<p>Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.</p>

<p>The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.</p>

<p>The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.</p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.</p>

<p>The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" /></p>

<p>SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.</p>

<p>“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.</p>

<p>The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.</p>

<p>“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" /></p>

<p>The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.</p>

<p>Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.</p>

<p>The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.</p>

<p>COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" /></p>

<p>“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.</p>

<p>The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.</p>

<p>The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.</p>

<p>Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.</p>

<p><em>Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a></em></p>


Joel Robinson

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.</p>

<p>The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.</p>

<p>The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" /></p>

<p>Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.</p>

<p>SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”</p>

<p>The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" /></p>

<p>The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.</p>

<p>A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.</p>

<p>Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.</p>

<p><img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" /></p>

<p>The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.</p>

<p>Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.</p>

<p>The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.</p>


First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

<p>Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."</p>

<p>Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;</p>


Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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<p data-end="157" data-start="0">The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.</p>

<p data-end="459" data-start="159"><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.</p>

<p data-end="459" data-start="159">[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359603]</p>

<p data-end="651" data-start="461"><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.</p>

<p data-end="950" data-start="653">Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.</p>

<p data-end="1081" data-start="952">“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.</p>

<p data-end="1081" data-start="952">[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=355935]</p>

<p data-end="1307" data-start="1083">Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.</p>

<p data-end="1522" data-start="1309">The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.</p>

<p data-end="1522" data-start="1309">[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]</p>

<p data-end="1714" data-start="1524">Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.</p>

<p data-end="1945" data-start="1716">The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.</p>

<p data-end="1945" data-start="1716">[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359607]</p>

<p data-end="2220" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="1947">More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.</p>
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</section>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112661]</p>


SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

<p data-end="320" data-start="79">Local Little Bay residents, along with buyers from premium postcodes across Sydney’s affluent Eastern Suburbs, have dominated purchases in developer-builder Urban Property Group’s first Eastern Suburbs apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a>.</p>

<p data-end="638" data-start="322">The $250 million coastal project, one of the first new developments in the area in several years, has proven particularly popular with downsizers, especially those from Coogee and Bondi. One Double Bay downsizer paid $4.7 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, setting a new local apartment price record in the process.</p>

<p data-end="864" data-start="640">Buyers have been attracted to the combination of coastal tranquillity, premium design and amenity-rich neighbourhood living. The walkable village setting, along with proximity to three of Sydney’s leading golf courses, New South Wales Golf Club, St Michael’s Golf Club and The Coast Golf Club, has also been a key drawcard.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352689]</p>

<p>Built across two low-rise buildings designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hill-thalis-architecture-urban-projects-pty-ltd">Hill Thalis</a> and set along a lush, landscaped green spine, designed by leading landscape architect <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>, ESTE Little Bay offers a collection of one, two, three and four-bedroom residences with interiors by Richards Stanisich.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> Sales Director, Tom McIvor said the response to ESTE has been "nothing short of extraordinary."</p>

<p>“Buyers have been quick to recognise ESTE as a rare opportunity to invest in a coastal sanctuary that offers both seclusion and connectivity to the heart of Sydney,” McIvor said.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352687]</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">SRM Residential</a> Senior Director, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">Clayton Ross</a> said the local market has responded incredibly well, driven by ESTE’s exceptional location and the rarity it offers.</p>

<p>“We’ve seen strong interest from a variety of buyer groups, all of whom are drawn to the exclusivity and quality of the build and construction by the 4.5-star iCIRT-rated builder / developer, Urban Property Group. There’s truly nothing else like it along Sydney’s coastline.”</p>

<p>[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352690]</p>

<p>The project also includes robust buyer protections, including Resilience Insurance’s Latent Defects Insurance, providing 10 years of structural cover, and an independent iCIRT-rating of the developer.</p>

<p>“The iCIRT-rating adds another layer of confidence,” Ross added. “Buyers see it as a safeguard for their investment and their lifestyle.” A highlight of ESTE’s offering is its exclusive wellness amenities, including a heated rooftop infinity pool and outdoor heated spa, a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness centre, and a sauna.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a> is topped out and is on track to complete towards the end of 2026, with residents moving in before Christmas.</p>

