbourne talks about housing affordability in general terms. What it lacks is specific affordable housing targets for inner and middle suburbs with adequate infrastructure to overcome inequalities in delivering the 20-minute city.

<h2>Tax system hinders funding</h2>

The state is responsible for strategic planning and most infrastructure provision, but the Commonwealth controls most of Australia’s tax revenue. The result is that, despite being home to one in four Australians, Victoria <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-03/pm-denies-victoria-is-being-ripped-off-infrastructure-spending/8494450">gets only about 8%</a> of federal infrastructure spending.

And the federal government is one of the main contributors to the affordable housing crisis by subsidising housing speculation through <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/872-Hot-Property.pdf">negative gearing and capital gains tax exemption</a>.

The Grattan Institute estimates these measures cost the budget almost <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/hot-property/">$11.7 billion</a> per year. That’s enough to fund essential infrastructure improvements across Australia.

<hr>
Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/negative-gearing-windbacks-could-deliver-5-3bn-a-year-grattan-58277">Negative gearing windbacks could deliver $5.3bn a year: Grattan</a>

<hr>
<h2>Possible pathways to improvement</h2>

So what is the prognosis for 20-minute cities? What could be done to increase the chances of achieving this important goal?

The state government could clarify its definition of key access indicators, and begin mapping 20-minute access by neighbourhood to monitor progress, as <a href="http://www.portlandonline.com/portlandplan/?a=288547&amp;c=52256">Portland does</a>.

Vancouver, Canada, has included access <a href="http://guidelines.vancouver.ca/H004.pdf">indicators</a> in its planning for family-friendly, high-density housing since 1992. The indicators include a maximum distance of 800 metres to a community centre, a grocery store, a public primary school and associated play area, daycare centre and after-school care; and 400 metres to a playground and a frequently serviced public transport stop.

An <a href="https://www.sarkissian.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/FCN-POE-Compilation-Report-FINAL.pdf">evaluation</a> of the 50,000 residents in the central Vancouver community of False Creek North showed high levels of satisfaction among households that settled there.

Victoria could also follow Portland’s example of giving priority to improving infrastructure in under-serviced areas and to providing affordable housing in well-serviced areas. Plan Melbourne still lacks mechanisms to achieve this.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80082/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">The 20-minute city is a worthy goal. As difficult as it may be to imagine at the moment, federal, state and local governments must collaborate, along with private developers and investors, if the access needs of all city residents are to be met.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carolyn-whitzman-9944">Carolyn Whitzman</a>, Professor of Urban Planning, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-20-minute-city-sounds-good-but-becoming-one-is-a-huge-challenge-80082">original article</a>.
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A 20-minute city sounds good, but becoming one is a huge challenge

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-shaw-39629">Kate Shaw</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a>

A <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-should-the-state-wriggle-out-of-providing-public-housing-79581">recent suggestion</a> that new housing on inner-city public land should start from a presumption of 100% social housing prompted indignation in government circles. “We can’t condemn another generation of Victorians to live in housing poverty,” huffed the housing minister, Martin Foley.

It’s curious, then, that we heard barely a peep about the latest government <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/queen-victoria-market-tower-height-slashed-in-compromise-with-city-council-20170711-gx8omx#_blank">announcement</a> that the height of an apartment tower associated with the Queen Victoria Market makeover will be reduced by removing the <a href="https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/application/files/7914/9969/1470/1955_CoM_QVM_A4_factsheet_2sided_FA.PDF">original affordable housing component</a> to a separate, smaller development.

It is tempting to conclude that both responses accord, naturally, with the interests of the developers of private housing. But that would be to over-simplify the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00049182.2015.1075270?journalCode=cage20">complex issue of social mix</a>. It is increasingly clear there is no one-size-fits-all.

The principle of social mix now routinely drives public housing estate renewals and new housing builds on surplus public land. This is usually expressed in a 50:50 mix of social (public and community) and private housing, though the social component is often much smaller. As the stock of public land is ever diminishing, and affordable housing is in such short supply, this is problematic.

I have <a href="http://policypress.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1332/policypress/9781847424938.001.0001/upso-9781847424938-chapter-10">argued before</a> that government commitments to social mix are often disingenuous. They are more likely to be driven by an ideological imperative to privatise public assets, or at best to secure upgrades to public housing without having to fund them directly.

<h2>What does the evidence tell us?</h2>

Soon-to-be-published research by Abdullahi Jama and I on the Carlton public housing estate redevelopment supports these conclusions.

Our findings show that public and private residents on the new estate are not mixed. They are <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/social-mix-approach-to-public-housing-is-failing-research-finds-20170616-gwsj3m#_blank">divided into separate buildings with separate gardens</a>, explicitly with a view to increasing the value of the private apartments.

The case that normally follows from such a finding is that public and private households should be “salt and peppered” through new apartment buildings to encourage social mixing. While Abdullahi and I agree this is a necessary precondition for social mixing, this is not the entirety of our argument. We question the very basics of the policy orthodoxy on social mix.

The rationale for building upmarket private housing in low-income areas draws on the neighbourhood effects thesis, which says that concentrations of poverty exacerbate its effects.

This might be the case in large areas of disadvantage, such as the US <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/rust-belt-what-is-it-us-ohio-michigan-pennsylvania-election-2016-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-a7405141">Rust Belt</a> cities, parts of the UK and even some outer suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne. But it doesn’t stand up in highly resourced, gentrified inner cities where community facilities and opportunities for interaction are plentiful.

<figure><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JjVmX_lk4LQ?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440"></iframe>

<figcaption>Paul Watt talks about neighbourhood effects, the disputed idea that poor communities benefit from social mix in urban renewal projects.</figcaption></figure>Even where poverty is widespread, studies from <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://spe.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/spe/article/view/6081/3071">Toronto</a>, <a href="http://rabble.ca/news/2012/02/moving-gentrification-vancouvers-downtown-eastside">Vancouver</a>, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789400723085">Amsterdam</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10901-009-9174-9">London</a> show that imposed social mix disrupts support networks and social structures. Involuntary displacement from a neighbourhood often has <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0042098008097105">serious</a> <a href="http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_urbanlaw/vol28/iss1/4/">effects</a> on physical and mental health.

<figure><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/39_bq1_jO1U?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440"></iframe>

<figcaption>Ranjan Balakumaran and Kam Sandhu discuss the displacement of poorer communities by ‘redevelopment’.</figcaption></figure>Minority communities may benefit from concentration in terms of safety and maintaining their cultural heritage. A substantial <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=SPJywR489q0C&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PR1&amp;dq=Mixed+Communities:+Gentrification+by+Stealth%3F&amp;ots=alue9lxGaG&amp;sig=NcLyoVT8sGwHKHzmZuGUZYo0TRE#v=onepage&amp;q=Mixed%20Communities%3A%20Gentrification%20by%20Stealth%3F&amp;f=false">body of research</a> shows that social mix policies do not replace the social capital they displace.

So, are there good reasons to introduce social mix?

The strongest argument is the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228361869_There_goes_the_neighbourhood_The_malign_effects_of_stigma">reduction of stigma</a> that for some people comes with public housing. If the public housing is indistinguishable from private housing, the public tenants’ wellbeing is considered to be improved.

It’s not entirely clear, however, whether this is due as much to the housing being new and decent as to having private residents as neighbours. Also unresolved is the question of whether stigma is felt as keenly on estates in gentrified cities, which are islands of public housing in seas of inner-city privilege, as it may be in widely disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

There is certainly evidence that, for some people, being thrust among others from different class and socio-economic groups can increase feelings of inadequacy, discomfort and sometimes hostility.

<h2>So how do we provide affordable housing?</h2>

These issues vary across place, time and individuals. What is clear is that different responses are needed accordingly.

It is also clear that, with <a href="https://theconversation.com/affordable-housing-finger-pointing-politics-and-possible-policy-solutions-75703">dire shortages</a> of <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-outdated-assumptions-prevent-progress-on-affordable-housing-to-everyones-cost-80198">affordable housing</a> in so many cities, all opportunities should be seized to build as much affordable housing as possible. That’s not just <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-should-the-state-wriggle-out-of-providing-public-housing-79581">public</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/community-sector-offers-a-solid-platform-for-fair-social-housing-79997">community housing</a>, but <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-10/affordable-housing-scheme-helping-essential-workers/8432522">“key worker” housing</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/at-budget-time-remember-we-all-live-in-subsidised-housing-26520">“below market rent” housing</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/reinventing-density-how-baugruppen-are-pioneering-the-self-made-city-66488">co-op housing</a> and <a href="https://www.prosper.org.au/2008/05/29/community-land-trusts-explained/">community land trusts</a>. Models for all these exist and should be encouraged and explored.

A diversity of housing types must include diverse sources of funding, with a range of support programs. Involving future residents in design and ensuring they know what they’re moving into, and enabling people to organise their own housing, are far more effective ways of building social harmony than enforcing a rigid notion of mix.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80956/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">Separate buildings for social tenants and private residents next to the Vic Market might be a perfectly reasonable response. But it should come from nuanced public policy and optimal use of public resources, rather than the developers and their sales people.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-shaw-39629">Kate Shaw</a>, Future Fellow, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-mix-in-housing-one-size-doesnt-fit-all-as-new-projects-show-80956">original article</a>.
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Social mix in housing? One size doesn't fit all, as new projects show

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/louise-crabtree-128457">Louise Crabtree</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>

This is one of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/ecocity-summit-40496">series</a> of articles to coincide with the 2017 <a href="https://www.ecocity2017.com/">Ecocity World Summit</a> in Melbourne.

