Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.

Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;

David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;

“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;

Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;

At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.

Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.

Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.

David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.

“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;

Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;

Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;

However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.

Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;

Joel Robinson

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.

The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.

Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.

“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.

“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" />

Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.

The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.

“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.

“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" />

Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.

“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.

“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”

The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.

The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.

Sammut secures approval for debut Brisbane apartment development in Toowong

Developer Lanevick is heading back into Sydney’s apartment market after focusing more heavily on the luxury townhouse and terrace sector in recent years.

Lanevick, founded and directed by Steve Maroun, is expecting to receive approval in the coming months for a new apartment development in Gladesville, with the aim to launch it to the market later this year.

The 51-apartment project, designed by Studio Johnston, will comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments positioned toward the Hunters Hill downsizer market.

“Traditionally it’s been difficult for people in that market to downsize because there just hasn’t been the right product available,” Maroun said.

“We’re targeting buyers who might have 30 to 40 per cent of their house value sitting in the bank after downsizing.

“They still want good spacious entertaining areas, they still want quality design, but they also want flexibility and the ability to enjoy life a bit more after working hard for a long time.”

The project sits near Boronia Park and within close proximity to the Parramatta River foreshore, an area Maroun says offers more of a Hunters Hill lifestyle than a traditional apartment precinct.

“From a lifestyle perspective, it’s really more Hunters Hill than Gladesville,” Maroun said. “You’re close to the foreshore, close to parklands, and still connected back into the village precinct.”

From level four and above, apartments will capture water views&nbsp;toward Sydney Harbour. Communal amenity will include rooftop entertaining areas, wellness spaces, and a gym tailored toward owner-occupier buyers.

“We’ve really designed these apartments around that buyer coming from the Hunters Hill LGA and what they’re actually looking for in their next chapter.”

The proposed development has also been designed to respond to the changing character of the broader Gladesville town centre, where a growing number of mixed-use and residential proposals are expected to emerge over the coming years.

“Gladesville presented a rare opportunity to deliver a genuinely design-led residential project within an evolving lifestyle precinct, just moments from the growing Gladesville town centre, and we’ve approached the project with a strong focus on architecture, liveability and long-term community value,” Maroun said.

Maroun said Lanevick saw a first-mover advantage within the precinct as planning controls continue to evolve to accommodate greater housing density.

“We think there’s a real opportunity there that hasn’t really been serviced properly yet,” he said.

“There’s going to be a broader evolution of the whole Gladesville village precinct over time, particularly with more activation and mixed-use outcomes.”

The Venus Street proposal will include a commercial and retail component at ground level designed to contribute to that evolving streetscape activation.

“A big part of the thinking was how do you activate that area properly and create more vibrancy and amenity, which is what Hunters Hill has been looking for,” Maroun said.

Lanevick’s focus since 2020 has largely been on smaller-scale luxury townhouse and terrace developments. The developer recently completed Royale Randwick, also designed by Studio Johnston, where prices reached $3.65 million. The project was featured in the UDIA NSW 2026 Professional Development Prospectus and was also named a finalist for Development of the Year.

&nbsp;

Lanevick to cater for Hunters Hill downsizers with new Gladesville apartment development

Property developer One Living, backed by former Macquarie banker turned investment manager Chris Green’s investment firm, has unveiled plans to bring more institutional capital into housing to help address the national supply crisis.

The New York-based investor has focused his firm, GreenPoint Partners, on addressing the supply shortage hitting middle market housing in Australia.

It is backing the new One Living business to develop more than 1000 units along the eastern seaboard. The new firm is starting with a development on Mona Vale Road, on the border of Mona Vale and Pymble, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with around 140 apartments planned. They are eyeing off more sites across the city.

With cost pressures rising in the industry, One Living’s model is to be a vertically integrated developer-builder, so it can respond directly to the housing gap by removing the cost inefficiencies embedded in traditional residential delivery.

“We are building a platform designed to operate at scale and starting in a market where there’s a clear need for quality, attainable housing,” One Living joint managing director Joseph Scuderi said.

“It’s that missing middle – it’s that attainable end of housing… that’s what most Australians invest into and what Australians can actually afford.”

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="798dfa93-4941-4db6-a696-31e9dc18e81c" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.31.50%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=mKBqi5C_DmeiXS.AtJkcR8LQIxqCqmFi" />

GreenPoint Partners brings years of experience assembling and scaling real estate operating businesses across major markets. And Green sees a big opportunity in Australia.

