tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/social-mix-40908/articlessocial mix – The Conversation2020-07-07T19:51:43Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1333522020-07-07T19:51:43Z2020-07-07T19:51:43ZPublic housing ‘renewal’ likely to drive shift to private renters, not owners, in Sydney<p>A target of 70% private and 30% public dwellings is an accepted standard for public housing renewal projects in several Australian states. This level of private ownership is said to be necessary to counter stigma and the supposed demotivating impacts of concentrated disadvantage. When we looked at the impact of applying this <a href="https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/development/strategic-plans-planning-controls/plans-policies-places-under-review/planning-proposal-request-waterloo-estate-south">model</a> to the planned Waterloo redevelopment in inner Sydney, the demographic projections were revealing. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-focus-of-stimulus-plans-has-to-be-construction-that-puts-social-housing-first-136519">Why the focus of stimulus plans has to be construction that puts social housing first</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/content/dam/corporate/documents/henry-halloran-trust/hht-social-mix-discussion-paper.pdf">analysis</a> shows the project would reduce the suburb’s proportion of social housing dwellings from 30% to about 17%. About 30% of households in the suburb would be owner-occupiers. Private renters might rise to more than 50% of households.</p>
<h2>Why set social mix targets?</h2>
<p>Social mix is often proposed as an antidote to a range of presumed problems associated with public housing estates. With the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-need-to-house-everyone-has-never-been-clearer-heres-a-2-step-strategy-to-get-it-done-137069">need</a> for a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-focus-of-stimulus-plans-has-to-be-construction-that-puts-social-housing-first-136519">social housing stimulus package</a> receiving <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-lays-bare-5-big-housing-system-flaws-to-be-fixed-137162">attention</a>, and the Victorian government <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victorian-government-undertakes-biggest-social-housing-spend-since-gfc-20200517-p54trk.html">announcing a A$500 million program</a>, it’s timely to revisit the mix of tenancies in estate redevelopments.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/class-divide-defies-social-mixing-and-keeps-public-housing-stigma-alive-81560">Class divide defies social mixing and keeps public housing stigma alive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>State housing authorities favour a mix of public and private residential tenures when they redevelop large public housing estates. Authorities can then sell the majority of new dwellings to private owners and investors. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-mix-in-housing-one-size-doesnt-fit-all-as-new-projects-show-80956">Kate Shaw</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/class-divide-defies-social-mixing-and-keeps-public-housing-stigma-alive-81560">Janet McCalman and Deborah Warr</a> have explained in The Conversation, the strategy doesn’t always work as promised. Drawing on extensive empirical research into mixed-tenure renewal neighbourhoods, the <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/6488/">evidence</a> shows simple mathematical “one size fits all” targets do not work. Decisions on the residential mix need to be sensitive to local settings and needs. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, an orthodoxy has emerged among some housing authorities that social housing tenants should make up 30% of households while 70% should be sold to owner-occupiers and investors.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-mix-in-housing-one-size-doesnt-fit-all-as-new-projects-show-80956">Social mix in housing? One size doesn't fit all, as new projects show</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The case of Waterloo</h2>
<p>In Waterloo, limitations of the fixed-ratio approach relate to the likely composition of the post-renewal resident population. </p>
<p>The Waterloo estate site now contains about 1,900 public housing units. The renewal plan proposes retaining this number in the context of a three-fold increase in dwellings with a 70:30 private-public tenure mix. This will result in a total of about 6,500 dwellings. </p>
<p>At the suburb or neighbourhood level, Waterloo had 6,151 dwellings in 2016. As the table below <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/">shows</a>, almost exactly 30% of these were let to social housing tenants.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335917/original/file-20200519-83393-1r3ikiz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335917/original/file-20200519-83393-1r3ikiz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335917/original/file-20200519-83393-1r3ikiz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335917/original/file-20200519-83393-1r3ikiz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335917/original/file-20200519-83393-1r3ikiz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335917/original/file-20200519-83393-1r3ikiz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335917/original/file-20200519-83393-1r3ikiz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335917/original/file-20200519-83393-1r3ikiz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=458&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Data: ABS Census 2016</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The table also shows the large variation in tenure mix across five Sydney suburbs and the Greater Sydney area. Some 44% of all dwelling stock in Waterloo was already rented privately. That’s almost 50% more than the Sydney-wide average of just under 30%.</p>
<p>Importantly, 63% of private dwellings in Waterloo are privately rented – double the Greater Sydney proportion. </p>
<p>Located close to three universities and the CBD, Waterloo is dominated by investor-owned rental housing. Future occupation is likely to follow this pattern. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-still-live-here-public-housing-tenants-fight-for-their-place-in-the-city-107188">We still live here: public housing tenants fight for their place in the city</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>More like 17% social housing</h2>
<p>State housing authorities measure tenure mix within public housing estates. But the <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/policy/ahuri-briefs/public-housing-renewal-and-social-mix">Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute</a> recommends measuring tenure mix at the neighbourhood scale. </p>
<p>Adding 4,500 new private households, while maintaining current social housing numbers, will reduce the proportion of social housing in the suburb of Waterloo to about 17%.</p>
<p>Projecting the current rate of renters in private dwellings onto the proposed 70:30 renewal mix might be expected to result in 63% of new private dwellings being privately rented. </p>
<p>The suburb would then comprise 52% private renters. Less than one-third of residents would be owner-occupiers. </p>