<hr>
As we become an <a href="https://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/Publications/Files/WUP2014-Highlights.pdf">increasingly urban species</a>, urban resilience is emerging as a big deal. The idea is generating a lot of noise about how to develop or retrofit cities that can deal with the many challenges before us, or consume less energy in the transition to post-carbon economies.

There is ample activity aimed at making this happen, including through designing and building <a href="http://www.urbanecology.org.au/eco-cities/what-is-an-ecocity/">ecocities</a>, and calls such as that of the <a href="http://earthwiseharmony.com/CONNECT/EH-Transition-Towns-Australia">Transition Towns</a> movement, which suggests substantial changes to our ways of life might be both necessary and inevitable.

In all of this, very little has been said about the elephant in the urban living room – property. Property systems are the codification of our relationship to place and the way in which many of us make a claim to place, including a roof over our heads.

If our cities are to become more resilient and sustainable, our systems of property need to come along for the ride.

<h2>Static property rights will be tested</h2>

Western systems of property law assume property is delineated and static: the property holder has invested (often substantial) financial resources to secure a claim to that neatly identified parcel of land and/or buildings. Further, the property owner expects to make a nice economic return on their parcel.

Unfortunately, the future doesn’t look neatly delineated or static. Many researchers and practitioners tell us the future might not look like anything we’ve ever seen. Some say we are reaching a tipping point, after which the rules we have constructed will <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/neweconomics/the-post-capitalist-interregnum/">no longer apply</a> or be of use.

As some property is <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/is-the-australian-dream-of-a-beachfront-home-really-worth-it/news-story/37842853b935d2e78faa4d4f7deb2ff2">washed out to sea</a>, much may become <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/22/climate/95-degree-day-maps">too hot to live in</a>, and what remains may be subject to relentless and increasing waves of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/01/climate-change-trigger-unimaginable-refugee-crisis-senior-military">migration and instability</a>.

In the face of such calamity, how then might we – as a big, inclusive “we” – talk about and demonstrate our relationship to place? Will we be able to do that without seeing the emergence of metaphorical or actual fortresses?

<h2>Models that allow for change</h2>

These are live questions. There are no easy answers, but there are places where we might start.

Models such as <a href="http://www.beachapedia.org/Rolling_Easements">rolling easements</a> offer one way to handle property that is in flux. Rolling easements are a form of property that <a href="https://theconversation.com/coastal-law-shift-from-property-rights-to-climate-adaptation-is-a-landmark-reform-59083">recognises that the coast is a dynamic landscape</a> and allows for the coastline of wetlands to migrate inland as sea levels rise.

These sound promising in their capacity to balance private and public interests in property, but their potential has <a href="http://www.coastalconference.com/2014/.../Tayanah%20O'Donnell%20Full%20Paper.pdf">not yet been tested</a> in areas of urban development, such as housing.

Echoing the potential mobility and flexibility of rolling easements are <a href="http://www.shareable.net/blog/can-we-build-homes-on-trust">diverse housing tenures</a> that can dislocate the right to reside in place from exclusionary, proprietary title to an individual, speculative housing “asset”.

Examples include <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_cooperative">housing co-operatives</a> and <a href="https://www.prosper.org.au/2008/05/29/community-land-trusts-explained/">community land trusts</a>. So far, these have proven effective in delivering a range of affordable and flexible housing options, but still ultimately rely on an understanding that property is static.

So, how might we conceptualise and identify dynamic models of housing that can change with our cities?

Mobility studies are starting to talk about home as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12314">mobile and fluid</a>, while resilience theory is recognising the importance of a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2016.1139865">sense of place</a>. Resilience theory also tells us that complex systems are <a href="https://www.resalliance.org/adaptive-mgmt">best governed</a> by collaborative, flexible, learning mechanisms.

The combination of more fluid understandings of home and more sensitive ideas of place may offer a framework for thinking about how we occupy cities through complex challenges and in the face of uncertainty – including how to accommodate the need for mobility and flexibility.

<h2>Indigenous inspiration</h2>

<a href="https://theconversation.com/kidmans-sale-marks-second-wave-of-south-australian-colonisation-40319">Living in colonised landscapes</a> tells us it might be time to rethink which way around the “ownership” dynamic works in property relationships.

That is, if we are to think about and create property systems that are as dynamic as the landscapes we occupy, we might need to start thinking about ourselves as belonging to and answerable to the land, not the other way around.

We might also need to start thinking about our claims not being static but dependent on the web of relationships we are entwined in, including with non-humans. Some say that First Peoples might have a grasp of property dynamics that is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/27/western-idea-private-property-flawed-indigenous-peoples-have-it-right">more suited</a> to the times we are entering.

So, making cities green might be the easy part. It remains to be seen whether property law and property systems are up to the task of transition.

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<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80672/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">You can read other articles in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/ecocity-summit-40496">here</a>. The <a href="https://www.ecocity2017.com/">Ecocity World Summit</a> is being hosted by the University of Melbourne, Western Sydney University, the Victorian government and the City of Melbourne in Melbourne from July 12-14.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/louise-crabtree-128457">Louise Crabtree</a>, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-property-survive-the-great-climate-transition-80672">original article</a>.
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Can property survive the great climate transition?

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/glen-searle-103536">Glen Searle</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>

Population growth has profound impacts on Australian life, and sorting myths from facts can be difficult. This is the third article in our series, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/is-australia-full-39068">Is Australia Full?</a>, which aims to help inform a wide-ranging and often emotive debate.

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Australia has the <a href="http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/factbook-2015-1-en/evopop_g1?contentType=%2fns%2fStatisticalPublication%2c%2fns%2fChapter&amp;itemId=%2fcontent%2fchapter%2ffactbook-2015-1-en&amp;mimeType=text%2fhtml&amp;containerItemId=%2fcontent%2fserial%2f18147364&amp;accessItemIds=&amp;option6=imprint&amp;value6=http%3a%2f%2foecd.metastore.ingenta.com%2fcontent%2fimprint%2foecd&amp;_csp_=4c076bdd9393ccf0422808ed2ced01cf">highest rate of population growth</a> of all the medium and large OECD countries. And <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/3218.0">more than three-quarters of the growth</a> is in four cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. But urban planning for this growth is often inadequate.

For a start, attempts to reduce infrastructure costs and save agricultural land by imposing urban growth boundaries have foundered.

In Melbourne, the statutory <a href="https://vpa.vic.gov.au/greenfield/more-information/urban-growth-boundary-key-facts/">urban growth boundary</a> has <a href="https://blogs.crikey.com.au/theurbanist/2012/06/26/why-expand-melbournes-growth-boundary/">repeatedly been pushed outwards</a>. The city is struggling to <a href="https://theconversation.com/back-to-the-drawing-board-for-australian-urban-planning-22287">meet its urban consolidation targets</a>.

In Brisbane, a 2015 University of Queensland <a href="http://ftp.iza.org/dp9028.pdf">study</a> found well-connected individuals own 75% of rezoned greenfield areas but only 12% of comparable land immediately outside the rezoning boundaries. The researchers conclude that rezoning was primarily driven by these landowners’ relationship networks.

In turn, planning is failing to protect high-value environments from urban development. Policies to preserve koala habitat around Brisbane have <a href="https://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/wildlife/koalas/pdf/koala-expert-panel-interim-report.pdf">failed</a>. Land clearing has increased since 2009.

And in Western Australia, under <a href="https://www.dpc.wa.gov.au/Consultation/StrategicAssessment/Pages/Default.aspx">Perth’s draft strategy</a>, 50% of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/cocky-count-how-perths-green-growth-plan-could-wipe-out-was-best-loved-bird-56442">remaining feeding habitat</a> of the endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoo and 98 square kilometres of <a href="https://theconversation.com/ecocheck-perths-banksia-woodlands-are-in-the-path-of-the-sprawling-city-59911">banksia woodland</a> will be lost.

Despite their expanding area, Australian cities have less green open space. In attempts to reduce the costs of new infrastructure to meet the needs of increasing populations, average housing block size <a href="https://soe.environment.gov.au/theme/built-environment/topic/2016/livability-housing">has been reduced</a>.

New suburbs have virtually no backyards because the planning process has failed to mandate minimum garden areas. The result is <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-are-cities-warmer-than-the-countryside-53160">urban heat islands</a> that <a href="https://theconversation.com/fewer-trees-leave-the-outer-suburbs-out-in-the-heat-33299">lack greenery</a> and recreation space.

<h2>Costly housing of poorer quality</h2>

Rising populations require more infrastructure. In Australia, the <a href="http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Policy-and-Legislation/Infrastructure/Infrastructure-Funding?acc_section=development_contributions">developer contributions</a> required to fund new local infrastructure are passed on to new home buyers in the form of higher house prices, reducing affordability.

Alternative methods could eliminate up-front hits on new home owners. An example is <a href="https://wenku.baidu.com/view/4c89ab669b6648d7c1c74659">benefit assessment districts</a>, where infrastructure is funded by bonds and repaid by the beneficiaries over decades. But state governments are resistant to this because new public loans are seen as a threat to state credit ratings.