“For its size, sophistication and importance to the community, Australia’s living sector has remained largely under-institutionalised, which represents significant opportunity,” Green said. “GreenPoint identified that gap, assembled the right team, and is backing One Living to build a platform that is aligned to market needs.”

Green said being a builder-developer would give the company the capacity and flexibility it required to deliver reasonably-priced homes.

“We want it to be at that attainable level; not super high end luxury but at that attainable level,” he said.

<img alt="Mona Vale" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74a5344a-4b26-4d4a-ada3-056b1220be77" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-28%20at%202.32.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=vY8hXHO4reBMdO8ZXMWCNtGZJofUPQ3j" />

&nbsp;

One Living will undertake a component of affordable housing in its schemes, which it will own and operate, and it could also run build-to-rent on some sites.

Green praised local policy settings.

“The NSW government is being very supportive, strategic and pragmatic in terms of how do we generate more supply of housing,” he said. “We think it’s actually positive for development and the bit that’s been lacking at that attainable level is that it’s lots of relatively small private developers, whereas we want to create an institutional platform.”

One Living is also&nbsp;looking at high-density projects and could take on more institutional funding in the future.

“The way we will be able to achieve economies of scale is through size,” Green added.

One Living enters Sydney's new apartment market with Northern Beaches site acquisition

It's been several years since there's been an opportunity to buy a brand new townhome in Melbourne's coastal suburb of Mordialloc. Even apartment developments in recent times have been few and far between in the area.

Local developer LDS Property identified the gap in new housing, securing a site on White Street, directly opposite&nbsp;Woodlands Golf Club Mordialloc. They've recently launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-townhouses/wm-residences-mordialloc-102-white-street-mordialloc-vic-3195">WM Residences</a>, just 13 townhouses which they have already started building.

Projects by Buxton Director Heath Thompson, who is selling WM Residences, says the townhouses x that perfect middle ground be

"Mordialloc residents have had limited options to downsize within the suburb, often forcing them to look elsewhere despite long-standing ties to the area," Thompson says.

"With very little comparable new supply coming to market, projects like WM Residences are well placed, particularly as buyers look to capitalise on current conditions amid constrained supply."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6109]

The development, designed by regarded architecture firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ewert-leaf">Ewert Leaf</a>,&nbsp;adopts a deliberately restrained architectural approach, focusing on simplicity, durability and liveability rather than overt design gestures.

The boutique scale is central to the offering. With only 13 three-bedroom residences, each home is configured to prioritise functional layouts and everyday use, supported by private terraces and secure two-car garages.

Ewert Leaf’s design response leans into a calm, neutral material palette. Interiors are defined by oak flooring, white walls and soft finishes, creating a consistent and understated backdrop. The approach avoids trend-driven detailing in favour of longevity, with an emphasis on natural light and spatial clarity.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6110]

Beyond aesthetics, the homes are designed to meet contemporary performance expectations. Each residence targets a minimum 6-star energy rating, incorporating double glazing, comprehensive insulation and all-electric Bosch appliances.

The project’s location supports a walkable coastal lifestyle, sitting within close proximity to Mordialloc’s foreshore, Main Street retail strip and the train station. Local cafés and dining venues, including Suburbia Deli and Hendriks Café, are within a short walk, reinforcing the area’s established neighbourhood character.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=134646 project_image_fid=6116]

While <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/mordialloc-vic-3195">Mordialloc</a> is often defined by its beach and pier, the project taps into other areas of day to day living, offering easy access to local food, casual dining and transport, rather than positioning itself purely as a lifestyle retreat.

WM Residences reflects a continued trend across Melbourne’s coastal suburbs towards smaller-scale, design-led townhouse developments, particularly on infill sites where proximity to amenity is already established.