<p>[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112343]</p>


Eastern Suburbs buyers snap up ESTE Little Bay apartments

Residential Market

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<p>Houses and units across Perth both posted declines in median prices during the September 2015 quarter, according to REIWA president Hayden Groves.</p>
<p>The median house price is down 4.2% from the June quarter to $522,133 with units at $420,125.</p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Median rental figure fell $20 to now rest at $400 per week, sitting to $420 for houses and $395 for units.</span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph">REIWA president HaydenGroves said rhe best performing suburb was St James in Perth’s central sub-region, which topped the list with a 5.1% increase to its quarterly annual median, followed by Mount Claremont with 4.5%.</p>
<p>“Baldivis continued to dominate for houses this quarter with 469 house sales, followed by Ellenbrook with 420 sales and then Canning Vale in third place with 413 sales. Renowned for their appeal to first home buyers, these suburbs continue to dominate in a market skewed by weaker trade-up activity and prominent first time buyers," he said.</p>
<p>“For units, East Perth came in at number one with 288 sales for the three months to September, with Scarborough coming in second with 238 and Perth third with 224 sales, showing that the inner urban apartment market continues to entice buyers.</p>
<p>“We estimate that total dwelling sales for the quarter will come in at around 8,600 sales across WA, below the average and fewer than the June quarter, although the winter months normally return a subdued sales volume measure."</p>
<p>Metropolitan sub-regional markets, the top performers:</p>
<ul>
<li>North West: Madeley up 3.7%</li>
<li>North East: Wattle Grove up 2.2%</li>
<li>South West: Rockingham up 3.3%</li>
<li>South East: Bedfordale up 1.2%</li>
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mick.cee-iDmgDDAmu8

Perth houses, units post median September declines: REIWA

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<p><span>GUEST OBSERVER</span></p>
<p><span>Building approvals rose slightly in September, but did not offset last month’s fall. </span></p>
<p><span>We </span><span>continue to believe that the housing market is at or near a peak, and further growth from housing construction is looking increasingly unlikely.</span></p>
<p><a href="/images/2015/11/Screen%20Shot%202015-11-02%20at%201.15.50%20PM.png" target="_blank"><span>Click to enlarge</span></a></p>
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<span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Housing building approvals rose marginally in September, not offsetting the previous </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">month’s decline</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">, which was revised even further downward. Detached housing approvals fell slightly, meaning that activity has been unchanged for near two years. But the key swing variable, the higher-density segment, posted growth of 6.9% m/m (Figure 1).</span>
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<br><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">This monthly growth in the higher-density segment was mixed across the states. Queensland rebounded sharply to a near-record level, while Victoria posted mild growth. On the other hand, New South Wales approvals fell heavily, and are now 60% lower than the peak of just two months ago, highlighting the volatility inherent in the data. Nonetheless, the national level of approvals continued to trend lower, consistent with our belief that although demand for new housing will remain solid, it will not return to the peak levels of earlier this year. This means that although construction activity will remain elevated, further growth, and further contribution to national output, will be increasingly hard to come by.</span>
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<br><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Meanwhile, the outlook remains weak in the non-residential segment. Approvals rose slightly in September, but remain low, hindered by ongoing softness in the office segment particularly. Accommodation-related approvals continue to trend higher, and now sit at </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">record levels, likely supported by the lower AUD’s positive impact on the tourism sector </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">(Figure 2). </span>
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<div class="column"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Other data today showed house price growth weakening in Sydney, up just 0.3% in October (in seasonally adjusted terms). In turn, annual price growth eased back to 16%, from a peak of 20% in July. This marked slowdown is in line with falling auction clearance rates (Figure 3), reflecting lower housing market sentiment, especially amongst investors. Melbourne price growth remained more robust, outpacing Sydney for the past four months in seasonally adjusted terms. However, price growth is easing in Melbourne too, and has slowed over each of the past three months.</span></div>
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<br><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">This waning enthusiasm for housing is at least partially driven by tighter regulation aimed </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">at removing some of the heat from the housing market. APRA’s macro prudential measures </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">(which have resulted in tighter borrowing conditions and higher interest rates) have resulted in </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">a sharp slowdown in investor borrowing, as seen in last Friday’s credit data. </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">This is expected to result in house price growth easing further over coming months, with Sydney and Melbourne growth rates to converge with other capital cities. </span>
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<p><em>Cherelle Murphy is c<span style="line-height: 1.3em;">o-head of Australian economics, ANZ and </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Daniel Gradwell is economist. They can be contacted <a href="https://bluenotes.anz.com/authors/our-economists/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></em></p>
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Building approvals improve, house price growth eases: ANZ Research