<p>The chart below <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/">shows</a> how applying the 70:30 target to redeveloping the public housing estate could actually reduce tenure diversity for Waterloo. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335920/original/file-20200519-83388-1vcuk6b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335920/original/file-20200519-83388-1vcuk6b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335920/original/file-20200519-83388-1vcuk6b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335920/original/file-20200519-83388-1vcuk6b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335920/original/file-20200519-83388-1vcuk6b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335920/original/file-20200519-83388-1vcuk6b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335920/original/file-20200519-83388-1vcuk6b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/335920/original/file-20200519-83388-1vcuk6b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Data: ABS Census 2016</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/voices-of-residents-missing-in-a-time-of-crisis-for-public-housing-93655">Voices of residents missing in a time of crisis for public housing</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Many private renters struggle too</h2>
<p>The need for more social and affordable housing in well-serviced, inner-urban areas is <a href="https://cur.org.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/understanding-the-assumptions-and-impacts-of-the-phrp-final-report-28-5-19.pdf">well recognised</a>. Getting the residential tenure mix right through renewal is key. </p>
<p>In the only <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/6488/">full-length book</a> on social mix in Australia, Kathy Arthurson notes social disadvantage occurs in both public and private rental housing. She <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=JHhZmYve5k4C&pg=PA1&dq=omission+of+private+rental+from+the+social+mix+literature+is+problematic&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHmLT4177pAhXk7XMBHVxeCRoQ6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=omission%20of%20private%20rental%20from%20the%20social%20mix%20literature%20is%20problematic&f=false">writes</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The omission of private rental from the social mix literature is problematic, as in Australia and elsewhere most poor renters are in private rental and not in public housing.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/private-renters-are-doing-it-tough-in-outer-suburbs-of-sydney-and-melbourne-120427">Private renters are doing it tough in outer suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A key element of the case for limiting social housing to 30% in redevelopment projects is the belief that any more would scare off potential private buyers and reduce developer returns. </p>
<p>However, an <a href="https://cur.org.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/understanding-the-assumptions-and-impacts-of-the-phrp-final-report-28-5-19.pdf">RMIT evaluation</a> of the <a href="https://www.housing.vic.gov.au/public-housing-redevelopment">Victorian Public Housing Renewal Program</a> showed the presence of social housing had little effect on sales of private apartments in renewed inner-city public housing estates. </p>
<p>Another <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/SCLSI/Public_Housing_Renewal_Program/Kensington_estate_evaluation_Jan_2013.pdf">evaluation</a> of the Kensington renewal project in Carlton, Victoria, found strong investor sales but fewer owner-occupiers than anticipated.</p>
<h2>Key takeaways</h2>
<p>Recent research in <a href="https://cur.org.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/understanding-the-assumptions-and-impacts-of-the-phrp-final-report-28-5-19.pdf">Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/content/dam/corporate/documents/henry-halloran-trust/hht-social-mix-discussion-paper.pdf">Sydney</a> suggests the supposed benefits of social mix are based on owner-occupiers, not more transient private renters. </p>
<p>It also shows social mix renewals that apply a simplistic 70:30 target within a narrowly defined boundary around an “estate” risk seriously undervaluing large public housing assets.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133352/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dallas Rogers recently received funding from The Henry Halloran Trust, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), Urban Growth NSW/Landcom, University of Sydney, Western Sydney University, and Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Darcy has previously received funding from Australian Research Council and Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. He is a member of the ALP. </span></em></p>Public housing renewal often aims for a 70:30 private-public mix of dwellings. Modelling shows applying this mix to Waterloo housing estate would cut the suburb’s social housing share from 30% to 17%.Dallas Rogers, Associate Dean, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of SydneyMichael Darcy, Adjunct Professor, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1102842019-04-18T00:38:18Z2019-04-18T00:38:18ZParis? Melbourne? Public housing doesn’t just look the same, it’s part of the challenges refugees face<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265501/original/file-20190325-36279-1kbfrcf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=622%2C35%2C6870%2C2932&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Public housing in Paris (left) and Melbourne (right) has similar impacts on residents' integration into the community. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wissem Felah, Sandra Carrasco</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The public housing estates built in cities around the world since the <a href="https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/heritage/boundary-of-old-nichol-s-vice-filth-death-1-666236">first public housing was built in the 19th-century London</a> have long been home to the very vulnerable, including refugees and immigrants. At the level of their lived experience – home and neighbourhood – the architectural and spatial qualities of public spaces and housing affect refugees’ and migrants’ ability to <a href="http://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/Habitat-III-Issue-Paper-2_2_Migration-and-Refugees-in-Urban-Areas-2.0.pdf">integrate into their new home</a>. We can see this in the public housing estates of two cities on opposite sides of the world, Paris and Melbourne.</p>
<p>In their new communities, refugees are also trying to adapt to new cultural norms, language, access to employment and education and even to stigma and blame for their need of public housing. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/class-divide-defies-social-mixing-and-keeps-public-housing-stigma-alive-81560">Class divide defies social mixing and keeps public housing stigma alive</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://espace.curtin.edu.au/bitstream/handle/20.500.11937/4568/192969_192969%20Hartley.pdf?sequence=2">Refugees are among those hardest hit by social and economic challenges</a> that are being deepened by <a href="https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1011&context=soci_honors">structural economic changes</a>. This includes <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/2058/AHURI_Final_Report_No224_Refugees,-housing,-and-neighbourhoods-in-Australia.pdf">the challenge of finding affordable housing</a>. By 2025 an estimated <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/urbanization/tackling-the-worlds-affordable-housing-challenge">one-third of the world’s city dwellers</a> will struggle to secure decent, affordable housing. </p>