Governments are also reluctant to use <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-value-capture-and-what-does-it-mean-for-cities-58776">value capture</a>, which involves applying a levy on increased property values arising from greenfield or brownfield rezoning. The levy proceeds pay for infrastructure or affordable housing.

Governments have seen such a levy as increasing developer costs and thus decreasing affordability. However, if value capture is signalled in advance, developers will reduce the price they pay for new sites to take account of the levy. In high-cost London, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/29/london-mayor-sadiq-khan-35-affordable-homes-target-deal-developers">affordable housing targets of 35%</a> have been applied to developers, compared to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/sydney-needs-higher-affordable-housing-targets-69207">5% proposed for Sydney</a>.

Furthermore, poor planning for high-density developments in Melbourne has allowed developers to meet increased population demand by constructing “<a href="https://theconversation.com/life-in-a-windowless-box-the-vertical-slums-of-melbourne-41181">vertical slums</a>” of micro-apartments of under 50 square metres with windowless bedrooms.

Such developments are illegal in comparable world cities. A recent <a href="https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/media/fellows/Hodyl_L_2014_Social_outcomes_in_hyper-dense_high-rise_residential_environments_1.pdf">report</a> found that weak planning controls have allowed Melbourne’s high-rise apartments to be built at four times the densities allowed in Hong Kong, New York and Tokyo.

Due to the supposed effects on affordability and saleability, developers are not being required to provide new open space for higher-density urban populations. In some cases, these services aren’t being funded because governments <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/history-of-development-contributions-under-the-n/FINAL%20development%20contributions.pdf">set caps on developer contributions</a> to local infrastructure to reduce dwelling costs.

According to the <a href="https://www.lgnsw.org.au/files/imce-uploads/127/draft-lgnsw-submission-to-gsc-draft-district-plans-and-towards-our-greater-sydney-2056-march-2017.pdf">Local Government NSW</a> association, necessary state government infrastructure for higher population densities is often lacking too.

<h2>Politics of traffic</h2>

Urban population growth forecasts are driving <a href="https://bitre.gov.au/publications/2015/is_074.aspx">estimates of huge increases in traffic congestion costs</a>. However, electoral politics are also overriding pro-public transport strategies such as metro rail.

Three major motorway projects initiated during the Abbott era in <a href="https://www.westconnex.com.au">Sydney</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/east-west-link-13782">Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Documents/Perth%20Freight%20Link-Information%20Sheet%20April%202015-web.RCN-D15%5E23197747.PDF">Fremantle</a> cut through left-leaning inner-city electorates, while <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08111146.2016.1272448">appealing to outer-suburban swing voters</a>.

Inner-city motorway developments are still proceeding. WestConnex (Sydney), Western Distributor (Melbourne) and Legacy Way (Brisbane) are driving investments in private profit-making transport infrastructure. Comparable cities overseas, such as San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles, <a href="http://www.accessmagazine.org/fall-2009/paved-good-intentions-fiscal-politics-freeways-20th-century-american-city/">stopped building inner-city motorways</a> years ago.

The business cases for new motorways also omit significant community costs. In the case of WestConnex, these include:

<ul>
<li>
	the costs of the extra sprawl induced by longer but quicker commuting trips;
	</li>
	<li>
	the time and revenue costs of capturing tens of thousands of daily public transport trips; and
	</li>
	<li>
	loss in value of properties near to interchanges.
	</li>
</ul>
Deficient business cases caused four inner-city motorways – <a href="http://www.afr.com/news/special-reports/cross-city-tunnel-headed-for-second-fatality-20130909-j0f4s">Cross City Tunnel</a>, <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/toll-of-misery-as-tunnel-goes-under-20100120-mlsn">Lane Cove Tunnel</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=4&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiNl4m79q_UAhWGxrwKHSX3C80QFgg_MAM&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fbusiness%2Fcompanies%2Fgovernment-wins-battle-for-bankrupt-clem7-tunnel%2Fnews-story%2F82f181047d67f1684cf5ae472af3ee21&amp;usg=AFQjCNFyD-r_mjY-bmXxtpMTB4H13RDruQ">Clem 7 Tunnel</a> and <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/airport-link-failure-a-total-disaster-asa/news-story/e0255230d2e46daaab90d3d8ec1d4f2c">Airport Link</a> – to go into receivership in the last few years, as the demand was never there.

<h2>Hostage to the Growth Machine</h2>

Part of the problem is Australia’s acute <a href="https://theconversation.com/renewing-federalism-what-are-the-solutions-to-vertical-fiscal-imbalance-31422">vertical fiscal imbalance</a>.

For instance, 80% of Sydney’s taxes go to the Commonwealth, not the state government. This means the federal government reaps the income gains from bigger city populations, while the states lack the resources to provide adequate urban infrastructure and services for these growing populations.

Perhaps the shortcomings of planning resulting from the need to accommodate fast-growing populations could be mended with reduced growth.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/75930/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">But Australian cities show all the symptoms of Moloch’s notion of a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.jstor.org/stable/2777096?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">Growth Machine</a>: a large cast of actors – the development industry, property owners and many more – have a vested interest in continued rapid population growth, and lobby to keep that growth going.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/glen-searle-103536">Glen Searle</a>, Honorary Associate Professor in Planning, University of Queensland and, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/city-planning-suffers-growth-pains-of-australias-population-boom-75930">original article</a>.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cafuego/33397836043/in/photolist-STfD6n-P9sXMD-Qa3AVG-NPcmFa-UkULRe-VQQiEh-VCM2VA-VUyFu7-VLzBsk-TK9cqL-RL4NdJ-SGdU9s-RFQbRv-Ri3tfo-QXihWu-U6UFQJ-PVJSNb-PNRxjK-PAhbHb-PqmPS8-PcHaUh-P8rAkh-P8rMf3-NU4VZ9-N9zoTf-N2J9aR-MwZ4VG-MvQo1j-LJzrgb-Ma5RS9-Lg3rtT-LfSrUy-LfSRvG-LfSBcb-Lg3aTV-LLxijw-KQpunr-LyYTb3-LHQVGa-KLNg41-LEUxKL-Lht2M5-KLYkB8-KLXNbT-KBYgBu-K2yYsL-JY1ns8-JTRjBb-JTRjzN-JZXkYq">flickr</a>
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City planning suffers growth pains of Australia's population boom

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-woodcock-150260">Ian Woodcock</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/iain-lawrie-387154">Iain Lawrie</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a>

Melburnians have been talking about a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/wait-for-train-to-tullamarine-now-55-years-20121230-2c1c1">train to Tullamarine Airport</a> since well before it opened. Now Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made clear his enthusiasm for an <a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiGkr_squLUAhWDXLwKHT4fC3gQqUMIKDAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heraldsun.com.au%2Fnews%2Fvictoria%2Fmelbourne-airport-rail-link-may-be-built-without-victorian-funding%2Fnews-story%2F2ef855853e494fc9fbd6261611a48085&amp;usg=AFQjCNFDRAYD7hlo0NmWHwvsN0zEZAu0Xg">airport rail line</a>, with or without state government support.

But these conversations need to move beyond the question of getting travellers between their plane and their city hotel.

Beyond airport access, this proposal highlights the potential for rail projects to shape Melbourne and feed an integrated public transport system that could serve its growing population.

<h2>How railways shape our cities</h2>

Transport investment shapes cities, but different modes <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.routledge.com/Transport-Planning-2nd-Edition/Banister/p/book/9780415261722">have diverse effects</a>.

Freeways, tollways and arterial roads (used by cars, taxis, ride-sharing services and buses, as well as trucks) encourage cities to extend horizontally at low densities. Rail-based modes (trams, light rail and trains, both passenger and freight) encourage <a href="https://islandpress.org/book/the-transit-metropolis">intensification of corridors and centres</a>.

Melbourne has concentrated most of its post-war transport investment on road-based transport. It has done very little to extend the enormous rail-based legacy of trams and trains built during the first century of European settlement. This is despite transport plans that proposed <a href="http://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/papers/gs1923.htm">doubling the tramway system</a> in 1923, and adding <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://library.intranet.vic.gov.au/client/search/asset/1286832">several new railway lines</a> – including to Doncaster, Rowville, and between Dandenong and Frankston.

Until 2015, the only major investment in suburban rail since the 1950s was the City Loop, which opened in 1981 after a decade of construction.

The City Loop’s clear legacy has been the transformation of Melbourne’s CBD into one of the highest-density mixed-use precincts in Australia. This has driven some of the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/C508DD213FD43EA7CA258148000C6BBE?OpenDocument">fastest growth in residential population</a> anywhere in the country.

The demonstrated desirability of apartment living in urban centres, driven by the accessibility delivered by metro-quality public transport, shows how investment in rail-based transport can reshape cities. While many have advocated this for decades, the precedents have primarily been European or North American.

Australians now have homegrown experience of what transit-oriented urbanism could mean. Sydney has many examples of substantial rail-based suburban intensification. Centres such as Chatswood, Bondi Junction, St Leonards, Strathfield and Wolli Creek (close to Sydney Airport) offer insight into opportunities for Melbourne and elsewhere.

<h2>Airport rail can give structure to city’s growing west</h2>

A 25-minute metro journey from Melbourne’s Southern Cross station to the airport via Maribyrnong would appear time-competitive with the profitable and popular <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/skybus-fares-hit-new-high-as-company-jacks-up-price-of-ticket-to-melbourne-airport-20160322-gnonk6">SkyBus service</a>.