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<p>A reputed $19 million sale has been secured on harbourfront Point Piper. </p>
<p>The Wunulla Road trophy home sale (above) was through <a href="https://www.realestateview.com.au/Real-Estate/7-wunulla-road-point-piper/Property-Details-sold-residential-9658008" target="_blank">Ray White agents Michael Finger and Elliott Placks</a>.</p>
<p>It last traded at $4.4 million in 1998. The 2011 designed contemporary home sits on a 430 sqm block. The sale price is unconfirmed.</p>
<p>Meanwhile the intended Point Piper home of ANZ trader Etienne Alexiou which was purchased in early last year for $7.2 million has been relisted for sale.</p>
<p>It was bought in March and settled in November 2014.</p>
<p>The house on 1037 sqm was bought from the Melbourne property developer Adrian Valmorbida by Alexiou who was named earlier this year named as one of seven senior traders suspended by the bank following an investigation into possible manipulation of the bank bill swap rate.</p>
<p>An ANZ spokesperson had previously advised that while the bank could not comment on individual staff members, it was pointed out to Fairfax Media that the suspended trader was still an employee, was receiving the full salary and may be cleared of wrongdoing as ASIC's investigation was ongoing and may not be complete for some time. </p>
<p>The Federation Wunulla Road home now comes with Alex Popov redesign plans. </p>
<p>The previous owner, the shoe designer Donna-May Bolinger also sold it without undertaking her envisaged update.</p>
<p>She secured $6.37 million in 2007 having paid $5.85 million in 2005.</p>
<p>Geza and Eva Szekely owned it for four decades having bought it in 1965 for £22,500.</p>
<p>The Wunulla Road house (below) is on a double-access block opposite the yacht club marina. </p>
<p><img src="/images/2015/11/700_wynulla.jpg" alt="" width="555" height="337"></p>
<p><span>Alexiou, who currently resides in Woollahra, has a November 23 scheduled auction <a href="https://www.lsdb.com.au/real-estate-for-sale-20-wunulla-road-point-piper-nsw/2477501/" target="_blank"><span>through D’Leanne Lewis, of Laing+Simmons Double Bay</span></a>.</span></p>
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Point Piper's reputed $19 million harbourfront sale