<h2>The HLM of Paris</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265794/original/file-20190326-36260-156pbhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265794/original/file-20190326-36260-156pbhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265794/original/file-20190326-36260-156pbhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=206&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265794/original/file-20190326-36260-156pbhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=206&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265794/original/file-20190326-36260-156pbhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=206&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265794/original/file-20190326-36260-156pbhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265794/original/file-20190326-36260-156pbhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265794/original/file-20190326-36260-156pbhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Public housing apartment blocks, or rent-controlled housing (HLM), in Paris.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/facade-apartment-building-called-hlm-social-277991891">sylv1rob1/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The French government has been discussing issues related to public housing or <em>habitation à loyer modéré</em> (or HLM, which means “rent-controlled housing”). In 2018, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2018/04/04/reforme-des-hlm-que-represente-le-logement-social-en-france_5280726_4355770.html">the government and its Ministry of Territorial Cohesion</a> suggested a plan to generate funds to build and renovate this housing. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265799/original/file-20190326-36256-1uwqcal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265799/original/file-20190326-36256-1uwqcal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265799/original/file-20190326-36256-1uwqcal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265799/original/file-20190326-36256-1uwqcal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=896&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265799/original/file-20190326-36256-1uwqcal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265799/original/file-20190326-36256-1uwqcal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265799/original/file-20190326-36256-1uwqcal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1126&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An HLM tower block in Saint-Denis.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/saintdenis-france-october-10-2013-social-747271747">WorldPictures/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over 20% of immigrants live in the HLM of Paris and the Seine Saint-Denis department. Arab and Sub-Saharan African immigrants experience high levels of ethnic segregation, <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/mgrsd.2013.17.issue-2/v10288-012-0040-3/v10288-012-0040-3.pdf">reaching 30% by the late 1990s</a>. African immigrants and refugees tend to live in clusters <a href="http://ftp.iza.org/dp5456.pdf">in segregated and more disadvantaged neighbourhoods</a> away from the city. </p>
<p>The public still has a negative view of the public housing estates, located in many <em><a href="https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/11/the-othered-paris/543597/">banlieues</a></em>, as declining and segregated “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/31/the-other-france">immigrant-dominated slums</a>”. </p>
<p>Saint-Denis is a working-class neighbourhood in the northern suburbs of Paris. Despite the positive impact of its shops, bazaars, diverse communities and residents’ recent <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20180822-france-tourism-sightseeing-paris-suburbs-saint-denis-greeters-local-volunteers">initiatives to boost tourism</a>, it is still struggling with social inequality as one of the most impoverished areas in Paris. </p>
<p>Violence and drug trafficking are two key issues that impact people and their HLM housing. In 2016, an increase in violent crime led the HLM Office, which manages 18,000 social housing estates in Seine-Saint-Denis, to hold the government responsible due to a sharp <a href="http://www.leparisien.fr/villetaneuse-93430/plaine-commune-mine-par-l-insecurite-l-office-hlm-attaque-l-etat-07-11-2016-6300573.php">increase in insecurity</a>. </p>
<h2>Public housing in Melbourne</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260511/original/file-20190223-195876-mbr28s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260511/original/file-20190223-195876-mbr28s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260511/original/file-20190223-195876-mbr28s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260511/original/file-20190223-195876-mbr28s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260511/original/file-20190223-195876-mbr28s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260511/original/file-20190223-195876-mbr28s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260511/original/file-20190223-195876-mbr28s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260511/original/file-20190223-195876-mbr28s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A street view of public housing in Carlton, Victoria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Majdi Faleh</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many similar issues, and some different ones, affect public housing provision and tenancy in Melbourne. It’s where many refugee arrivals are first housed in Australia. As in Paris, Melbourne’s public housing is associated (fairly or unfairly) with <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/multimillion-dollar-drug-trafficking-ring-run-out-of-fitzroy-public-housing-flat-20150722-gihu4t.html">crime</a>, <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/2070/AHURI_Final_Report_No51_Social_exclusion_and_housing.pdf">social isolation</a> and <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-east/stonnington-council-slams-plan-to-redevelop-prahran-and-south-yarra-estates/news-story/43d3edd0954f94ea1e4c61480bdc9e65">urban blight</a>. </p>
<p>A more pressing problem in Melbourne, however, is the gap between housing supply and demand. Public housing stock across Australia is <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-to-reboot-affordable-housing-funding-not-scrap-it-72861">declining and ageing</a> while waiting lists grow. </p>
<p>The list is growing by <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-06/victorias-public-housing-waiting-list-growing-by-500-a-week/9837934">500 people a month</a> in Victoria. In this state alone, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jun/06/almost-25000-children-waiting-for-social-housing-in-victoria">nearly 25,000 children are waiting for social housing</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/governments-have-no-excuse-for-keeping-public-in-the-dark-on-public-housing-deals-90847">Governments have no excuse for keeping public in the dark on public housing deals</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Amid increasing concerns about the affordability and availability of public housing, the sociology, design/architecture and aesthetics of existing estates become even more vital in terms of their effects on social cohesion and well-being. These impacts are critical for those whose first home in Melbourne is a public housing estate.</p>
<p>The disrepair and poor quality of buildings and grounds of many of Melbourne’s older, inner-city estates are obvious. Building materials (like concrete) are degraded. The design of common areas, like foyers and hallways, does not promote social interaction. </p>
<p>The grounds also fall short of what’s needed, despite <a href="http://www.aila.org.au/imis_prod/documents/AILA/VIC/Prahran%20Masterplan_Phase3_Consultation%20report%20executive%20summary_190416%20(003).pdf">the opportunities they offer</a> for varied outdoor activity and social encounters. Public housing estates are often gated, either physically or psychologically, from the surrounding community. This results in enclaves of social disadvantage, often within otherwise wealthy suburbs. </p>