However, unlike SkyBus, rail has the potential to fundamentally reshape Melbourne’s northwestern corridor.

A metro line to the airport east of the currently favoured Albion corridor could realise the considerable intensification potential of many sites along its route. This is no bad thing. Melbourne’s population is projected to rise to <a href="https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/14036/Victoria-in-Future-2016-FINAL-web.pdf">8 million by 2051</a>, with disproportionate growth in the western suburbs.

Although exact alignments are up for grabs, significant urban renewal potential exists at Flemington, Footscray, Highpoint, the former Maribyrnong Defence site, Essendon Fields, Airport West, Tullamarine, and at the airport itself.

By directly investing in rail infrastructure, the federal government would reap the benefits of the land it owns and unlock the potential of many other locations. This is what integrating public transport and land-use planning looks like. And the urban outcome is vastly different from the current paradigm of road-driven transport and land-use planning.

<h2>Realising the full potential of an integrated transport system</h2>

A rail link won’t provide for all of the access demands for travel to and from the airport.

For that to occur, a comprehensive <a href="https://www.ptua.org.au/policy/network/">multi-modal network</a> solution that serves a much wider catchment is needed. There will always be people living beyond an easy stroll to a train station. Their needs can only be met by a radical rethink of Melbourne’s buses in addition to rail-based investment.

However, the latest proposal offers alternative ways to think about long-promised rail lines – such as Doncaster and Rowville – as part of a network, linking intensified suburban centres.

Some lines have the ability to do what Infrastructure Victoria <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/node/78">has recommended</a> to increase development densities in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, using light rail. For example, connecting Doncaster to the suburbs to its south and east, as well as its west, will provide great potential for intensification.

For Rowville, a light rail to Gardenvale will provide better public transport integration while maximising intensification potential.

Other comparable cities are realising the most effective combinations of public transport and land-use investment with light rail. In Montreal, Canada, the Quebec Pension Fund is investing in <a href="https://www.cdpqinfra.com/en/Reseau_electrique_metropolitain">67 kilometres of driverless light rail</a>. This will link the city’s airport with urban redevelopment zones and existing metro lines to create a city-wide multi-modal network.

In Melbourne, thinking about the city-shaping potential of rail-based transport should focus minds on the priority to <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/node/77">plan and build Melbourne Metro 2</a>. This would provide a tunnel between Clifton Hill and Newport, creating a cross-town metro from Wyndham Vale to Mernda via Fishermans Bend, which is currently bereft of quality public transport.

Melbourne Metro 2 would also improve the chances that <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/new-suburb-in-melbournes-west-given-the-nod-as-winning-bidder-selected-20151105-gkre9i">Werribee East</a> can realise its potential.

Turnbull is to be congratulated for his reported support for airport rail. But we should be wary of losing sight of the wood for the trees – or, more accurately, the network for the line.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80203/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">Victoria urgently needs a transport plan premised on integrated public transport and land-use planning. Only then might it work toward a liveable city for 8 million people.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-woodcock-150260">Ian Woodcock</a>, Lecturer, School of Global, Urban &amp; Social Studies, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/iain-lawrie-387154">Iain Lawrie</a>, Sessional Lecturer in Urban Planning, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/airport-rail-link-can-open-up-new-possibilities-for-the-rest-of-melbourne-80203">original article</a>.
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Airport rail link can open up new possibilities for the rest of Melbourne

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wendy-stone-9804">Wendy Stone</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/margaret-reynolds-324336">Margaret Reynolds</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/terry-burke-1268">Terry Burke</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a>

The great Australia dream of owning your own home is still alive despite the various problems plaguing housing affordability, new Census data shows. Even though the overall home ownership trend remains strong, it’s masking other issues.

The latest 2016 Census data assesses what the national home ownership and rental rates are and how these vary location. It also gives us a picture of mortgage and rental costs.

Comparing home ownership rates since the 2011 Census, there’s a slow but steady decline in home ownership rates overall - down by 2.9% from 64.9% of all Australian households in 2006, to 62.0% in 2016. However, 7.4% of households did not state their housing tenure in the 2016 Census. This accounts for some of the variation in reported rates of home ownership decline.

This contraction is nowhere of the scale of equivalent falls in home ownership in the US and UK and New Zealand over the same period.

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What’s more interesting than the overall trend, is the greater decline in outright home ownership, involving no mortgage debt, from 31.0% to 29.6% between 2011 and 2016. There’s also a lesser decline in home owners who are purchasing with mortgage debt 33.3% in 2011 compared with 32.4% in 2016.

The opportunity <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://apo.org.au/node/66261">households now have</a> to borrow against their mortgage loans for spending undoubtedly accounts for some of this change. Also contributing to this is home purchasers are less likely to reach retirement age with no remaining mortgage debt, in the same numbers as previous eras.

Another aspect of housing affordability is masked by these numbers - the wide variation in being able to purchase a home according to age and income. <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/2208/AHURI_Final_Report_No232_Generational-change-in-home-purchase-opportunity-in-Australia.pdf">Recent evidence indicates</a> would-be-home-owners try various means including very high mortgage debt and moving to outer urban locations away from employment and into smaller dwellings, to be able to buy a house. Some even delay having kids.

Census figures show that for people wanting to purchase a home, a change in state or city location may be an option. According to the data Darwin was the most expensive city to buy in, whereas Hobart was the cheapest for home purchasers.

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For households across the income spectrum, 7.2% of purchasers are paying more than 30% of their income on mortgage costs, the data shows. This figure is likely to be far higher among the lowest income (40% of households) for whom such costs place them in housing poverty.

Given the national obsession with investment in private rental, it’s no surprise that the proportion of all Australian households now renting has also increased. Census 2016 results show the private rental sector grew in size, from 20.2% in 2006, to 22.0% in 2011 and to 23.6% in 2016.

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In 2016 a total of 2,089,633 Australian households rented privately, either from real estate agents or private landlords.

The growth of the private rental sector largely reflects the high costs of home purchase. Many households who rent have a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-insecurity-of-private-renters-how-do-they-manage-it-77324">relative lack of security</a> and control over rental increases.

For those unable to pay rent in the private market, social housing is likely to provide little relief. Census data shows overall rates of social housing declining from 4.7% in 2006 to 4.0% in 2016. In this context, the <a href="http://www.homelessnessaustralia.org.au/index.php/about-homelessness/homeless-statistics">growth in rates of homelessness</a> in the last decade is perhaps not surprising.

For Indigenous Australians, the housing picture is different. Census 2016 data show among households in which at least one resident is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, 12.2% are outright owners, 25.9% are purchaser owners, 32.4% are renting privately. Around a fifth of households, 21.5%, live in social housing, reflecting targeted social housing programs in metropolitan, rural and regional areas.

Overall, home ownership has not changed as dramatically in the last decade, as some would have anticipated. However, it’s likely with the labour market being what it is and the adaptations people are making to try and buy a home, there may be longer-term problems to be seen in future.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80068/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">Excessive household debt, polarisation of cities into low and high income earning areas and deepening family housing constraints indicate these Census figures likely mask bigger problems. This may translate over time into a more costly social problem, as increasing proportions of households require housing assistance of some form. Australian society could become even more divided on the basis of housing wealth and opportunity, if these trends continue, as we expect they will.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wendy-stone-9804">Wendy Stone</a>, Associate Professor, Centre for Urban Transitions, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/margaret-reynolds-324336">Margaret Reynolds</a>, Researcher, Centre for Urban Transitions, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/terry-burke-1268">Terry Burke</a>, Professor of Housing Studies, Centre for Urban Transitions, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/home-ownership-remains-strong-in-australia-but-it-masks-other-problems-census-data-80068">original article</a>.
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Home ownership remains strong in Australia but it masks other problems: Census data

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-stanley-115">John Stanley</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-hensher-11295">David Hensher</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, <a href="/new-apartments">Urban apartments</a>

A new report from Infrastructure Australia, <a href="http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/policy-publications/publications/Improving-Public-Transport-Customer-Focused-Franchising.aspx">Improving Public Transport: Customer Focused Franchising</a>, and its associated <a href="http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/policy-publications/publications/files/Final-Franchising-technical-report.pdf">technical report</a> from Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), will have state and federal treasurers salivating. The accompanying <a href="http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/2017/2017_05_25.aspx">press release</a> is clearly intended to set their fiscal juices flowing. It suggests that:

<blockquote>
… subjecting the operation of Australia’s government-operated bus and rail services to competitive tender processes could save Australian taxpayers up to $15.5 billion by 2040…
</blockquote>

This A$15.5 billion is the estimated high operational cost savings scenario, in present value terms (2016 prices; 7% real discount rate). Infrastructure Australia/PwC’s conservative savings estimate is still a very substantial A$11.6 billion.

The magic pudding is competitive tendering of a range of government-operated rail and bus <a href="/news">public transport services</a>, as well as Melbourne’s privately run bus services, which are not currently awarded by competitive tendering.

Just how realistic are these savings?

<h2>Rail services</h2>

Ownership and contracting of public transport services has been a major transport policy focus for 30 years. This issue has had its own two-yearly conference, the Thredbo International Conference Series, for most of that time.