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<div class="column"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">GUEST OBSERVER</span></div>
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<div class="column"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">As was evidenced in September, there are yet more signs that housing investors are shifting their focus away from Sydney and Melbourne to other capital cities and regional centres. </span></div>
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<div class="column"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">An easing of the home price boom in Sydney and Melbourne will be viewed very favourably by the Reserve Bank. If in 6-12 month’s time, all capital city home prices were growing at a 3-5% annual pace, then policymakers would take the housing market off the ‘wall of worry’.</span></div>
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<div class="column"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">While regional home price data is only available to September, it is clear that the strength in the Sydney market is spreading. Regional NSW home prices are up 8 per cent over the year – the fastest pace of price growth in 51⁄2 years.</span></div>
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<br><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">Building approvals were at record highs in the year to September. The current annual total of approvals is 18% higher than the previous peak set 21 years ago. In short, the economy will remain driven by the housing sector well into 2016. </span>
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<p><span>What do the figures show?</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p><span>Home prices</span></p>
<p><span>The CoreLogic RP Data Hedonic Australian Home Value index of capital city home prices rose by 0.2% in October to stand 10.1% higher than a year ago.</span></p>
<p><span>House prices rose by 0.1% in October while apartments rose by 0.4%. House prices were up 10.5% on a year ago and apartments were up by 7.7%.</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p><span>The average Australian capital city house price (median price based on settled sales over quarter) was $621,000 and the average unit price was $515,000. The average Sydney house price was $940,000 – still some way off the $1 million mark.</span></p>
<p><span>Dwelling prices rose in five of the eight capital cities in October: Adelaide &amp; Canberra (up 1.5%), Hobart (up 1.4%), Melbourne (up 0.6%) and Sydney (up 0.3%). Prices fell in Perth (down 2.8%), Brisbane (down 0.2%), and Darwin (down 0.1%).</span></p>
<p><span>Home prices were higher than a year ago in six of the eight capital cities. Prices rose most in Sydney (up 15.6%), followed by Melbourne (up 12.8%), Canberra (up 4.5%), Brisbane and Hobart (both up 3.8%), and Adelaide (up 2.3%). Price fell in Darwin (down 3.7%) and Perth (down 3.6%).</span></p>
<p><span>Total returns on capital city dwellings in the year to October rose by 14.2% with houses up 14.5% on a year earlier and units up 12.5%.</span></p>
<p><span>CoreLogic RP Data noted: “Clearance rates have been trending lower since April this year, with Sydney and Melbourne now showing auction clearances that are below 70% week to week. Additionally, monthly mortgage related activity across CoreLogic RP Data’s valuation platforms was lower when compared with the same period a year ago; the first annual fall in platform activity since 2013. Added to this are record levels of new housing supply now entering the market. We are now seeing a picture of reduced house price inflation over the coming year.”</span></p>
<p><span>Performance of Manufacturing</span></p>
<p><span>The Performance of Manufacturing index fell from 52.1 to 50.2 in October. A reading above 50.0 indicates that the sector is expanding.</span></p>
<p><span>Production, orders, employment and sales fell in October but inventories, exports, selling prices, wages and capacity utilisation rose.</span></p>
<p><span>Building Approvals:</span></p>
<p><span>Dwelling approvals rose by 2.2% in September after falling 9.5% in August and rising 9.5% in July. Over the past year a record 229,438 new homes were approved.</span></p>
<p><span>House approvals fell by 2.0% in September (private sector fell by 1.9%). Meanwhile ‘lumpy’ apartment approvals rose by 6.9% in September after falling by 20.8% in August and rising by 22.7% in July. Private sector apartment approvals rose by 6.1% in September.</span></p>
<p><span>Dwelling approvals are up 21.4% on a year ago with house approvals up by 1.1% while apartments are up by 53.3%.</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p><span>Across states and territories in September: NSW approvals fell by 16.6%; Victoria rose by 5.0%; Queensland rose by 41.6%; South Australia fell by 14.9%; Western Australia fell by 8.9%; Tasmania rose by 31.6%. In trend terms, approvals fell by 3.3% in the Northern Territory and fell 0.7% in the ACT.</span></p>
<p><span>The value of all commercial and residential building approvals fell by 2.1% in September after falling by 5.9% in August. Residential approvals fell by 4.3% with new building down by 5.4% while alterations &amp; additions rose by 4.7%. Commercial building rose by 2.9% in September to be up 8.8% over the year.</span></p>
<p><span>Inflation gauge</span></p>
<p><span>The monthly inflation gauge was unchanged in October after a 0.3% rise in September. The annual rate of inflation eased from a 10-month high of 1.9% to 1.8%. </span></p>
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<p><span>Tradable good prices fell by 0.3% in October after rising by 0.5 cent in September. Tradable good prices are up just 0.9% on the year. Non-tradable prices were up 0.2% to be up 2.4% over the year.</span></p>
<p><span>The underlying rate (trimmed mean) was flat in October after rising 0.2% in September. The annual rate rose from 1.6% to 1.7%.</span></p>
<p><span>Excluding volatile items like petrol and fruit &amp; vegetables, the core inflation gauge rose by 0.1% in October to be up 2.2% over the year.</span></p>
<p><span>TD Securities noted that: “Contributing to the overall change in October were price rises for tobacco (+1.3%), newspaper, books and stationery (+3.0%), utilities (+1.3%). These were offset by price falls in fruit and vegetables (-1.1%), holiday travel and accommodation (-1.5%), and bread and cereal products (-1.1%). The price of automotive fuel eased slightly in October.</span></p>
<p><span>What is the importance of the economic data?</span></p>
<p><span>The CoreLogic RP Data Hedonic Australian Home Value Index is based on Australia’s biggest property database. Unlike the ABS Index, which excludes terraces, semi-detached homes and apartments, the CoreLogic- RP Data Hedonic Index includes all properties. Home prices are an important driver of wealth and spending.</span></p>
<p><span>The Australian Industry Group and PricewaterhouseCoopers compile the Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) each month. The Australian PMI is the Australian equivalent of the US ISM manufacturing gauge. The PMI is one of the timeliest economic indicators released in Australia. The PMI is useful not just in showing how the manufacturing sector is performing but in providing some sense about where it is heading. The key ‘forward looking’ components are orders and employment.</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p><span>The TD Securities/Melbourne Institute Monthly Inflation Gauge is designed to “provide a timely and accurate monthly measure of inflation in Australia”. The Bureau of Statistics only releases the Consumer Price Index on a quarterly basis.</span></p>
<p><span>The Bureau of Statistics' monthly Building Approvals release contains figures on local council approvals to build residential structures such as homes and units as well as commercial premises such as offices and shops. Approval is one of the first stages of the construction ‘pipeline’ and is thus a key leading indicator of future activity. An increase in approvals would point to stronger future activity for construction-related companies.</span></p>
<p><span>What are the implications for interest rates and investors?</span></p>
<p><span>If major banks hadn’t been forced to lift interest rates to cover the cost of new capital, the Reserve Bank would have had an easy decision on interest rates. Interest rates would have been left on hold. While the decision is now more finely balanced, we believe that the Reserve Bank will wait a little longer to evaluate the impact of major bank increases in home loan rates.</span></p>
<p><span>The lift in apartment approvals in September will add yet more work to the housing pipeline. Approvals hit record highs in the 12 months to September with almost 30% of activity from apartment buildings of four storeys or more in height. </span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
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<div class="column"><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><em>Craig James is the chief economist at <a href="https://www.comsec.com.au/default.aspx" target="_blank">CommSec</a>.</em></span></div>
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More regions benefit from firm housing activity: CommSec's Craig James