<p><a href="http://theconversation.com/voices-of-residents-missing-in-a-time-of-crisis-for-public-housing-93655">Many have questioned</a> whether public housing renewal is improving these conditions. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-mix-in-housing-one-size-doesnt-fit-all-as-new-projects-show-80956">public-private mix in some new estates has resulted in gated gardens</a> being provided for the exclusive use of the private residents of <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/social-mix-approach-to-public-housing-is-failing-research-finds-20170616-gwsj3m.html">apartment buildings and not the public tenants</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-mix-in-housing-one-size-doesnt-fit-all-as-new-projects-show-80956">Social mix in housing? One size doesn't fit all, as new projects show</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260510/original/file-20190223-195876-m6yadu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260510/original/file-20190223-195876-m6yadu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260510/original/file-20190223-195876-m6yadu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260510/original/file-20190223-195876-m6yadu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260510/original/file-20190223-195876-m6yadu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260510/original/file-20190223-195876-m6yadu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260510/original/file-20190223-195876-m6yadu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260510/original/file-20190223-195876-m6yadu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A public housing estate in North Richmond, Melbourne.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The monumental scale of Melbourne’s largest estates is intimidating for visitors. Finding one’s way to a particular address can be challenging. All buildings take the same form and, lacking individual identity, are recognisable by numbers only. </p>
<p>The scale of the buildings and the dull colours and textures of their facades coupled with the repetitive, gridded network of windows are reminiscent of a Soviet era that never existed in Melbourne. One can see similar layouts, colours and materials on the facades of the HLM of Saint Denis. This speaks to the ubiquity of public housing design.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260512/original/file-20190223-195864-1cb9r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260512/original/file-20190223-195864-1cb9r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260512/original/file-20190223-195864-1cb9r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260512/original/file-20190223-195864-1cb9r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260512/original/file-20190223-195864-1cb9r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260512/original/file-20190223-195864-1cb9r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260512/original/file-20190223-195864-1cb9r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260512/original/file-20190223-195864-1cb9r9h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The intimidating scale and uniformity of public housing can be a problem in Melbourne – this estate is in Carlton – or Paris.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sandra Carrasco</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How can public housing be made better?</h2>
<p>Public housing estates often have a pronounced cultural and social mix, with first-generation migrants and refugees from across the globe living as neighbours. This can have benefits including cultural exchange and mutual understanding but can also trigger <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/2736/AHURI_Positioning_Paper_No4_Links_between_housing_and_nine_key_socio_cultural_factors.pdf">social withdrawal and isolation</a>. The risks are particularly high for people from new cultural groups arriving in neighbourhoods with settled (and culturally different) populations. </p>
<p>Cultural differences certainly affect relationships between individuals, but also apply to the ways people use the private and public spaces of their new homes. What an Australian-born, wealthy white person would expect and need of “open space” is potentially quite different to what a black, Sudanese-born survivor of conflict might expect or need.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260513/original/file-20190223-39858-niwqxj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260513/original/file-20190223-39858-niwqxj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260513/original/file-20190223-39858-niwqxj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260513/original/file-20190223-39858-niwqxj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260513/original/file-20190223-39858-niwqxj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260513/original/file-20190223-39858-niwqxj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260513/original/file-20190223-39858-niwqxj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260513/original/file-20190223-39858-niwqxj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Inside a Carlton public housing estate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Majdi Faleh</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Arguably, what is being offered as places for people to connect with their new community in and around public housing meets few people’s needs or expectations. The interior spaces, such as long interior corridors with blank walls, do not provide for comfort, communication and interaction between tenants. The exterior spaces delineate rather than join up the communities of public and private housing. </p>
<p>These dimensions of Melbourne’s public housing may set up a spatial tension that mirrors the occupants’ lives. Yet they could also offer an opportunity to be a canvas for a new interpretation of architecture and urban development, as German sociologist Martina Low notes in her book, <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137487711">The Sociology of Space: Materiality, Social Structures, and Action</a>. </p>
<p>Low’s principle focuses on the emergence of space as a result of interplay between social structure, the material world of objects and bodies, and the symbolism of the social world. This new interpretation needs to reflect the lives and experiences of refugee migrants making a new home as well as more established members of the community.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110284/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Majdi Faleh receives funding from the University of Melbourne. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrea Cook is affiliated with the University of Melbourne and RedRoad Consulting. She receives research funding from the University of Melbourne (Melbourne Social Equity Institute). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ashleigh receives funding from the University of Melbourne, under the Economic and Social Participation Research Initiative (ESPRIt). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sandra Carrasco receives funding from the University of Melbourne. </span></em></p>Whether in Melbourne or in Paris, African immigrants face social and cultural challenges, which public housing can either add to or help overcome.Majdi Faleh, Teaching Assistant, Melbourne School of Design, The University of MelbourneAndrea Cook, Melbourne Early Career Academic Fellow, Melbourne School of Design, The University of MelbourneAshleigh Haw, Honorary Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneSandra Carrasco, Teaching Assistant and Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Design, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/950342018-04-19T20:06:18Z2018-04-19T20:06:18ZTo reduce inequality in Australian schools, make them less socially segregated<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215550/original/file-20180419-163966-1hgnql9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Needs-based funding is necessary, but it can only do so much.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">marco antonio torres/flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>According to the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/universal-basic-skills-9789264234833-en.htm">OECD</a>, 17% of Australian young people leave secondary school without achieving basic educational skill levels. They conclude that eliminating school underperformance would reap enough fiscal benefits to pay for the country’s entire school system. </p>