With construction commenced prior to its market entry, the project aligns with a growing preference among buyers for developments with visible progress and defined delivery timeframes.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=134646]

WM Residences fills gap in Mordialloc townhouse market

Development

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A 3,231sqm site in Melbourne's Doncaster is on the market with an existing permit for a 174-apartment mixed use construction.
The potential development, <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-land+development-vic-doncaster-502008746" target="_blank">600 Doncaster Road Doncaster</a>, has an existing planning permit for a 12 storey mixed-use development as well as 174 apartments and a ground floor commercial space of 710sqm with 229 car parks. It has been designed by BKK Architects and is not he market through Colliers International’s Hamish Burgess, Peter Bremner and Trent Hobart, in conjunction with Robert Kelly and David Minton of Gorman Kelly.
The development has been designed with a ‘green tree’ theme which extends vertically along a central building.
Hamish Burgess said it is a gateway site opposite Westfield Doncaster, offering a spectacular CBD outlook and equally fantastic surrounding amenity.
“The Doncaster Activity Centre Precinct, or ‘Doncaster Hill’ as it is known, is highly regarded as a residential locality with a number of medium and high density projects having been completed successfully over the past two to three years," he said.
 “Significant local amenity, which is dominated by the super-regional Westfield Doncaster shopping and entertainment complex, as well as spectacular views to the Melbourne CBD and surrounding suburbs, are unique factors which have contributed to the ongoing demand for quality apartment accommodation in the precinct.
“The demand in the area has been staggering. Growth in the median house price of 26 percent in the past 12 months to $1,260,000 has underpinned the demand for apartments in the area, spurring developers to compete strongly for residential development sites.”
The site also includes a single level office complex comprising four suites and onsite parking.
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Mixed use and apartment development slated for Doncaster

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The diversity of projects being undertaken by architects in South Australia were honoured at the Australian Institute of Architects' 2016 SA Architecture Awards. 
Four projects from the Tonsley redevelopment have collected seven awards across education, heritage, commercial, sustainability and urban design, cementing the project as a unique place with a strong identity for South Australia to celebrate its manufacturing history. 
<img src="/images/2016/07/04/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-04%20at%2011.52.35%20AM.png" alt="">
The role of architects Woods Bagot and Tridente in deciding to retain the Main Assembly Building (MAB) structure and surrounding building pods along with vibrant urban spaces designed by Oxigen, was judged a testament to both the vision of the client, the skills and collaboration of the designers and the urban design guidelines developed for the site, the jury said.
South Australia's Drill Core Reference Library by Thomson Rossi provides an important gateway to the huge 61-hectare Tonsley site,which is currently transforming into an education, research and business hub. HASSELL's Flinders University building further defines the former MAB along with the TAFE campus to the south.
Public architecture was dominated by projects that provide significant social and cultural benefits to our communities with the integration of public spaces becoming integral to the design process. The coveted Jack McConnell Award for Public Architecture, is awarded to the Stretton Centre by HASSELL, which the jury praised as an architecturally accomplished focal point for the wider northern suburbs community.
Continuing the accolades for projects in the public realm, commendations were awarded to Henley Square Remade by TCL with Troppo Architects, Glenunga Community Hub by Greenway Architects and the Zoos SA Nature's Play Ground by Phillips/Pilkington Architects and WAX Design, which also won the community's vote for the City of Adelaide Prize People's Choice Award.
The new technology incubator, Base 64 in Kent Town (below) was designed by Williams Burton Leopardi within a heritage building, and has been honoured with both the Keith Neighbour Award for Commercial Architecture and David Saunders Award for Heritage.
<img src="/images/2016/07/04/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-04%20at%2011.51.26%20AM.png" alt="">