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<div>Earlier this year I wrote about the extent to which Chinese investment in Australian real estate has mushroomed over the past few years.</div>
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<div>Unfortunately the Foreign Investment Review Board is not due to release its 2015 Annual Report for some time, and furthermore not all states release full disclosure of foreign land ownership.</div>
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<div>One state which does so is Queensland, and indeed its Annual Report for the 2015 financial year was released only this week.</div>
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<div>The Foreign Ownership of Land Register (which requires disclose of the ownership of freehold or leasehold land) provided further evidence that Chinese investment in Queensland has absolutely exploded, with the value of annual acqusitions soaring by more than 170 per cent in the space of only two financial years from $323 million to $873 million. </div>
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<div>This accounted for a greater value of investment than all five of the other major countries disclosed combined.</div>
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<div><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Urban focus</span></strong></div>
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<div>The data shows that while British interests continue to own the greatest land <em><strong>area</strong></em> in Queensland, Chinese investors have been very much focussed on the acquisition of urban land, in particular locations in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast.</div>
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<div>Indeed, Chinese investors accounted for a thunderous 63 per cent of foreign interest land acquisitions on the Gold Coast in 2014-15.</div>
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<div>Meanwhile, foreign interest land acquisitions in Brisbane for the financial year were overwhelmingly mopped up by investors from China (37 per cent), Singapore (33 per cent), and Hong Kong (8 per cent).</div>
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<div>The value of foreign land acquisitions in the financial year away from Brisbane and the Gold Coast was considerably lower.</div>
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<div><a href="/images/2015/11/QLD2.jpg" target="_blank">Click enlarge</a></div>
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<div><span>The interest of Chinese investors in Australian property is set to scale unprecedented heights in 2016, but the impacts of this are not always well understood.</span></div>
<div><span> </span></div>
<div>
<p><span><em>PETE WARGENT is the co-founder of <a href="https://allenwargent.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AllenWargent</a> property buyers (London, Sydney) and a best-selling author and <a href="https://petewargent.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">blogger</a>.</em><br></span></p>
<p><em>His latest book is <a href="https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/Books/General-Interest/Four-Green-Houses--and-a-Red-Hotel/1015/productview.aspx" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Four Green Houses and a Red Hotel</a>.</em></p>
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Chinese investment in Queensland explodes: Pete Wargent

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<p>Now, more than ever before, is the time to seriously consider and pay close attention to what your real estate agent promises you.</p>
<p>Don’t be too complacent and think that most agents actually care about your best interests. Most realtors wouldn’t shout you a cup of coffee, if it means actually putting their hand in their pockets to accommodate your needs.</p>
<p>No, this isn’t a rant about Vendor Paid Advertising (VPA). We’ve already had that discussion.</p>
<p>This article is about making sure, your agent, is looking after your best interests. Your interests when they suggest that your property is best marketed; via an auction campaign.</p>
<p>Below are some simple steps to follow and questions to pose to the agents that are hell-bent on auction strategies.</p>
<p>In this instance, the focus is on the auctioneer, more than the listing agent that wants to sign you up. Or in some cases: stitch-you-up.</p>
<p>Questions you need to ask about the auctioneer:</p>
<p>1)     Price: Is the auctioneer the cheapest in the area?</p>
<p>2)     Performance: How well does he/she perform?</p>
<p>3)     Pre-auction inspection: Will they actually come to view the home before the day of the auction?</p>
<p>4)     Price</p>
<p>Like everything, pay peanuts and you will get monkeys. But sometimes in the auction game, you also get very expensive baboons.</p>
<p>The key here is, don’t just base the decision on the criteria of “price”. Base your decision, in collaboration with the other two points, as well as price.</p>
<p>Performance</p>
<p>To help you better gauge the caliber of the individual that will have control of the sale on the day, make time to see them in action. Do it first hand and don’t rely on what their mate, the real estate agent, tells you about them.</p>
<p>Pre-auction inspection</p>
<p>I find it difficult to grasp the belief that an auctioneer, that has 5-9 properties to auction off in a period of 5 hours, can actually perform to their best of their ability on the day.</p>
<p>What I have seen is, most auctioneers stumbling and running late from appointment to appointment in Saturday traffic-jams in Sydney.</p>
<p>Their complacency, may have worked for them as people are prepared to pay 20-30% above the odds in a hot market; however, the tide has turned. Clearance rates are dropping weekly and rapidly.</p>
<p>You may be about to give a fool, the reigns of what is your most valuable asset. Think twice before you do. Perhaps the following points will assist you with your decision.</p>
<p>Foolish things agents and auctioneers do when they are under pressure</p>
<p>1)     Run an auction when no one has actually registered nor has anyone requested contracts prior to day of auction. I witnessed one last week. It was disastrous for     the vendor.</p>
<p>2)     Advertise low price-guides to draw a crowd only to pass the property in at the low price-guide.</p>
<p>3)     Calling vendors bid low, believing this will stimulate the bidding. I see this occur over and over again, and auctioneers do this even when the reserve is 15%-25% higher.</p>
<p>The common outcome: property is passed in at vendors bid and therefore, devaluing the potential of the property.</p>
<p>4)     Auctioneer not properly informed, if at all, about material facts such as; easements and covenants, development potential, history and not knowing in detail about the property.</p>
<p>5)     Auctioneers, thinking more about the traffic conditions they will encounter travelling to the next property, than the actual sale at hand.</p>
<p>6)     Agents and auctioneers conducting room auctions with 3 or more properties. Again, may have worked in a hot market, however, this is suicide for the vendor in normal circumstance.</p>
<p>Prevention is better than cure</p>
<p>To understand why agents are pushing auctions, you need to have a behind the scenes peak. Most real estate training manuals simply state:</p>
<p>“…Auction campaigns, gives the agent a definitive sales date. One that vendors and buyers are locked into… and you’re guaranteed your commission”</p>
<p>The above would be perfect if it also meant two outcomes:  first, the sale achieves the best price and second, the agent was ethical about the entire campaign. </p>
<p>If your agent’s recommendations of an auctioneer does not meet the above criteria and what you hear and see on the video; you may well lose tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Then again, ask yourself, is your property that unique to go to auction, and is it really the best strategy.</p>
<p>Happy selling. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em><span>EDWIN ALMEIDA</span> is licensee in charge of <a href="https://www.just-think.com.au/" target="_blank">Just Think Real Estate</a>.<a href="https://www.just-thin.com.au/"><br></a></em></p>
<p><em>He is also the creator of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/JustThinkProperty" target="_blank">Oz Real Estate.TV</a> and a presenter for <a href="https://propertyinvestingvault.com/" target="_blank">propertyinvestingvault.com</a>.</em></p>
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Pay close attention to what your real estate agent promises you: Edwin Almeida