The Thredbo series (named after the location of the first conference) provides a vast array of international material that sheds light on ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public transport under different operating regimes. Australian federal and state government officials rarely attend.

The PwC report presents Australian and international examples of competitive tendering of rail and bus services. It concludes that first-round rail tenders will deliver operational cost savings of 15-20% (conservative and high estimates respectively) by the end of the first tender and 25-32% by the end of the second. For bus services, the report estimates savings of 15-20% from the first tender and 30-35% by the end of the third round.

International experience on rail privatisation is sparse, with the sources that PwC cites among the more well known. We are concerned, however, that contrary evidence is given no attention. This raises questions about the objectivity of the analysis.

Andrew Smith and colleagues, in <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885910000405">a paper</a> to the Thredbo 6 Conference, reviewed the UK rail experience. They found costs rose after privatisation.

Total passenger train operating costs (excluding infrastructure) per train-kilometre were 14% higher in 2006 than at privatisation ten years earlier. Between privatisation and 2008-09, real average salary costs rose much faster than in the economy as a whole.

Pedro Cantos and colleagues <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/lse/jtep/2010/00000044/00000002/art00002">reviewed</a> the European experience across 16 countries. Their study concluded that tendering regional passenger services did not have a significant effect on efficiency and productivity.

Melbourne’s early rail franchising experience also left a lot to be desired. One operator handed back its contracts – <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/16/1039656342711">train, tram</a> and <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/03/1093939139187">bus</a> – before completion.

As Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-letters/margaret-court-when-christians-cite-gods-law-selectively-20170528-gwetro">wrote</a> in May 2017 to The Age:

<blockquote>
Victoria’s train/tram privatisation hasn’t saved taxpayers one cent. A former minister, the late Lynne Kosky, admitted as much ten years ago. We do save money relative to Sydney by not having train guards, a decision that predates privatisation.
</blockquote>

Those labour savings were part of large reductions in Melbourne rail staff, from 18,000 to 8,400, during the 1990s. This was done in a corporatisation process that preceded privatisation.

Taking account of the sources cited above and Melbourne’s experience, as well as the sources PwC cites, an assumption that rail privatisation will deliver cost savings of 25-32% by the end of Term 2 tenders is, to say the least, heroic.

We would see even the “conservative” figure of 25% as a high estimate. Melbourne’s experience suggests many of the mooted savings might also be achievable by a thorough corporatisation process. Infrastructure Australia, by simply taking the competitive tendering pathway, does not do justice to the choices available.

<h2>Bus services</h2>

In a <a href="https://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=810372">2007 review</a> of bus privatisation, one of us reported cost reductions from the first round of tenders as follows:

<ul>
<li>
	Great Britain 50-55%
	</li>
	<li>
	Scandinavia most in the range 20-30% but with a range of 5-34%
	</li>
	<li>
	USA 30-46%
	</li>
	<li>
	Australia: Perth 22%; Adelaide 38%
	</li>
	<li>
	New Zealand: 40% ex-public operators; about 5% private operators
	</li>
	<li>
	<a href="https://www.openstarts.units.it/dspace/bitstream/10077/5920/1/Bekken_et_al_ET33.pdf">Norway</a> 10%.
	</li>
</ul>
The savings for Norway are lower than elsewhere because the local bus industry had been improving its efficiency over some time, mirroring NZ experience. The Norwegian study suggested the threat of competitive tendering was important in driving savings.

One of us recently analysed the tendering of private <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_operators_in_Sydney">bus services in Sydney</a>, where private operators run some existing services. The <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/lse/jtep/2015/00000049/00000001/art00008">analysis</a> found savings of under 4% on a like-for-like basis.

These various bus findings suggest the cost savings range of 30-35% selected by PwC and reported by Infrastructure Australia might be possible, if an efficient private operator replaces an inefficient public operator. We make no comment on the efficiency of the public bus operators reviewed by PwC.

But such savings will not be achievable in Melbourne, where private operators already provide service. Cost savings of less than 5% are more realistic there.

As we argue below, achieving the latter savings does not rely on competitive tendering. Importantly, all such savings, in rail and bus, are a one-off windfall gain. Our research commonly shows evidence of significant real cost increases after the initial tender round.

<h2>What about the alternatives?</h2>

Wallis, Bray and Webster, pioneers of the Adelaide privatisation experience, recognised the tendency for costs to increase in subsequent tendering rounds. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885910000429">They proposed</a> that performance-based contracts negotiated with incumbent operators should replace the city’s fourth round of bus tenders.

It is surprising that neither the Infrastructure Australia report nor PwC technical paper mention such contracts as an alternative to competitive tendering.

<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073988591000048X">Our research</a> suggests that negotiated performance-based contracts with efficient operators deliver cost outcomes in line with competitive tendering. And this approach provides two other benefits. Transaction costs are lower and it provides opportunities for closer partnering between purchaser and provider on service planning.

Importantly, given competition law in Australia, if it can be shown that the benefits of a particular contracting regime, such as competitive tendering or negotiated performance-based contracts, outweigh the costs, then the compliance case is strong.

It is surprising that Infrastructure Australia is either not aware of, or more likely has chosen for some reason to ignore, the opportunities afforded by negotiated performance-based contracts, particularly for bus services. This narrowing of the policy options put forward for public consideration risks loss of benefits from important transport reforms.

In short, we believe that Infrastructure Australia, and its advisers PwC, have overestimated the achievable cost savings from competitive tendering of publicly provided rail services. They have also ignored the potential for savings within existing publicly provided public transport services. Competitive tendering of such services will deliver cost savings, but it would be surprising if they were as big as suggested.

For Melbourne bus services, any operating cost savings from competitive tendering are likely to be much less than forecast, most likely under 5%. Such savings will be equally achievable under negotiated performance-based contracts.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/78527/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">Although we recognise that the first round of any competitive tendering will produce a windfall gain, this will be partly at the risk of service quality. Once we consider this, the one-off financial benefits are diluted.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-stanley-115">John Stanley</a>, Adjunct Professor, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, The Business School, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-hensher-11295">David Hensher</a>, Director, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-touted-public-transport-savings-from-competitive-tendering-are-too-high-78527">original article</a>.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://railgallery.wongm.com/metro-trains-melbourne-burnley-group/F119_8902.jpg">Marcus Wong</a>
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Why touted public transport savings from competitive tendering are too high

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-ong-113482">Rachel Ong</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-phelps-378137">Christopher Phelps</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gavin-wood-113723">Gavin Wood</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steven-rowley-201914">Steven Rowley</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>

Australia’s capital cities are getting more and more units, that are largely concentrated and come with a hefty price tag, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/281">a new report shows</a>. And while these areas also have lots of jobs, the high price for houses means many on low incomes won’t be able to access that employment. <img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/77867/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">

Between 2006 and 2014, more than 50% of new units were built in the 20% of local government areas with the highest number of jobs.

When compared internationally, <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-almost-a-world-leader-in-home-building-so-that-isnt-a-fix-for-affordability-73514">it would seem that Australian housing supply has not been as weak as is widely believed</a>. However, the report points to some stark differences in housing supply patterns, emerging across Australia’s capital cities.

In Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, new housing supply has lagged slightly behind population growth. In the other capital cities, housing supply actually outpaced population growth between 2006 and 2014.

<h2>Housing supply and house prices</h2>

The issue of housing affordability has traditionally been pitched in terms of <a href="http://sjm.ministers.treasury.gov.au/speech/005-2017/">supply failing to keep pace with growing demand</a>, and house prices rising in response to the imbalance.

Yet, house price inflation has surged even in metropolitan areas where housing supply exceeds population growth. The evidence suggests a complex relationship between supply, population growth and price that is shaped by both supply and demand-side factors.

As prices and rents rise, housing costs continue to eat up larger shares of household incomes, particularly in moderate and low-income groups.

<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/final-reports/281">The study shows</a> 80% of new unit approvals were located in the top 20% of local government areas with the highest unit prices. This is while 80% of new house approvals were in the top 40% of local government areas with the highest house prices.

There is very little new supply in areas where house prices are lower, where households on low to moderate incomes can afford to live.

<h2>Affordable housing, cities and productivity</h2>

The lack of affordable housing in the vicinity of employment centres can pose threats to the productivity of our cities. If suburban residents are forced into longer commutes to access employment in the CBD, it can <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/5662/AHURI_Final_Report_No251_Making-connections-housing,-productivity-and-economic-development.pdf">reduce productivity</a>.

A potential consequence is that low-paid workers are deterred from seeking jobs in CBDs. This would then cause certain skills to become unavailable, and businesses to be less efficient, because they cannot quickly fill vacancies with suitable applicants.

Our data shows new units have grown by 30% in areas which have the most jobs, between 2005-06 and 2013-14. In contrast to this new units have only grown by 2.5% in areas with less jobs.

It would appear that unit approvals are concentrated in areas with abundant job opportunities. So productivity could improve, as congestion eases, and commute times lowered, if (and it’s a big if) these dwellings were affordable to those wishing to take advantage of these job opportunities.

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New housing supply has grown at a pace that matches population growth rates, at the national level. However, there is plenty of variation across the capital cities.

The strongest growth in the number of units has been in the territories (though this is from a low base), followed by Melbourne and Brisbane. However, the strongest growth in the number of houses has been in Perth, at around 22%.

