The government has long promoted the idea that we can build our way out of the housing crisis. Startling numbers of empty homes suggest the problem isn’t one of scarcity but affordability
As we push for a real solution — an increase in housing supply and related supports — the encampment evictions must stop. We need to make encampments unnecessary.
The fact that Canadian house prices have risen far beyond rental rates tells us that it’s due to financial factors alone — not a lack of supply. House prices are asset prices.
We need more research and research capacity that’s better suited to current housing challenges. We must inform housing providers and policy-makers to provide solutions and evaluate those solutions.
Managed retreat doesn’t always mean leaving. It’s about preserving the essential while redesigning communities to be better for everyone. Here’s what that can look like.
The pledge to build 30,000 homes over the next five years exposes the government’s inaction, but it’s still only a fraction of the number Australians need.
Low-income retirees have long found affordable housing in caravan parks and relocatable home estates. But they are becoming harder to find, and often come with a risk of hazards such as flooding.
The federal budget proposed several measures aimed at reducing poverty. But escaping poverty is extremely difficult and can’t be addressed by quick fixes.
The proportion of people actually living in tiny houses hasn’t been increasing but the movement has prompted debate about living smaller and more sustainably.
JobKeeper and the COVID Supplement to JobSeeker benefits will be gone in a week. The combined effect will be to halve some recipients’ incomes and the rent they can afford.
The rise of build-to-rent development will affect a lot of Australians. Despite the rosy promises, tax, design, planning and tenancy reforms will be needed to avoid the potential pitfalls.
Many older women are in desperate need of affordable housing where they can age in place securely, with dignity and as part of a community. The siheyuan model offers ways to meet these needs.
Professor; School of Economics, Finance and Property, and Director, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Curtin Research Centre, Curtin University