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<p><span>Sydney has 2.4 months of supply left on the market, according to CoreLogic RP Data's s<span>enior research analyst Cameron Kusher.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>He said the figure has increased from 2.2 months over each of the past two years and despite the rise, it is still the </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">shortest month of supply for each capital city.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">"Across the combined capital cities, there is currently 3.4 months of supply on the market," he said.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">"This figure has increased from a recent low of 2.9 months in March."</span></p>
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Vendor offerings equal 2.4 months of supply on the Sydney market: CoreLogic RP Data

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<p><span>Real estate agents in Queensland's Mackay are fielding increased sales enquiries driven by local first-home buyers, according to the latest quarterly report from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ), indicating confidence in the economy and property market.</span></p>
<p><span>Local property projects like Somerset Park, off Bedford Road in Andergrove, are reporting increased enquiries.</span></p>
<p><span>Developed by Trinity Property Consultants, Somerset Park will have 250 homes, duplexes and townhouses built across four stages over the next two to three years. </span></p>
<p><span>“Somerset Park homes are available from $379,000, a highly affordable entry price for first home buyers,” said TOTAL Property Group managing director and Somerset Park marketing manager Adrian Parsons.</span></p>
<p><span>It is six kilometres from the CBD, and is surrounded by shops, day-care centres, schools, health care services etc.</span></p>
<p><span>The trend in house sales over the past 12 months indicates that the city was rising from the bottom of the property cycle, said Peter McFarlane, REIQ zone chairman for Mackay district.</span></p>
<p><span>“More first home buyers are taking advantage of the low interest rates and the affordable property prices to realise their dream of owning their own home,” he said.</span></p>
<p><span>Somerset Park developer Jim Relph of Trinity Property Group said Mackay has a robust local economy, making Mackay an ideal city for first home buyers to live and invest in.</span></p>
<p><span>Buyers can choose from architecturally designed luxury three, four and five bedroom homes, some with lake views.</span></p>
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First-home buyer activity boosts Queensland's Mackay market