<p>Educational inequality takes many forms, and is a problem because it stunts the potential of young people. This underachievement has negative impacts for young people themselves, which in turn has negative impacts for the larger society. Low educational outcomes are related to <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/0/C822971247C9CAD1CA2578BD0013DAEC?opendocument">diminished health</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775702000389">unemployment</a>, <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features40Mar+2010">low wages</a>, <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/hilda/publications/other-publications">social exclusion</a>, <a href="http://youthlaw.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Rethinking-Justice-VulnerabilityReport2016-Red-Cross.pdf">crime and incarceration</a>, and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1475-4932.2010.00685.x">teenage pregnancy</a>. </p>
<p>Inequalities between students from different social backgrounds already exist when they start primary school. Worryingly, these inequalities increase as students progress through the education system. </p>
<p>This week, the <a href="https://www.ceda.com.au/">Committee for Economic Development of Australia</a> (CEDA) published a <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/85/CEDA_How_unequal_Insights_on_inequality_April_2018_web.pdf?1524116407">report</a> about inequality and its negative effects for people and the larger society. The report includes chapters on inequality in education, workplaces, geographic inequality and inter-generational inequality. </p>
<h2>Inequality in Australian schools</h2>
<p>A recent <a href="https://www.sstuwa.org.au/news-home/2017/d/naplan-data-shows-continuing-large-achievement-gaps-between-advantaged-and-disadvantaged-students">report</a> shows NAPLAN achievement gaps between year five students from high and low educated parents are the equivalent of more than two and a half years of learning in reading and about two years in writing and numeracy. For year nine students, the gaps are even larger: about four years in reading and numeracy, and four and a half years in writing. </p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="IihHi" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/IihHi/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/ozpisa/21/">Data from PISA</a> shows similar inequalities. Australian students from the highest socio-economic status (SES) quartile substantially outperform those from the lowest SES quartile in reading, maths and science. The equity gap represents almost three years of schooling in all three domains.</p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="wHI2m" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wHI2m/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>These inequalities of educational outcomes are partly driven by poverty and disadvantage outside the school. But these socioeconomic inequalities are then amplified by schooling. This is because socially advantaged students in Australia often receive more educational advantages than their less privileged peers, not less. </p>
<p>Inequalities of educational opportunities and experiences are a result of socially segregated schools. Australia has <a href="http://www.saveourschools.com.au/equity-in-education/resource-gaps-between-advantaged-disadvantaged-schools-among-the-largest-in-the-world">one of the largest resource gaps</a> between advantaged and disadvantaged schools in the OECD. Australia has large the largest gap in the shortage of teachers between disadvantaged and advantaged schools among all OECD countries. </p>
<p>Disadvantaged schools in Australia also have far fewer educational materials (books, facilities, laboratories) than high SES schools. This gap is the third largest in the OECD, with only Chile and Turkey showing larger inequalities between schools. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/closing-the-gap-in-indigenous-literacy-and-numeracy-not-remotely-or-in-cities-88704">Closing the gap in Indigenous literacy and numeracy? Not remotely – or in cities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>To tackle underachievement, we need to do two things</h2>
<ol>
<li><p>Give early, targeted and intensive support to students as soon as they start to fall behind. This is what Finland does, with <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02680939.2010.493230">almost 30% of its students</a> receiving such an intervention at one time or another. It’s one of the best ways to ensure students don’t fall between the cracks. But it requires resources, so we need to give more money to the schools and students who need it. This is where needs-based funding plays a role.</p></li>
<li><p>Make our schools more socially integrated. It’s the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1080/01411920903144251">most effective</a> way to <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9GwxXpOP738C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Kahlenberg,+R.+(2001)+All+together+now:+Creating+middle-class+schools+through+public+school+choices.+Washington+DC:+Brookings+Institution%3B&ots=AVaQhMzYEM&sig=lqtDrxpf4gQg3qSrtUEZF2ebOL0#v=onepage&q&f=false">raise achievement</a>. A socially mixed or average student composition creates conditions that facilitate teaching and learning. Middle-class and/or socially mixed schools are also much less expensive to operate because they have fewer students with high needs. Less expensive running costs frees up funds which can be used for targeted and intensive support for students who need it. </p></li>
</ol>
<h2>How do we reduce school social segregation?</h2>
<p>If we look to Commonwealth countries that have less segregated schooling than Australia, such as New Zealand, Canada and the UK, we can see two inter-related things. They have a much smaller proportion of schools that charge fees, and smaller qualitative differences between schools in terms of their facilities and resources. </p>
<p>These countries show both of these things can be done while maintaining diverse schooling options. We can still have schools with different faiths, philosophies and orientations, in addition to a strong and robust public school system.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/educational-disadvantage-is-a-huge-problem-in-australia-we-cant-just-carry-on-the-same-74530">Educational disadvantage is a huge problem in Australia – we can't just carry on the same</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While the latest federal school funding approach is moving in the right direction, it’s still based on an inherent contradiction that reduces its effectiveness. On the one hand, we have a funding policy that promotes unequal resourcing between schools via a large fee-paying school sector. This inevitably leads to a socially stratified school system, which increases educational inequalities and underachievement. </p>