Base 64 (below) has a unique quality that is difficult to define — part co-working, domestic, gallery, retreat and public space.It provides clues as to how contemporary workplaces might evolve to be more collaborative, networked, and personal, the jury said.
<img src="/images/2016/07/04/Screen%20Shot%202016-07-04%20at%2011.49.50%20AM.png" alt="">
Two of South Australia's leading design advocates have been recognised at the 2016 South Australian Architecture Awards.
The past Chapter president and life fellow of the Institute, Francesco Bonato has been awarded the prestigious Sir James Irwin President's Medal for his commitment to advocating great design and promoting the relevance of what design professionals contribute to the wider community.
Bonato is a founding director of Tectvs, a collaborative architecture and design studio that has received over seventeen Architecture Awards since its inception in 1989, with offices in both Adelaide and Melbourne.
Full list of winners:
Public Architecture
Jack McConnell Award - Stretton Centre by HASSELL Commendation - Glenunga Hub by Greenway Architects Educational Architecture
Dr John Mayfield Award - Flinders at Tonsley by HASSELL Commendation - Cardijn College Music Centre by Tridente Architects Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
The John S Chappel Award - West End Residence by Ashley Halliday Architects Award - Tusmore Residence by Grieve Gillett Andersen Award - Grass Trees by Max Pritchard Gunner Architects Commendation - Friedrichstrasse House by Troppo Architects Commendation - Waitpinga Retreat by Mountford Williamson Architecture Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations &amp; Additions)
The John Schenk Award - Veil and Mortar by KHAB Architects Award - Fade to Grey by Grieve Gillett Andersen Commendation - LOCH by John Adam Architect Commendation - Cawley Tree House by C4 Architects Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing Commendation - Gibson &amp; 7th by Williams Burton Leopardi Commercial Architecture
Keith Neighbour Award - Base 64 by Williams Burton Leopardi Award - South Australian Drill Core Reference Library by Thomson Rossi Commendation - Beresford Wines Cellar Door &amp; Tasting Pavilion by Alexander Brown Architects Heritage
David Saunders Award - Base 64 by Williams Burton Leopardi Award - Tonsley Main Assembly Building and Pods by Woods Bagot and Tridente Architects Commendation - Torrens Island Quarantine Station by Habitable Places Commendation - Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral Pipe Organ Project by Grieve Gillett Andersen Interior Architecture
Robert Dickson Award - Oggi by studio-gram Award - UniSA Student Lounge by Phillips / Pilkington
Architects Award - Centre for Senior Learning, Pulteney Grammar School by Walter Brooke &amp; Associates Commendation - Elders Head Office by JPE Design Studio Urban Design Commendation - Riverbank Bridge by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, Taylor Cullity Lethlan and Aurecon Commendation - Tonsley by Oxigen Commendation - Henley Square Remade by T.C.L with Troppo Architects Small Project Architecture 
Marjorie Simpson Award - House on Mayfair by Grieve Gillett Anderson Award - 4 Structures at Henley Square by Troppo Architects and T.C.L Commendation - Waterfall Gully Shelter and Toilet Block by Flightpath Architects
Sustainable Architecture Award - Tonsley Main Assembly Building and Pods by Woods Bagot and Tridente Architects Award - Tonsley by Oxigen Enduring Architecture Jack Cheesman Award - South Australian Forensic Science Centre by SA Public Buildings Department, Government of South Australia
Colorbond® Award for Steel Architecture Award - South Australian Drill Core Reference Library by Thomson Rossi The City of Adelaide Prize Prize Winner - Pink Moon Saloon by Sans-Arc Studio Commendation - Zoos SA Nature's Play Ground by Phillips/Pilkington Architects and WAX Design
"Fran Bonato, understands that good design and great architecture comes from hard work and dedication – summed up by the three P's of Practice, Profession and Perseverance," the SA Chapter President David Homburg said in awarding the medal.
This year's Emerging Architect Prize was awarded to Anthony Balsamo of Walter Brooke &amp; Associates for his substantial contribution to the practice of architecture in South Australia.
Early in his career, Anthony saw a gap between university graduation and the practice of architecture. In 2004 he co-founded the group New Architects Group, now known as NAG, which has had a huge impact on the whole industry, especially for young graduates, and is an initiative that has now been formalised across all Chapters of the Institute, under the national banner EmAGN, the jury noted.
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SA architectural awards recognise Tonsley project