Sydney has experienced much lower growth in its number of houses, at less than 10%. This reflects the very different patterns of development in the two cities.

In Perth, Brisbane and Sydney, increases in the supply of housing didn’t keep pace with population growth during, between 2006 and 2014. However, the drivers of this shortfall are varied.

Perth’s population grew very strongly over the period that we studied. The roughly one-quarter increase in population would stretch the capacity of most housing construction sectors.

However, even though Sydney’s population growth (at 14%) is below the average across all capital cities, its housing supply failed to match this growth. These outcomes highlight the different demand and supply side factors operating across states.

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We currently have a national housing policy narrative that is dominated by a consensus view that higher levels of housing supply are the solution to housing affordability problems. While increased supply will always help take steam out of pressured markets, our study suggests a more nuanced approach is needed to the supply side, while not ignoring the demand side pressures.

It’s important that we identify those barriers to expanding affordable housing supply that have been impeded in the majority of our cities, especially for low income households.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-ong-113482">Rachel Ong</a>, Deputy Director, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-phelps-378137">Christopher Phelps</a>, Research assistant, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gavin-wood-113723">Gavin Wood</a>, Professor of Housing, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steven-rowley-201914">Steven Rowley</a>, Director, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Curtin Research Centre, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/get-used-to-your-commute-data-confirms-houses-near-jobs-are-too-expensive-77867">original article</a>.

Lead image credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cafuego/33397836043/in/photolist-STfD6n-Ri3tfo-UkULRe-MwZ4VG-NU4VZ9-TK9cqL-PAhbHb-N9zoTf-RFQbRv-SGdU9s-U6UFQJ-P8rMf3-Qa3AVG-PcHaUh-P9sXMD-P8rAkh-PVJSNb-QXihWu-NPcmFa-T79FtA-PqmPS8-RL4NdJ-RVMAyH-N2J9aR-PNRxjK">flickr</a>.
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Get used to your commute: data confirms houses near jobs are too expensive

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sidh-sintusingha-352893">Sidh Sintusingha</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a>

Those who value “multiculturalism” and “access to the city” as key markers of a vibrant, progressive city will find these attributes in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. Yet, at the same time, they will find them under threat through the forces of gentrification. These are the same forces that have, through time, transformed former “slums” such as Carlton, Fitzroy, Abbotsford and <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-gentrification-lacks-empathy-a-case-study-70582">Richmond</a> into “blue-ribbon” suburbs of Melbourne. <img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/75609/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1">

It is, inevitably, Footscray’s turn because of its proximity to the CBD. Many outside stakeholders have aspirations and conceptualised visions for the suburb.

These emerged at the turn of the millennium, when the Melbourne 2030 plan and its subsequent <a href="https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/policy-and-strategy/planning-for-melbourne/melbourne-2030-a-planning-update-melbourne-@-5-million/docs/DPC051_M5M_A4Bro_FA_WEB-1.pdf">updates</a> envisioned a new “central activity area” in Footscray.

<h2>A suburb in transition</h2>

In response to the metropolitan plans, substantial changes have been made to the council’s planning framework. <a href="http://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/Files/Footscray_Structure_Plan_FINAL_Part1.pdf">New schemes</a> allow for developments up to 25 storeys high along the banks of the Maribyrnong River and over the Footscray Market site.

With public investment to match, further catalysts of urban renewal were the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-13/footscray-celebrates-completion-of-railway-station/5888088">substantial upgrade</a> of Footscray railway station and other investments to polish the public realm.

<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/163576/area14mp/image-20170403-19417-tpwefs.png"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/163576/width754/image-20170403-19417-tpwefs.png"></a>

<figcaption>Another development looms in the background as Footscray’s Welcome Arch is erected to mark the Vietnamese community’s contribution. Author provided</figcaption></figure>Following the script of urban intensification, apartments have mushroomed in and around the suburb – with developers and investors colluding to rewrite and perpetuate new narratives.

In a tacit attempt to dilute Footcray’s shadier reputation, the suburb has <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/a-new-era-for-footscray-as-apartment-towers-go-up-and-younger-people-buy-in-20161003-gp9ktq/">been reimagined</a> as the next “St Kilda” or “Fitzroy”. This has helped to raise unit prices and <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/west-footscray-as-rich-residents-move-in-can-it-keep-its-character-20170503-gvwqx2/">attract different types of residents</a> and businesses.

These market-led models of urban development and renewal discount Footscray’s existing socio-physical and cultural landscape. The result is exclusionary, culturally homogeneous places and spaces. These reflect the fundamental top-down global and cultural drivers of the city in the race to climb (or, in Melbourne’s case, retain) <a href="https://theconversation.com/rankings-fever-melbourne-goes-over-the-top-again-30700">liveability rankings</a>.

On the contrary, multiculturalism is essentially a bottom-up phenomenon: ethnic enclaves form organically in the <a href="http://theconversation.com/new-to-australia-good-luck-migrants-can-no-longer-afford-gateway-suburbs-75201">process of migrants settling down</a> and “accessing the city” economically, socially and culturally. This is something that cannot be planned nor designed, but can be assisted.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/163600/width754/image-20170403-16542-f550gf.png"><figcaption>The African influence is evident in barbershops, cafes and restaurants along the Nicholson Street mall. Author provided</figcaption></figure>In fact, Footscray has been an exemplar of this practice. The suburb’s absorption of immigrants has given rise to distinct Vietnamese, South Asian and Horn of African commercial precincts.

<h2>Improvement or displacement?</h2>

Formal agents of change (politicians, administrators, planners, designers) seem to view this urban condition as a temporary, transitional state to be eventually “improved”. They are often narrowly focused on physical and economic benchmarks.

The changes are compounded by a contemporary <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-cities-will-stop-working-without-a-decent-national-housing-policy-60537">housing affordability crisis</a>. Footscray has been attracting a local migration of first-home buyers and <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/footscray-restaurants-windows-smashed-twice-in-one-week-as-residents-fear-class-war-20170107-gtni55">“hipsters”</a> searching for more affordable properties and rent.

One might argue that this is a recipe for a multiculturalism where differences co-exist – or at least are juxtaposed. That might be true, if only the local white gentrification culture does not displace the minority cultures and socio-economic groups, <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/house-prices-rising-across-melbourne-doesnt-necessarily-make-a-suburb-trendy-20170210-gu97tk/">as is happening</a> to newer outer centres such as Sunshine and Broadmeadows.

<h2>Footscray’s beating heart</h2>

Critically, many may not realise the tenuous vulnerability of the place.

Last December, Footscray lost one of its most substantial cultural institutions, when the Little Saigon Market <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/footscray-icon-little-saigon-market-burnt-down-because-of-electrical-fault-mfb-says-20161214-gtb1ia">burnt down</a> due to an electrical fault. Befitting current development trends, there are now <a href="http://www.techne.com.au/little-saigon-development/">plans</a> for the site to become a 12-storey “mixed use” apartment building.

Both Footscray Market and Little Saigon Market are the key urban centres that sustain the commercial, culinary and cultural life of the suburb. However, Footscray Market is wholly owned by an individual – and there has been a <a href="/news/the-wave-footscray-yes-please">proposal</a> to replace it with a ubiquitous “mixed use” tower-on-podium development. This would (and still could) hasten the demise of Footscray’s distinctive character.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/163560/width754/image-20170402-27266-ijphug.png"><figcaption>A familiar scene at the bustling Footscray Market. Author provided</figcaption></figure>This is in stark contrast to the hundreds of millions of dollars being invested in Melbourne’s <a href="http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/queenvictoriamarket">Queen Victoria Market</a> and other markets. Established during the European colonisation and migration period, these have accrued heritage status. This arguably implies that Footscray’s markets are “minority markets” for lesser sub-cultures.

Significantly, in Footscray, multiculturalism and access to the city are lived experiences. The spatial and social implications are reflected in the ways buildings are used and goods are sold on the street.

<figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/164627/area14mp/image-20170410-3845-16xexhh.png"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/164627/width237/image-20170410-3845-16xexhh.png"></a>

<figcaption>Local street vendors. Author provided</figcaption></figure>A walk along Leeds Street reveals the finest scale of commercial practice by individual vendors. They hand-carry or push their cultural-specific wares on shopping trolleys – tactics to camouflage their subversive practices in busy pedestrian areas.

<h2>A different story</h2>

What we advocate for here is that there are <a href="https://theconversation.com/urban-hacktivism-getting-creative-about-involving-citizens-in-city-planning-62277">alternatives</a> to the ubiquitous developer-driven urbanisation; these make it possible to carefully consider the local communities directly affected by developments.

The City of Melbourne’s complex negotiations between developers and key stakeholders at Queen Victoria Market offers a potential local model. There’s no reason this model could not be carefully applied and extended to Footscray’s markets.

Complementing the markets, Footscray’s small and fine-scaled businesses should be recognised as alternative models of urban vibrancy and participative, socioeconomic resilience.

These are highly interrelated practices, which help mitigate socio-economic inequity, while meaningfully contributing to and showcasing Melbourne’s multiculturalism.

<hr>
This article was written in collaboration with Jimi Connor, designer and independent researcher. It is based on <a href="https://www.patternsoffootscray.com/">ongoing research</a> projects with Tahj Rosmarin and Amanda Achmadi.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sidh-sintusingha-352893">Sidh Sintusingha</a>, Senior Lecturer in Landscape Architecture, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-a-suburbs-turn-for-gentrification-comes-75609">original article</a>.
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When a suburb's turn for gentrification comes...