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<p>GUEST OBSERVER</p>
<p><span>Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has created a new ministry for cities and the built environment. Announcing his decision last month, <span>he said</span>:</span></p>
<p><span><em>Liveable, vibrant cities are absolutely critical to our prosperity. (They are) where the bulk of our economic growth can be found … (and they are) economic assets. (M)aking sure that Australia is a wonderful place to live in, that our cities and indeed our regional centres are wonderful places to live, is an absolutely key priority of every level of government. Because the most valuable capital in the world today is not financial capital … (it’s) human capital.</em></span></p>
<p><span>While the question of what is a <span>“liveable city”</span> inspires endless debate, less thought has been given to making urban planning a more democratic process.</span></p>
<p><span>Natural evolution and the birth of urban planning</span></p>
<p><span>In the 18th century, one of London’s <span>pioneer police magistrates</span>, Henry Fielding, strove to keep the streets of the city clear of crime and vice. But in the course of his work Fielding also went out of his way to help prostitutes and petty criminals. He understood that the city was made up of all sorts of people with different values and cultures.</span></p>
<p><span>Fielding was living in a period when London was experiencing a <span>population boom</span>, going from just over 500,000 in 1700 to 900,000 in the 1801 census.</span></p>
<p><span>Today, <span>54% of the world’s population</span> lives in cities, which have historically drawn people from myriad economic, social and cultural backgrounds. Cities have always been places of integration, intense population pressures, migration flows, cultural interactions and variations in socioeconomic positioning and values.</span></p>
<p><span>Fielding was interested in making London a liveable city, although the term would have been anachronistic to him. Yet it appears almost ubiquitous in contemporary policymaking, urban planning and in the public imagination. A liveable city has become the highest form of praise we can give to a city space.</span></p>
<p><span>But liveable for whom? The implication is that ordinary people should be able to inhabit cities. Yet how governments generate affordable housing, and even who is allowed to have a say in the planning and development of a city, is often badly developed.</span></p>
<p><span>Where does democracy fit in?</span></p>
<p><span>Is a liveable city a democratic city? Who gets to participate in the process of governing and shaping a city?</span></p>
<p><span>In the early 20th century, modern cities were thought to evolve according to “natural” processes, combining migration, growth and the urban form. Urban sociologists from the Chicago School <span>outlined</span> how cities evolved like living social organisms balancing conflict and co-operation, density, heterogeneity and tolerance. Ernest Burgess even <span>suggested</span> that the very form of the modern city developed in predictable fashion as a set of “concentric rings”, with production and workers’ cottages in a singular inner centre and more affluent suburbs at the extremities.</span></p>
<p><span>Such ideas have given way to a more complex depiction of post-modern cities, incorporating multiple (or no) centres, historical communities, development interests and urban planning. Urban planning is seen as an essential technical science. A <span>failure to plan</span> is associated with dystopian images of suburban sprawl, of the “exopolis” without facilities or a civic centre, or of “edge cities” growing like lichen along the intersections of major highways.</span></p>
<p><span>Appropriate planning is aimed at building the best cities to enhance quality of life and attract the elite of the global workforce. We strive to find a formula for the most liveable city and potentially top the <span>EIU’s Global Liveability Ranking</span> (which Melbourne achieved in 2015).</span></p>
<p><span>Urban planners explore how cities can be sustainable and how a continuous food and water supply can be ensured, but they also deal with concerns about over-population, migration and what happens when poverty is concentrated in certain areas, which can increase the potential for crime.</span></p>
<p><span>Cities as economic sites or liveable places</span></p>
<p><span>Soon after his appointment, the new cities minister, Jamie Briggs, <span>conveyed</span> his vision of cities as economic sites:</span></p>
<p><span><em>Cities are one of the great drivers of our economy. Most Australians live in our cities and the majority of businesses are based in or around them. They are the engine room of commerce, infrastructure, innovation, the arts, science and development.</em></span></p>
<p><span>While it’s true that historically people have been drawn to cities because of the economic opportunities they offered, such claims disguise both the difficulties for urban migrants and environments that economic opportunities have created, as well as the negative implications for those remaining in rural areas.</span></p>
<p><span>Before 1871, migrants from across France settled in Paris as a consequence of its economic opportunities and political importance. The social disconnection implicit in such movement became evident in Emile Durkheim’s 1897 <span>study of French suicide rates</span> and the breakdown in traditional forms of social solidarity.</span></p>
<p><span>Migration also played out broader social inequalities across the nation in urban space. People grouped in neighbourhoods based on shared languages and dialects that related to their home regions. Within those districts, rich and poor shared the same buildings, their wealth demarcated by their positioning in the building.</span></p>
<p><span>Perhaps this was better for social integration than many modern environments, but a focus on the city as an economic space can lose sight of how cities are made liveable. Social relationships are key to central ideas of safety, belonging and ownership.</span></p>
<p><span>In 1903, Georg Simmel <span>described the metropolis</span> as a blasé, rationalised space that alienates people from people and feelings, in that:</span></p>
<p><span><em>… punctuality, calculability, exactness are forced upon life by the complexity and extension of metropolitan existence.</em></span></p>
<p><span>Sixty years later, however, Jane Jacobs <span>defended</span> the city as a myriad of communities in that:</span></p>
<p><span><em>… the trust of a city street is formed over time from many, many little public sidewalk contacts.</em></span></p>
<p><span>What makes the ideal Australian city?</span></p>
<p><span>Is it Canberra, which divides public opinion with its low density, its roundabouts and planned streets? Is it Sydney or Melbourne with their high-density cultural vibrancy? Or is it the small country towns, which often appear communal in ways larger cities do not?</span></p>