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The site of Adelaide's former Trims Family Clothing Store is to be developed into a $275 million 5-star luxury residential and commercial twin tower mixed-use property.
The property, 322 King William Street, is being developed by Gerry Karidis and will be renamed Three Two Two. When completed it will cover seven floors of car parking, nine floors of commercial suites and nine floors of residential apartment accommodation.
Both towers will feature 63 apartments.
Steve Testar of Savills Residential said Three-Two-Two will be an outstanding residential development that will offer world class luxury.
"The residential component will comprise of six penthouses and a selection of studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments and are being offered via an expressions of interest campaign," he said.
The towers will feature 20 floors of commercial floor space for either purchase or lease and an additional two floors of retail space including restaurants and other services. 
The Savills team appointed to market Three Two Two King William consists of: Rino Carpinelli, Savills SA Managing Director, – Retail Leasing &amp; Sales Peter Isaksson, Savills SA Director Capital Transactions, – Commercial Office Sales Adam Hartley, Savills SA Director Office Leasing, – Office Leasing Steve Testar, Savills SA State Director Residential, – Residential Sales
For more information, <a href="https://www.karidis.com.au/developments/" target="_blank">click here</a>.
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$275 million mixed-use development slated for Adelaide

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A Brunswick development site has been sold by Raine &amp; Horne at $1.2 million.
Its town planning permit consist of 10 generous two bedroom apartments, 1 one bedroom apartment and a 52sq metre office on the ground floor.
Set within walking distance to cosmopolitan Sydney Road, the <a href="https://www.rhcommercial.com.au/properties/15-breese-street-brunswick-3056-victoria-cd7744c8-1283-4440-958e-0cd86e076c66" target="_blank">Breese Street property</a> was offered by Raine &amp; Horne agent Tim Frian.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Brunswick development site sold by Raine & Horne Commercial

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
This May, urbanists around the world have been celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jane Jacobs.
The American-Canadian author and activist’s spirited defence of inner-city neighbourhoods inspired a generation of urban activists and place-makers. So what might Jacobs have to teach a new generation of urbanists and planners?
Much of Jacobs' legacy stems from the successful “David and Goliath” campaigns she led in the late 1950s and 1960s against the development plans of Manhattan’s “master builder” Robert Moses.
Her first battle, to prevent an extension of Fifth Avenue that would have torn apart her beloved Washington Square Park, was followed by a series of protracted community campaigns. These ultimately saved some of Manhattan’s most iconic neighbourhoods – Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy – from “slum clearance” and demolition. 
At this time, many Americans were retreating to the suburbs, and city planners – epitomised by Moses, then head of the powerful Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, which managed vast tracts of land in New York City – imposed their “comprehensive city plans” on neighbourhoods, with scant input from local communities.
Working under the spell of Le Corbusier’s vision of the “Radiant City” (Ville Radieuse), planners like Moses saw themselves playing the heroic role of a city’s surgeon. They justified their radical urban plans through appeals to natural or scientific principle. For Le Corbusier, automobiles were machines of circulation, the “lifeblood of the 20th century”; cities needed them to avoid stagnation.
<h2>In love with the ‘sidewalk ballet’</h2>
Jacobs resisted this vision. In her first and most influential book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jacobs attacked planners for ruining the cultures of cities. She saw the modernist vision of cities as:
"the dishonest mask of pretended order, achieved by ignoring or suppressing the real order that is struggling to exist and to be served."
Jacobs wrote:
When city designers try to find a design device that will express, in a clear and easy fashion, the ‘skeleton’ of city structure (expressways and promenades are current favourites for this purposes) they are on fundamentally the wrong track. A city’s very structure consists of a mixture of uses … We get close to its structural secrets when we deal with the conditions that generate diversity.
Instead of city spines and clean lines, she asked her readers to look more closely at what makes a street really work. She loved the “intricate sidewalk ballet”, a complex order that helped to maintain public safety and wellbeing through a “constant succession of eyes”.
The complexity of a place made it impossible to replicate.
The ballet of the good city never repeats itself from place to place, and in any one place it is always replete with new observations.
Jacobs’ polemic against urban planning would become its orthodoxy. Death and Life has been required reading for students of urban planning for decades. Today they learn of the failed spaces created by modernist planners and the geographies of single-use enclaves and far-flung highways they spawned.
Jacobs' campaigning inspired urban activists around the world to stage protests in their own cities. This helped usher in a new era of citizen-centric planning frameworks.
As Saskia Sassen wrote recently, it was Jacobs who first urged the need to recognise the value of “place” when considering the implementation of urban policies.
<h2>Is Jane Jacobs still relevant or useful?</h2>
Although Jacobs is a profoundly influential figure in 20th-century urbanism, in many respects her radicalism can feel like it belongs to another era.
The Manhattan districts she fought to preserve represent some of the most expensive real estate in the world, so it’s hard to disagree that a city’s dense, historic core might be worth preserving. Economist Edward Glaeser talks about “Jacobs Spillovers” – the transfers of knowledge and activity that help to explain the generation of wealth in cities like New York and London.
Some might even ask: was Jacobs simply one of the first to fly the NIMBY flag against any developments taking place within the prized neighbourhoods they helped to gentrify?
But if we take a closer look at what Jacobs had to say – and how she said it– it becomes clear her ideas remain as radical and important as they were in the 1960s.
This is perhaps no more so than in relation to rise of the “smart city”.
<h2>Smart cities and the rise of a new urban science</h2>
Today’s smart cities are big business, powered by the potential for big data and the internet of things to improve the efficiencies of urban systems. Smart cities offer solutions to improve transport management, make better investment decisions, improve accountability and promote transparent decision-making.
The premise is that with so much data (big data) being produced, planners, governments and researchers can better understand cities as complex systems, and make better decisions about how they are planned and managed. 
This explosion of data in cities – from traffic data, through mobile communications data to sensor data capturing the behaviour of natural systems and the everyday uses of infrastructure assets – is giving rise to a new “urban science”.
This incorporates machine learning, predictive analytics and complexity science. Its champions – such as Mike Batty and Luis Bettencourt – argue that we are starting to see the emergence of Jacobs' “sidewalk ballet” in data-driven form.
But while the rise of big data and smart cities opens up possibilities for cities that were previously unthinkable, we should also be wary of the limitations.
<h2>The fine arts of urban observation</h2>
Jacobs wasn’t simply claiming that cities should be understood as complex systems.
At a perhaps deeper level, Jacobs was arguing against visions of the city over-determined by the technologies that produce them: for LeCorbusier, as for Moses, the view of the city enabled by the innovation of flight helped give rise to new urban utopias like the Radiant City.
In writing Death and Life, Jacobs was also resisting the dominance of expert knowledge about a city, in favour of a democracy of lived experiences and everyday insights. She once reflected that:
"learning and thinking about city streets and the trickiness of city parks launched me into an unexpected treasure hunt."
As a new generation of planners are taught of the possibilities of a data-driven urban science, we need to remember that Jacobs' love of the sidewalk ballet also gave voice to the multiple languages, meanings, experiences and knowledge systems that underpin a vibrant urban culture.
Not all of these can be rendered by data-driven systems. Hopefully, the best insights into a city’s infinite complexity won’t only be produced by those trained with the skills to generate insights from big data.
The “data exhaust” of our daily lives will increasingly shape the way cities are understood. Much work remains to be done to ensure a cities data infrastructure is valued as a fundamental public asset.
But I can hear Jacobs issuing a word of warning: don’t forget to keep taking unexpected treasure hunts through city parks and keep your eyes on the street (not on your phones!). And keep listening out for different lived experiences and ways of knowing a place – not only those that can be rendered real-time as the data flows of complex systems. 
Sarah Barns is Urban Studies Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University and author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-barns-110278" target="_blank">here</a>.
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What might Jane Jacobs say about smart cities?