Repeat buyers are one of the strongest measures of confidence in any apartment development.

At <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/era-newcastle-west-124-126-bull-street-newcastle-west-nsw-2302">ERA</a> in Newcastle West, some purchasers are returning to <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/gwh">GWH</a> after living at the developer's One Apartments. Their decision to purchase again was driven by the quality of life they found after moving into their first GWH home.

Keith Wilton had spent years living in a house in East Maitland before deciding it was time for a change. Apartment living had always been on his radar, but he was selective about what he wanted.

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"I had some boxes I wanted to tick," he says.

Keith points to the open-plan design, generous outdoor areas and considered inclusions as key reasons One Apartments worked for him.

“One of those things was a nice indoor open plan area, but also I wanted a nice outdoor open area that I could entertain on in summer or Christmases or birthdays,” he says.

He also found value in the smaller details, from integrated appliances to shared resident spaces including the pool, cinema and rooftop areas.

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After comparing several developments, he chose One Apartments because of GWH's longstanding local reputation and his own experience working with the developer on a commercial project more than a decade earlier.

"I knew that they were local, that the quality of the build was going to be up there. I'd looked at other apartment complexes around and close by, and I just knew that here was a better decision location wise."

Today, Keith says the move has completely changed how he experiences Newcastle.

"I enjoy living in this location because it's more of a lifestyle change. That Newcastle city living where you can walk to restaurants and bars and even beaches and parks and even shopping across the road."

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Beyond the location, he says it's the sense of community that has surprised him most.

"Everyone loves living here because they chose to live here, but everyone looks out for each other. It's a real great community feel here."

For Aimee and Lyle Goodman, the journey started almost by chance.

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The couple happened to be having coffee in Newcastle when they noticed the site where One Apartments was about to begin construction.

"We were aware GWH was planning a development," Aimee says. "We made one phone call and things moved pretty quickly after that."

As busy business owners, they initially thought apartment living would simply reduce the maintenance that came with larger homes. Instead, it fundamentally changed how they spent time together.

"We actually catch up more as a family now," Aimee says.

"We've had homes with big yards and lots of space, but everyone ended up in different rooms. Here we'll have dinner together, the kids can play, and we spend far more quality time together."

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Lyle says their confidence came from GWH's reputation within Newcastle's building industry.

"I know people who've worked across different apartment projects, and whenever GWH came up the feedback was always the same. They're rock solid. They're quality."

That confidence only grew throughout the buying process.

"One of the things that really impressed us with GWH was the whole process, was the communication," Lyle says. "It was consistent, it was regular, there was no problem if we had some weird questions, there was no problems in getting answers."

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Aimee says one moment stood out.

"The project actually finished on time. We realised we needed to hurry up and sell our house because everything was happening exactly when they said it would."

The positive experience at One Apartments ultimately gave all three buyers the confidence to purchase again with GWH, this time at ERA.

Their confidence reflects what many buyers are seeking in today's apartment market. Location remains important, but so too does certainty around delivery, quality and long-term liveability.

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ERA builds on those foundations with 280 one, two and three-bedroom apartments across two landmark towers in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/newcastle-west-nsw-2302">Newcastle West</a>.&nbsp;

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/fk-australia">Fender Katsalidis</a>, the project will include more than 2,000 square metres of resident amenities, including a resort-style pool, gym, sauna, private cinema and rooftop entertaining spaces overlooking the harbour and coastline.&nbsp;

The development is also within walking distance of the Newcastle Interchange, Honeysuckle, Darby Street, the harbour foreshore, restaurants, retail and the city’s beaches, continuing the walkable lifestyle that existing GWH buyers say has transformed how they live.

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For Keith, the appeal remains straightforward.

"You feel at home even before you've moved into your home."

For Aimee, the change is measured in time.

“I just felt like I had more time,” she says.

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Construction at ERA is now underway, with more than half of the residences already sold and limited two and three-bedroom apartments remaining in the East Tower release. Priced from $980,000 for two-bedroom residences and $1.46 million for three-bedroom residences, buyers can secure an apartment with a 10 per cent deposit, with premium homes offering ocean views from Level 8 and harbour views from Level 10.

ERA is also backed by Resilience Insurance's 10-year Latent Defects Insurance policy, providing protection against structural or waterproofing defects for 10 years after completion. The project is anticipated to be completed in early 2028.

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Joel Robinson

From ONE to ERA: Why buyers are choosing GWH again in Newcastle West

Virgate Property Group is preparing to commence construction of Verdé, its new apartment development in Melbourne's Arts Precinct at Southbank, following a strong run of sales that has seen more than half of the project's 173 apartments secured.

Verdé has attracted a broad mix of first home buyers, owner-occupiers upgrading from nearby inner-city suburbs and investors, with younger owner-occupier couples aged between 28 and 45 accounting for the strongest enquiry. Many are already living in Southbank, South Melbourne, Albert Park, Port Melbourne, South Yarra and the CBD.

"Verdé is located in one of the most desirable pockets of southern Melbourne," Blair Property Group Director Darren Blair, who is managing sales at Verdé, said.

"It's within walking distance of the Arts Centre, Royal Botanic Gardens, Albert Park Lake, and Southbank's restaurants and retail. It's a great lifestyle location with strong amenity and liveability, which made it a very attractive choice for the project."

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Virgate was already familiar with the precinct, having previously delivered the successful Domain House development in neighbouring South Melbourne. That experience gave the developer confidence to acquire the Coventry Street site and continue expanding its presence in Melbourne's inner south.

"We had been keeping an eye on the site and the broader precinct for a few months before deciding to move forward with the acquisition," Virgate said.

The project was ultimately secured in 2020 following feasibility studies, planning assessments and due diligence, with the brief centred on delivering "a high-quality, considered design that feels both refined and fit for purpose."

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Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bruce-henderson-architects">Bruce Henderson Architects</a>, Verdé comprises 173 one, two and three-bedroom apartments priced from $599,000. The architecture is distinguished by a faceted glass façade that responds to both the site's outlook and Melbourne's changing light conditions.

According to Bruce Henderson Architects, the coloured glazing gives the building a distinctive identity while also providing privacy and solar shading, with residences oriented to capture views across the bay, city skyline and surrounding parklands.

Inside, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/designoffice">DesignOffice</a> has created interiors focused on natural light, efficient planning and enduring materials. Apartments feature engineered oak flooring, natural stone benchtops, floor-to-ceiling glazing and SMEG appliances, while a restrained material palette aims to complement the expansive outlooks rather than compete with them.

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Resident amenity has also been designed around everyday functionality rather than occasional use. Facilities include a concierge-serviced lobby, residents' lounge with fireplace, library and co-working space, gym, terrace garden with barbecue facilities, ground-floor café, and package delivery management.

The project's location continues to be one of its strongest drawcards. Positioned on Coventry Street, Verdé sits within walking distance of the National Gallery of Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne, Royal Botanic Gardens and Albert Park Lake, while Southbank's dining precinct, Sturt Street trams and the new ANZAC Station are all nearby. The surrounding education catchment also includes Melbourne Grammar, Melbourne Girls Grammar, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School and several major university campuses.

The sales team says buyers have responded particularly well to the combination of location, design quality and long-term liveability.

"They're responding really positively to the quality of the design, premium resident amenities and the uninterrupted views. Many also appreciate the location and how connected it is to everything they need."

The ability to secure stamp duty savings before completion has also been a key factor for purchasers, alongside the opportunity to personalise finishes ahead of settlement.

With construction set to commence soon and more than half the apartments already sold, Verdé enters its next phase as one of the Arts Precinct's more established apartment developments, offering remaining buyers an opportunity to secure a residence before construction advances further. Expected completion is scheduled for late 2027.

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Virgate's Verdé Southbank moves toward construction as sales fly past halfway stage

Downsizer-focused apartment development Kooyongkoot in Hawthorn has been recognised at the 2026 Better Future Melbourne Design Awards, taking home Gold and Silver awards in two categories.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kooyongkoot-hawthorn-1-kooyongkoot-road-hawthorn-vic-3122">Kooyongkoot</a>, currently being delivered by developer PQD and designed by Cera Stribley, received Gold in the Interior Design – Proposed category and Silver in the Architecture – Proposed category.

The dual recognition reflects the design approach behind the boutique development on prestigious Kooyongkoot Road, where the focus has been on creating homes for downsizers seeking the space, quality and functionality of a detached house within a low-rise apartment building.

Rather than maximising apartment numbers, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/pqd">PQD</a> and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cera-stribley-architects">Cera Stribley</a> limited the development to just 18 residences, allowing for larger floorplans, greater privacy, generous landscaping and expansive communal spaces.&nbsp;The majority of the apartments also benefit from corner aspects, allowing for dual sources of natural light.

Now around 70 per cent complete and on track for completion in November 2026, Kooyongkoot will comprise a mix of garden residences, ter​race apartments, sub-penthouses, and is crowned by two half-floor penthouses with direct lift access and private rooftop terraces.

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The Silver Award for Architecture recognised the way the building responds to its prominent corner position at the ent​rance to Hawthorn's Scotch Hill precinct, one of Melbourne's most established residential neighbourhoods.