<p>We then try to mitigate those negative consequences of our funding policy with a different funding policy (redistribution via needs-based funding). The two prongs are working against each other, which is not only educationally ineffective but also fiscally inefficient.</p>
<p>Needs-based funding is necessary, but it can only do so much. It’s much more effective if we don’t have schools with high concentrations of poverty and disadvantage. Needs-based funding will not be much more than a band-aid if it’s not accompanied by greater structural reform in the way we fund and organise schools. </p>
<p>Needs-based funding redistributes some funding from schools with lower needs to those with greater needs, but it will do little to reduce school segregation. And so the result of our efforts to reduce underachievement will be modest at best.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95034/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Perry does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Needs-based funding is necessary, but it can only do so much. It’s much more effective if we don’t have schools with high concentrations of poverty and disadvantage.Laura Perry, Associate Professor, Murdoch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/870922017-11-16T19:10:15Z2017-11-16T19:10:15ZThis is how to create social hubs that make 20-minute neighbourhoods work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194116/original/file-20171110-29332-2x0i3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3766%2C2436&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Highton Shopping Village in Geelong.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Leila Farahani</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Successful neighbourhood centres are important as places to meet and for social activity. People’s access to neighbourhood centres and the diversity of buildings and commercial uses found there can significantly influence how, and to what extent, we interact. </p>
<p>Developing successful neighbourhood centres is at the core of <a href="http://www.planmelbourne.vic.gov.au/highlights/healthy,-vibrant-and-inclusive-neighbourhoods">Plan Melbourne’s</a> strategy to create 20-minute neighbourhoods. These are neighbourhoods where people can access most of their needs within a 20-minute walk, cycle or public transport trip.</p>
<p>We recently <a href="http://rdcu.be/x0dQ">studied</a> the impacts of having diverse shops, businesses and eating places in suburban neighbourhood centres. Recently published in <a href="https://link.springer.com/search?sortOrder=newestFirst&facet-content-type=Article&facet-journal-id=41289">Urban Design International</a>, our study looked at three such centres in Geelong, Australia.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-20-minute-city-sounds-good-but-becoming-one-is-a-huge-challenge-80082">A 20-minute city sounds good, but becoming one is a huge challenge</a></p>
<hr>
<h2>Good planning can reduce suburban isolation</h2>
<p>Often in today’s suburban communities, their only direct connection to cities is through roads and freeways. Immobile residents and people without access to private vehicles, such as teenagers and the elderly, can feel trapped in their homes. Even mobile residents can feel isolated when social interactions depend on using their cars.</p>
<p><a href="http://198.58.80.116/index.php/IJAR/article/view/412">Evidence</a> suggests the design and planning of neighbourhoods have impacts on the sense of community and social life in them. Ensuring people have opportunities to interact with others, improving <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-is-what-our-cities-need-to-do-to-be-truly-liveable-for-all-83967">liveability</a> and encouraging a sense of community are now key objectives of government agencies like <a href="%5Cntapprdfs01n02.rmit.internaleh9e31999VH_LG%20Guides_SocCon_web.pdf">VicHealth</a>.</p>
<p>Neighbourhood planning and design can encourage face-to-face social interaction in various ways. Promoting diverse commercial uses in local centres is considered to be effective.</p>
<h2>Diverse uses promote social activity</h2>
<p>Our study mapped users’ activities through observation of how they socialised. The study explored how the arrangement and diversity of commercial uses in neighbourhood centres might better promote or affect the social life of neighbourhoods and reduce isolation. The goal of such strategies is to generate a sociable atmosphere, attract a diversity of users and create more vibrant places at night.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.academia.edu/19438099/Pavement_cafes_as_the_activity_zone_in_the_social_life_of_neighbourhood_centres">Pavement dining</a> was found to play an important role in generating social activities in neighbourhood centres. Several socialising activities – such as people chatting, having a coffee or meal together – happen around cafés and restaurants. These are also the longest-lasting social interactions. </p>
<p>The areas of greatest social activity on pavements are the ones claimed by café chairs and shades. To encourage social activities on streets, local councils should promote the use of pavements by eateries and other traders.</p>
<p>Food stores and other convenience stores attract many visitors to local centres and enhance the chances of interaction among residents. Besides diversity of uses, the number of stores allocated to each group of uses is important. The right mix of stores and services provides the balance neighbourhood centres need to successfully meet local requirements.</p>
<p>Diversity of uses – rather than housing multiple traders in single-tenant “super” markets – can also enhance the character of a street. Diversity can give a street or a local centre an attractive, sociable atmosphere. Pakington Street, crowded with bars and restaurants, is an example of a vibrant social hub in Geelong.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194123/original/file-20171110-29345-osc4ro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194123/original/file-20171110-29345-osc4ro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194123/original/file-20171110-29345-osc4ro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194123/original/file-20171110-29345-osc4ro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194123/original/file-20171110-29345-osc4ro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194123/original/file-20171110-29345-osc4ro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194123/original/file-20171110-29345-osc4ro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pakington Street in Geelong.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Leila Farahani, Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Diversity of uses also leads to a diversity of users. Co-locating different commercial uses, such as boutiques and clothing, specialty food shops or gaming parlours, can make streets more appealing to various groups of people. Planning neighbourhood centres that appeal to a diverse range of people in terms of age, gender, physical ability and cultural background can guarantee the vitality and success of local centres.</p>
<p>As well as planning, it’s vital that these social hubs are close to the homes of the people who use them. Suburbs can still be isolating environments if people have to get into their cars to visit their nearest social hub.</p>
<p>Diversity is also important in determining a street’s nightlife and evening economy. This is because certain uses are more prominent in the evening, and enhancing social activity on streets creates a safer night-time environment.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Further reading: <a href="https://theconversation.com/street-life-how-do-you-revive-a-dull-urban-area-23181">Street life: how do you revive a dull urban area?</a></strong>_</p>
<hr>