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A developer has paid $8 million for a 1,194sqm site in South Melbourne with permit approval for an eight level mixed use development comprising 83 apartments and ground floor commercial space.
The site, 15-35 Thistlethwaite Street South Melbourne (above), was sold by Colliers International to a private Chinese developer with local ties.
Colliers International’s Hamish Burgess said interest in the Fishermans Bend precinct is going from strength to strength on the back of a number of projects in the precinct achieving strong pre-sales with encouraging sales rates.
"Plot ratio changes in the Melbourne CBD have also put further supply pressure on ‘developable’ land, making fringe precincts such as Fishermans Bend attractive alternatives,” he said.
Colleagues Andrew Ryan and Ted Dwyer sold a two level 953sqm office building at 11-21 Buckhurst Street to local developer Alpha14 for $5.5 million. 
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$8 million South Melbourne mixed use redevelopment sale

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SPONSORED POST
Sydney developer Longton Property Group is working on a $300 million Avantra apartment project in Mascot that is designed to imitate a suburban street, but going up instead of a horizontal orientation.
The 328-apartment complex plus ground floor retail has been designed with a sense of community by architects MD+A and interior designer Archer + Wright.
The apartment block will include communal areas such as a shared rooftop area in which residents can swim, barbeque and interact with views of the Sydney skyline.
Covering 8,762 square metres, Avantra is oriented vertically, akin to “streets in the sky”, according to MD+A architect Brent Marvin.  
“We have six metres between front doors which is typical of a small lane, and we have pocket parks at each level where residents can sit in the sun. Within the building we have areas where residents can work or socialise, entertainment zones, a full-scale pool and BBQ areas. Instead of these elements being spread out at ground level we have designed them in the sky,” he said.
Avantra will be centred around a large courtyard garden designed for communal use. The designer, Daniel Blaffsky of 360 Degree Landscape Architects, aimed to create a sense that “the whole area is your garden.”
“Our philosophy is to create a beautiful landscape, but also a setting for community, for people to have chance interactions, as well as to have spaces for privacy and to relax.”
Longton aims for Avantra to be a community unto itself.  
One way it achieves this is through technology: each apartment will come with an iPad and the myiButler app, with which residents will be able to order shopping or house cleaning without leaving their unit.
All Avantra residents will also be part of a single virtual network, or iCommunity, allowing them to share information. Residents will be able to check updates on news, weather or finance, to be accessed either on their phones or iPads, or on an electronic noticeboard in each lobby.
For more information on Avantra, <a href="https://www.avantra.com.au/" target="_blank">click here</a>.
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Avantra homes in Sydney's Mascot akin to 'streets in the sky' 