Rather than competing with the grand homes that line Kooyongkoot Road, the architectural approach focused on restraint and longevity, using curved brickwork, generous landscaping and carefully considered proportions to integrate with the existing streetscape.

"The form feels fluid and timeless, as though shaped by the landscape itself – architecture that belongs, rather than competes," said Chris Stribley, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Cera Stribley.

The judging submission also highlighted practical innovations throughout the building, including lift cores servicing only nine homes each, a central landscaped lightcourt designed to bring daylight and ventilation into the building, and fully enclosed private storage rooms with lighting, power and shelving to better accommodate residents transitioning from larger family homes.

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The Gold Award for Interior Design recognised the project's focus on long-term liveability rather than display-home aesthetics.

According to the awards submission, the interiors were designed from the inside out, prioritising how homes would function over decades of daily use through generous proportions, practical storage, durable natural materials and flexible layouts.

The specification includes natural stone throughout, upgraded acoustic glazing, V-ZUG appliances and fully enclosed storage rooms, alongside an amenity offering focused on wellness, entertainment and everyday convenience.&nbsp;

Residents will have access to a gym and yoga studio, a wellness centre featuring traditional and infrared saunas, a cold therapy shower and treatment room, as well as a residents' lounge and golf simulator/cinema room for entertainment.&nbsp;Kooyongkoot has also considered the everyday convenience of its residents by offering a private carwash and pet wash facilities on site as well as dedicated parcel lockers and oversized fully enclosed storage rooms.&nbsp;

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The project's attention to detail has already resonated with buyers. Earlier this year, Kooyongkoot recorded one of Boroondara's highest apartment sales when an $8 million penthouse was purchased by a Melbourne CEO downsizing from a nearby family home.

"Every detail feels deliberate, from the overall design down to the smallest touches," the purchaser said.

"The level of quality and refinement is exceptional, but what really sold it was how liveable it felt... It felt like a place where everything had been considered, not just a luxury building."

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Sustainability also formed a key part of both award submissions. Kooyongkoot is targeting a minimum 7.5-star NatHERS rating across all residences, supported by passive design principles, high-performance glazing, EV charging infrastructure, water reuse systems and a wellness model focused on lower-energy dry facilities rather than pools and large wet areas.

Located within walking distance of Scotch College, Methodist Ladies' College, Koo​yong Lawn Tennis Club, Aubur​n Village and Camberwell Junction, Kooyongkoot continues to target owner-occupiers looking to remain in Melbourne's inner east without compromising on space or quality. A limited selection of two, three and four-bedroom residences remains available, with prices starting from $1.9 million.

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Kooyongkoot wins Gold and Silver at Better Future Melbourne Design Awards

New apartment supply has become increasingly constrained across <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/parramatta-nsw-2150">Parramatta</a> in recent years, with fewer projects progressing through to completion as development conditions have become more challenging.

It makes <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/novm">NOVM</a>'s 2021-completed <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/the-lennox-parramatta-12-phillip-street-parramatta-nsw-2150">The Lennox</a> one of the most recently completed residential towers on the Parramatta River, and among the newest apartment developments in Sydney's second CBD.

With the project largely completed before the sharp escalation in construction costs and inflation following the pandemic, The Lennox is now offering pricing that would be difficult to replicate in a comparable new development in Parramatta today, or across much of Western Sydney.

The majority of the 413 apartments at The Lennox sold before and shortly after completion. A limited release of the remaining apartments has recently been brought to market by capital partner <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/equitifund-group">Equitifund</a>, with entry-level pricing from $700,000 and two-bedroom apartments available from under $1 million.

Rising above the Parramatta River at 12 Phillip Street, The Lennox comprises one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments, appealing to first home buyers, young professionals, families, downsizers and interstate investors seeking a completed apartment in one of Australia's fastest-growing economic centres.

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Rather than positioning Parramatta as an alternative to Sydney's CBD, Equitifund believes the city has reached a point where it stands on its own merits.

"Parramatta is no longer simply an alternative to Sydney CBD, it's becoming a destination in its own right," Equitifund Executive Chairman Greg Huxley said.

"The Lennox captures that evolution with a level of quality and amenity that's difficult to match at its price point."

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Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/marchese-partners">Marchese Partners</a>, the tower responds directly to its riverfront setting through expansive glazing and open-plan layouts that maximise views across the Parramatta River and city skyline. Interiors feature engineered timber flooring, stone benchtops, stainless steel appliances and floor-to-ceiling glazing, while generous balconies extend the living spaces outdoors.

Marchese Partners says the project was conceived to balance high-quality apartment living with practical, long-term functionality, pairing larger, efficient floorplans with amenities more commonly associated with five-star hotels.

That emphasis continues through the resident facilities, which include a 20-metre rooftop swimming pool, fully equipped gym and wellness spaces, full-time concierge, a residents' lounge, function room, private lifts, secure basement parking and rooftop communal areas overlooking the Parramatta River. Ground-floor boardwalk retail and dining further activate the riverfront and integrate the building into the surrounding public realm.

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Australian housing and finance group Equitifund has secured the remaining apartments, believing there are few completed apartment opportunities in Parramatta that offer the same combination of location, amenity and pricing.

Equitifund National Sales Director Ben Hamblett says buyers are increasingly recognising that premium apartment living no longer needs to come with Sydney CBD pricing.

"The Lennox is where aspirational living becomes attainable," Hamblett said.

"Wake to river and mountain views, step into Sydney's Second CBD, and arrive home to resort-calibre amenities, all without the harbour price tag."

Hamblett says owner-occupiers are also attracted by the convenience of having Westfield Parramatta, Church Street's dining precinct, Parramatta Park, Riverside Theatres, Western Sydney University and major transport connections all within walking distance.

"At The Lennox, lifestyle is not an afterthought, it is the foundation."

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The Lennox places residents within walking distance of Parramatta Square, Westfield Parramatta, Church Street Eat Street, Parramatta Station, the ferry wharf, Light Rail, the future Sydney Metro West, Parramatta Park and CommBank Stadium, reinforcing Parramatta's position as one of Australia's most connected metropolitan centres outside Sydney's CBD.

Equitifund says buyers visiting the display suite consistently comment on the quality of the finishes, generous floorplans, river and skyline views, and the walkability of the location. The project has attracted a broad mix of local professionals, upsizers, downsizers, buyers relocating from Sydney's inner suburbs and interstate investors seeking long-term growth opportunities.

That demand aligns with Parramatta's continued evolution as an economic powerhouse. Equitifund Research and Market Insights specialist John Bekiaris says sustained population growth, infrastructure investment and expanding employment opportunities continue to support long-term housing demand across the city.

"Parramatta has evolved from a satellite city into one of Australia's most important economic centres. Population growth, infrastructure investment and employment are all supporting sustained long-term housing demand."

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The apartment price gap drawing Sydney buyers west

A luxury beachfront apartment at Rainbow Bay has more than doubled in value since it sold off the plan six years ago, setting a new local apartment record in the process.

The three-bedroom apartment in the Flow development on Petrie Street, the first of four new projects locally by Paul Gedoun's S&amp;S Projects, has sold for $7.4 million, after originally selling for $3.27 million when the project launched in 2020.

The seventh-floor apartment, comprising 187 sqm of internal living space and a 54 sqm balcony overlooking Froggies Beach and Snapper Rocks, was purchased by a local family.

The transaction was negotiated by Pezet Matheson director Kerry Pezet and equates to more than $30,000 per sqm.

Pezet said the sale reflected the limited opportunities to buy into the boutique beachfront development.

"The sale highlights the rarity of opportunities within the boutique beachfront development, where residences seldom become available," Pezet said.

"Flow is one of the Gold Coast's most tightly held buildings. Buyers from our database move quickly when residences become available, and achieving an off-market sale at $7.4 million demonstrates the depth of demand for property of this calibre."

<img alt="Flow" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c585b206-2130-4eee-a50c-3f27c51a7c70" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-06%20at%208.33.25%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=m3pHRDV62Y3fvN.XQuQHq.52ilTWpRLf" />

Flow was the first of four luxury apartment developments delivered by Paul Gedoun's S&amp;S Projects at Rainbow Bay and was completed in 2023.

Positioned on the beachfront overlooking Snapper Rocks, the residence includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a powder room and views stretching north along the coastline towards Surfers Paradise.

Pezet Matheson Residential principal Mitchell Lambert said buyers continued to prioritise quality beachfront apartments in tightly held locations.

"Flow Residences offers a rare combination of elevated beachfront positioning, architectural excellence, comprehensive resident amenity and premium finishes, which is exactly what discerning purchasers are seeking," Lambert said.

"The transaction further reinforces Rainbow Bay's reputation as one of Australia's premier coastal lifestyle destinations, where limited supply and growing demand continue to support strong market performance."

Pezet Matheson originally marketed and sold out Flow off the plan, making the latest transaction a return to one of the project's original buyers.

Paul Gedoun is selling his third project, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/radia-rainbow-bay-271-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Radia Rainbow Bay</a>, after recently completing, and selling out, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/buildings/esprit-217-227-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Esprit</a>. He has plans for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/first-look-s-s-projects-proposes-88-apartment-wellness-tower-at-coolangattas-boundary-street">fourth building</a>, 88 apartments on <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/209-213-boundary-street-coolangatta-qld-4225">Boundary Street</a>.

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