<h2>More social, happier and healthier</h2>
<p>Why should planners work to promote social interactions? The suburban lifestyle is associated with weaker social ties and increased social isolation. The <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/greater-density-or-urban-sprawl-solving-the-housing-challenge">lower the density</a> the greater these associations. </p>
<p>Social isolation is a major risk factor for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/upshot/how-social-isolation-is-killing-us.html">morbidity and mortality</a>. Socially isolated people are at <a href="https://theconversation.com/lonely-over-christmas-a-snapshot-of-social-isolation-in-the-suburbs-34810">risk</a> of low self-esteem and higher rates of coronary heart disease, depression and anxiety. So people living in low-density suburbs are at particularly high risk.</p>
<p>Feelings of isolation in low-density suburbia are harder on some residents than others. People who spend much of their time at home, such as the elderly or those with debilitating disability, are more vulnerable. The story of <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/natalie-wood-the-woman-sydney-forgot-20140204-31ywh.html">Natalie Wood</a>, found in her home eight years after her death, is a sad example.</p>
<p>While communication technology sometimes can reduce isolation, this does not replace the value of face-to-face interactions. By analysing and understanding the diversity of uses needed for a local centre and carefully planning a balanced mix of functions, planners can help encourage these interactions and social cohesion in suburbs.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/lonely-over-christmas-a-snapshot-of-social-isolation-in-the-suburbs-34810">Lonely over Christmas: a snapshot of social isolation in the suburbs</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87092/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leila Mahmoudi Farahani received Deakin University Postgraduate Research Scholarship to complete her PhD in urban studies.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cristina Garduño Freeman is a member of ICOMOS Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Beynon and Richard Tucker do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Low-density suburbs can cause social isolation that’s harmful for individual and community well-being. But research confirms we can plan neighbourhood centres so they become vibrant social hubs.Leila Mahmoudi Farahani, Research Officer in Urban Studies, RMIT UniversityCristina Garduño Freeman, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Architectural History, Urban and Cultural Heritage (ACAHUCH), The University of MelbourneDavid Beynon, Senior Lecturer and Architect, Deakin UniversityRichard Tucker, Associate Professor and Associate Head of School (Research), Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/857542017-10-26T19:10:12Z2017-10-26T19:10:12ZLast of the Millers Point and Sirius tenants hang on as the money now pours in<p>The Millers Point and Sirius building tenants’ long, hard struggle against eviction from their inner Sydney community is reaching a critical point. On September 21, <a href="http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/about-us">Housing NSW</a> provided the <a href="http://millerspointcommunity.com.au/seven-minutes-to-midnight/">following statistics</a> to the Millers Point Estates Advisory Board: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>only seven residents in four tenancies have yet to commit to moving</p></li>
<li><p>12 tenants in nine tenancies have not yet moved, but have signed an agreement and are committed to moving in the next few days or weeks</p></li>
<li><p>only one tenant is left in the 79-apartment Sirius building – Myra Demetriou, who is 90 and legally blind. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>In sum, at the time of writing, 572 of the 579 public housing tenants in Millers Point, Dawes Point and the Sirius building, who were told on March 19, 2014, that they would have to relocate within two years, have left their homes or are about to.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/sydney-public-housing-evictions-a-policy-success-only-if-you-ignore-the-high-human-cost-78994">Sydney public housing evictions a policy success? Only if you ignore the high human cost</a></em></p>
<hr>
<h2>Starved of funding, then wealthy</h2>
<p>The sale of the public homes in Millers Point is in full swing. By mid-October 2017, the government had sold 159 public homes on the private market. These sales have netted the government A$492 million ($467.5 million in sales and $24.8 million in stamp duty). </p>
<p>The area has become the domain of extremely wealthy households. The median price for the 159 sales is <a href="https://rediscovermillerspoint.com.au/property/">$2.39 million</a>. <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/in-millers+point%2C+nsw+2000/list-1">Recent sales</a> include a three-bedroom home with one bathroom for $3,561,000 and a five-bedroom terrace for $5,0050,000. </p>
<p>If the present trend continues the Millers Point sales can be expected to net around $600 million. Another 67 properties (comprising 26 sales) <a href="https://rediscovermillerspoint.com.au/property/">remain to be sold</a>.</p>
<p>After years of neglect, many of the turn-of-the-century apartments, which the Sydney Harbour Trust built for waterfront workers and handed over to the Department of Housing in the mid-1980s, are being repaired and smartened up for sale. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/pVx9a5I46e5rCJGaMsUh/full">Tenants interviewed told</a> how their requests for maintenance were ignored for years, leading to serious deterioration. </p>
<p>Barney Gardner, who was born in Millers Point and is convenor of the Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks Public Housing Tenants Group, described the government’s behaviour as “criminal”. His home had deteriorated significantly in the 27 years he was resident. Despite repeated requests, Housing NSW refused to fix the leaks, rising damp and mould, Gardner said.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>They told us that they didn’t have the money to repair the homes but they certainly have the money now. They waited until we were forced out of our homes before they started fixing them up. That’s criminal.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191935/original/file-20171026-28030-1yfof3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191935/original/file-20171026-28030-1yfof3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191935/original/file-20171026-28030-1yfof3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=288&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191935/original/file-20171026-28030-1yfof3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=288&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191935/original/file-20171026-28030-1yfof3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=288&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191935/original/file-20171026-28030-1yfof3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191935/original/file-20171026-28030-1yfof3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191935/original/file-20171026-28030-1yfof3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From a state of disrepair to repairs in Millers Point.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alan Morris</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ex-tenants are also affronted by the fact that many of the homes that have been sold are empty, rented out or being used for Airbnb. Kent Street, one of the main roads running through Millers Point, has been renamed Rent Street by ex-tenants.</p>
<h2>Can the Sirius survive?</h2>