<p><span>We often think of the attachment we have towards cities in emotional terms; we love or hate a place, we feel comfortable or settled in some spaces but not in others. We instinctively speak about cities in terms of their emotional impact on our lives.</span></p>
<p><span>Even Wordsworth, renowned for his love of nature and solitude, spoke of his emotional attachment to the city. Reflecting on his first sight of London, he <span>wrote</span>:</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p><span><em>A weight of ages did at once descend</em></span></p>
<p><span><em>Upon my heart – no thought embodied, no</em></span></p>
<p><span><em>Distinct remembrances, but weight and power,</em></span></p>
<p><span><em>Power growing with the weight…</em></span></p>
<p><span>For Wordsworth, as for others then and now, the city inspired a complex set of emotions.</span></p>
<p><span>What the new ministry needs to do</span></p>
<p><span>First, it needs to recognise the cultural, aesthetic and emotional elements of cities. It needs to acknowledge the importance of cultural activity ahead of the pursuit of commerce and the idea of cities as “economic assets”.</span></p>
<p><span>The aesthetic qualities of space are crucial to the notion of a liveable city. These became important in the 18th century with a growing appreciation of the ways that environment shaped the self and emotional behaviours.</span></p>
<p><span>To produce “civilised” behaviours in their populace, urban planners laid out wide streets, introduced sewage and flowing water, added street lamps and began to police both the behaviour and cleanliness of the urban environment. This was not just about practical benefits to the population, but reflected a strong belief that surrounding yourself with beauty enabled people to be better versions of themselves.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span>Such ideas remain important to the present. Historians of emotions spend a lot of time thinking about how cities and spaces create emotions, historically but with implications for modern spaces. Urban planning (or its lack) can produce emotions in inhabitants, whether that is the disgust at poor sewage and disease that inspired reform in 18th-century Copenhagen or 20th-century Sydney, the anger and tensions caused by ghettoisation of minority groups, or the political unrest caused by poor housing and overcrowding.</span></p>
<p><span>Perhaps most famously, cities have provided “outcast” individuals, such as gay men and lesbians, with a space to create a community, to find affirmation of their feelings and to build pride and political identity. A narrow focus on the city as a driver of the economic, without an appreciation of how the urban shapes those who live within it can act as a challenge to social stability and personal wellbeing.</span></p>
<p><span>Historically, the use of space in cities has been a matter of pride, displaying important cultural and architectural landmarks, but also an issue of public health and safety, preventing the spread of diseases, fires and crime. Our historical knowledge of cities can be enormously helpful in informing current ideas about city planning by showing how people have reacted emotionally to city spaces in the past.</span></p>
<p><span>The answer to the question of what makes a city liveable is complex and constantly evolving. Because of this we should be insisting on answers about what will be happening to Australia’s cities in the next few decades.</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/merridee-l-bailey-196598" target="_blank">Merridee L. Bailey </a>is s</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">enior research fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, University of Adelaide.</span></em><br><br><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amy-milka-200753" target="_blank">Amy Milka </a>is p</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">ostdoctoral research fellow, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, University of Adelaide </span></em><br><br><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/craig-lyons-200755" target="_blank">Craig Lyons </a></span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">MSc candidate in human geography, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney </span></em><br><br><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-lemmings-200749" target="_blank">David Lemmings </a>is p</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">rofessor of history, University of Adelaide </span></em><br><br><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gordon-raeburn-143098" target="_blank">Gordon Raeburn </a>is p</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">ostdoctoral fellow in the History of Emotions, University of Melbourne </span></em><br><br><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katie-barclay-200751" target="_blank">Katie Barclay</a><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katie-barclay-200751"> </a>is r</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">esearch fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, University of Adelaide </span></em><br><br><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-patulny-94836" target="_blank">Roger Patulny </a>is l</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">ecturer in Sociology, University of Wollongong </span></em><br><br><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thomas-bristow-92779" target="_blank">Thomas Bristow </a>is p</span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">ostdoctoral research fellow, University of Melbourne.</span></em></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">All are authors for The Conversation.</span></em></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
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Liveable cities: who decides what that means and how we achieve it?

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<p><span>Over the June 2015 quarter, 9.6% of Adelaide resales were at a gross loss, which was up from 9.3% at the end of the first quarter of 2015 but lower than the 10.9% over the same quarter last year.</span></p>
<p><span>The proportion of loss-making resales was relatively lower in the Prospect (2.0%), Holdfast Bay (2.7%) and Norwood Payneham and St Peters (2.7%) council areas, according to CoreLogic RP Data.</span></p>
<p><span>The highest proportions of loss-making resales over the quarter were recorded in Playford (28.3%), Mallala (20.0%) and Gawler (19.8%). </span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"> </span></p>
<p><span>Click to enlarge</span></p>
<p><span><img src="/images/2015/10/19/Screen%20Shot%202015-10-19%20at%203.07.05%20PM.png" alt=""></span></p>
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