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New Sky Group's 88 Melbourne tower, the $100 million 55 storey development, is being marketed as offering apartment homes, some 219 residences designed for empty nesters looking to transition from the family home.
The tower, designed by architectural practice Rothelowman in conjunction with KPDO, will be Melbourne’s first apartment building to feature hand-crafted kitchen appliances by Sub-Zero and Wolf. 
Rothelowman principal Chris Hayton said the building would be a timeless and elegant addition to Melbourne’s skyline and architecturally distinct due to its illuminated form. 
“88 Melbourne will have a sophisticated presence in the city and change the way people think of apartment living,” he said. 
“It will be an iconic Melbourne address and a lasting moment in the evolution of local architecture and how we design for changing life-stages.” 
Stage one of 88 Melbourne will release the tower’s first 42 levels followed by a second and final release of the building's remaining 12 levels in the coming months. 
88 Melbourne is the second project of Melbourne developer New Sky Group and primarily features two and three bedroom apartments, with 12 upper levels devoted to three-bedroom residences, sub-penthouses and two full-floor penthouses. 
KPDO director Kerry Phelan said 88 Melbourne translates the features of a luxury hotel into an apartment setting, with a key focus creating zoned living areas to enhance privacy and enjoyment. 
“Interiors have personality and encourage the display of objects collected during a life well travelled, rather than hidden away as many new apartment designs require, ” she said. 
The building also offers five-star resident facilities across a dual-height whole-floor space on level eight. This area is devoted to an indoor lap pool featuring a spa, steam room and sauna. 
A private wine cellar for residents features a tasting area and bar, plus its own private outdoor terrace.
The 88 Melbourne display suite can be seen at 88 Queensbridge Street, Southbank.
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New Sky Group creates first vertical community for empty nesters

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Globally, interest in national urban policy peaked in the late 1970s and declined sharply thereafter. The trend held true for Australia, peaking under the Whitlam government.
The decades after the Whitlam government produced a variety of federal housing and other urban policies. None had the scope of a national urban policy.
Not until 2011, with Labor’s Our Cities, Our Future, was a national urban policy launched. This did not mirror a similar resurgent interest in Western countries. These countries promote intergovernmental decentralisation, while Australia has increased centralisation.
Australian exceptionalism – both its “unique model of metropolitan governance” and its extreme <a href="https://theconversation.com/renewing-federalism-what-are-the-solutions-to-vertical-fiscal-imbalance-31422">vertical fiscal imbalance</a> (VFI) – provides the setting for federal policy that assumes the prerogatives of state and metropolitan urban policy.
<h2>Commonwealth role rarely challenged</h2>
Urban academics and professional organisations such as the Planning Institute of Australia celebrated Our Cities, Our Future – perhaps due to the increased prominence accorded urban affairs.
Few questioned the rationale for federal engagement in matters such as metropolitan strategic planning, infrastructure investment and housing. No significant urban outcomes can be attributed to Our Cities, Our Future.
Yet the policy environment at the time did have a legacy, following the creation in 2008 of Infrastructure Australia. In a context of VFI, then-prime minister Kevin Rudd sought to rationalise federal infrastructure funding based on the “business case” for projects. He tasked the COAG Reform Council with preparing guidelines for capital city strategic planning systems that would provide an “evidence base” for federal decision-making.
In 2014, the remit of Infrastructure Australia was expanded. It was to undertake an Australian Infrastructure Audit and prepare an Australian Infrastructure Plan. The plan, finalised in 2016, holds that:
The Australian government should drive change in the planning and operation of Australia’s cities through the use of Infrastructure Reform Incentives.
This approach would:
 …tie the provision of additional funding for infrastructure to the delivery of a range of city-based reforms, focused on improving the quality of planning, development and infrastructure across Australia’s cities.
This is an extraordinary assertion of power over planning for, and infrastructure investment in, cities. It has no constitutional foundation. VFI, however, frees the pens of the drafters of urban policy and the presumptions of their political masters.
Lest we forget, at the time the plan was being finalised, for 99 days there was a minister for cities and the built environment. Again, responding to the attention given to urban affairs, urban academics and professionals feted the creation of this position. No significant urban outcomes can be attributed to the ministry.
Following Jamie Briggs’ misadventure and the appointment of Angus Taylor as assistant minister for cities and digital transformation, the Smart Cities Plan was launched. Its potential significance is huge. Its ambition is to “rethink the way our cities are planned, built and managed”, with the Commonwealth to lead the rethinking.
<h2>So what’s in the latest plan?</h2>
The plan contains much that is interesting, but little that is substantial. It has the appearance more of a think-piece than a substantive policy document. Some prominent ideas are plugged in, then ignored.
An example is the “30-minute city”. It gets headlines, but it is difficult to identify what this adds to the urban agenda once the actual commitment to public transport is considered.
What the 30-minute city concept does do is reveal the extent of federal presumption about city planning. Can one really argue that this is the job of federal government?
Together, the Australian Infrastructure Plan and the Smart Cities Plan amount to a new national urban policy based on metropolitan strategic planning, infrastructure funding and City Deals.
While acknowledging the states' constitutional prerogatives to undertake metropolitan strategic and infrastructure planning and to implement projects, VFI makes federal presumptions possible. The views of a metropolitan community of interests are not a consideration.
The federal commitment is to:
<ul>
<li>
A$50 million for infrastructure planning;
</li>
<li>
establish an infrastructure financing unit; and
</li>
<li>
invite state and territory governments to partner the Commonwealth on City Deals.
</li>
</ul>
Any federal discussion about financing infrastructure in Australia’s cities is interesting and the Smart Cities Plan does appear to presage innovative public and private financing opportunities.
As for City Deals, these are to be based on federal and state/territory partnerships to “drive national priorities tailored to local needs”. So, at the local level, national priorities prevail. The federal government knows best.
In the UK, City Deals are premised on “devolution” and the creation of metropolitan governments. Deals are negotiated with local and metropolitan governments and business leaders, with reference to civil society as well. Metropolitan governments are seen as desirable because it is believed the economic growth of cities is best promoted by city leadership.
However, neither Labor nor Coalition conceptions of national urban policy envisage city leadership serving a metropolitan constituency. Representative, revenue-generating metropolitan government, which can enter the infrastructure finance market, would threaten federal and state power and influence.
<h2>How can federal policy make a difference?</h2>
There are two preconditions for effective federal engagement in urban policy.
The first is a policy that survives the next election. Because the Labor and Coalition approaches incorporate urban issues from local to federal, they are essentially political treatises. Long-lived policies are unlikely.
The second precondition is to recognise that most policies are urban in a country that is 90% urban. The unintended urban consequences of federal policies have outweighed those of policies having urban intent. Examples include negative gearing, immigration and climate-change policies. The criterion of urban consequences should be integral to federal policy formation.
A federal concern with urban policy requires locating responsibility and funding for policies to the level of government where they are most effectively addressed. Often this will be at a metro scale. It is then best undertaken by metropolitan government.
Rather than tied infrastructure and social grants, untied fiscal decentralisation is desirable. Australia should welcome policy and expenditure differences, experimentation and mutual learning among metros.
The way forward is to consider what level of government is best placed to resolve contested urban issues, in partnership with the private sector and civil society.
A federal urban policy should be limited to issues that explicitly require federal intervention. The determination of these issues will be subject to debate. But the operating assumption should be federal policy modesty in relation to states and cities, devolution of responsibilities, and fiscal decentralisation.
Richard Tomlinson is professor of Urban Planning, University of Melbourne and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-tomlinson-10016" target="_blank">here</a>.
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New name, new look for latest national urban policy, but same old problem

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The Malaysian property grouo SP Setia has spent around $10 million on an 850-square-metre development site in Prahran, Melbourne. 
The 103-105 High Street site is close to Chapel and Greville streets.
It came with approvals for a seven-level mixed-use project with ground-floor retail, an office floor and 63 car spaces.
It is SP Setia's fourth land purchase in Melbourne. 
Colliers International's Hamish Burgess marketed the property.
The site's private seller bought it for $6.2 million in 2014, realising more than 60 percent in return, selling at a unit rate of $212,766.
The architects Rothelowman are working on the project.
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