<p>The $600 million sales figure does not include the Sirius building. Its predicted selling price is at least $100 million. </p>
<p>When the minister refused to accept the Heritage Council’s unanimous recommendation that Sirius be declared a heritage building, he <a href="https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/news/sydneys-sirius-building-sore-thumb-to-be-sold-after-state-rejects-heritage-listing/">said</a> that a heritage listing would reduce the sale price by $70 million.</p>
<p>Unlike Millers Point properties, the Sirius building has not been put on the market. The sale of Sirius was <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-sirius-building-to-remain-standing-after-court-rules-against-nsw-government-20170725-gxibsq.html">slowed down by a judgment</a> delivered in the Land and Environment Court on July 25, 2017.</p>
<p>In a case brought by the Millers Point Community Association, the judge <a href="https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/5976c0a7e4b074a7c6e176a0">found that</a>, in deciding not to follow the Heritage Council’s recommendation to declare Sirius a heritage building, the then-environment minister made two serious procedural errors: “by misdirecting himself as to the proper meaning of the words ‘…would cause undue financial hardship to the owner…’,” and “did fail … to make a tentative or preliminary determination as to whether Sirius is of state heritage significance, and, in so doing, failed to discharge his statutory duty”.</p>
<p>These errors rendered the decision invalid.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/saving-sirius-why-heritage-protection-should-include-social-housing-81670">Saving Sirius: why heritage protection should include social housing</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>In another positive development in the campaign to save Sirius for public housing, the building was recently added to the World Monuments Fund’s 2018 watchlist. The organisation has <a href="http://mailchi.mp/saveoursirius/sirius-on-world-monument-watch-invite-to-our-book-launch?e=bd72e85787">called on</a> the New South Wales government to “respect the recommendation of its heritage experts and allow its citizens to maintain an important social legacy”.</p>
<p>Despite the expert opinions, on October 25 the environment minister, Gabrielle Upton, again refused to grant Sirius heritage status. She <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sirius-demolition-one-step-closer-as-state-government-declines-to-grant-heritage-status-20171025-gz7u90.html">said</a> the government plans to sell the building to a private developer who will be able to demolish Sirius. </p>
<p>In response, Save our Sirius chairperson Shaun Carter <a href="http://saveoursirius.org/blog/2017/10/25/press-release-reckless-out-of-touch-government-not-listening-to-the-people-or-experts/">said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Let’s be clear about this. It is a decision based on a massive development play – 250 apartments on this site where only 79 now sit – and it’s part of the current government’s cultural war to get rid of a building they see as a symbol of the left. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>We are talking here about an apartment block <a href="https://theconversation.com/saving-sirius-why-heritage-protection-should-include-social-housing-81670">built specifically for public housing</a> tenants, in good condition and recommended for heritage listing. To its credit, the Labor opposition has <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/the-sirius-building-to-remain-standing-after-court-rules-against-nsw-government-20170725-gxibsq.html">pledged to retain</a> the Sirius building and <a href="http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4570047/sell-off-of-public-housing-at-millers-point-a-real-tragedy/?cs=3968">all unsold Millers Point properties</a> for social housing. </p>
<p>As the state election nears, perhaps the government might conclude that selling the building to a developer who will demolish it to build exceptionally costly apartments is a bridge too far. </p>
<h2>An act of ‘communicide’</h2>
<p>The government may be patting itself on the back for generating hundreds of millions of dollars by displacing the public housing tenants in Millers Point and Sirius. </p>
<p>However, I would argue that what has occurred is an act of “communicide” – the planned, deliberate and irreversible destruction of a historic community. </p>
<p>The displacement and sell-off represent what <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/09513570510620475">Dillard and Ruchala</a> have called “administrative evil”. They argue that in a policy context premised on administrative evil, the primary focus is on revenue and expenditure. The human costs of policymaking are pushed to the side.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85754/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Morris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>All but a handful of the former public housing tenants are gone. But despite the government again rejecting the recommended heritage listing of the Sirius building, the fight to save it isn’t over.Alan Morris, Research Professor, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/815602017-08-02T20:17:28Z2017-08-02T20:17:28ZClass divide defies social mixing and keeps public housing stigma alive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180316/original/file-20170731-5515-tl25c6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Forty years on, there is still resistance to mixing with the 'sort of people' who were segregated in social housing tower blocks.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/djackmanson/23229006691">David Jackmanson/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Public housing reform is again agitating the inner suburbs, just as it did four decades ago when citizen action and courageous academic research brought the tower-block model crashing down. </p>
<p>Michael Jones <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/10534747?q&sort=holdings+desc&_=1501216734214&versionId=196423150">exposed it</a> as cost-ineffective and socially destructive, but he also discovered a dirty little secret about the Victorian Housing Commission: the system paid for itself because only the “<a href="http://www.experiencewoodhorn.com/part-2-deserving-or-undeserving-poor/">deserving</a>” working class were admitted.</p>
<p>Forty years on, the physical legacy of that heroic era of tower blocks and walk-up flats is shabby and in need of renewal. </p>
<p>Whereas the Victorian housing program was designed to be self-funding from public rents, these days public housing is the only viable option for an expanding population of older residents, newly settled migrant families, sole parents, people with disabilities and those experiencing chronic physical and mental ill-health, most of whom are on pensions.</p>
<p>But there are new groups in need of social housing: people trapped in the gig economy, hawking their ABNs as drivers, disability carers, child-carers, removalists, tradespeople, casual office workers of all kinds, hospitality workers. They are the growing army of the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/precariat-global-class-rise-of-populism/">precariat</a> who may even have a couple of university degrees but who cannot find job security. </p>
<p>They cannot see, even when they earn good money, a predictable path to home ownership while rents and insecurity rise all around them.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-precariat-is-recruiting-youth-please-apply-10550">The precariat is recruiting: youth, please apply</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Then there are essential city workers who have a secure job but who need to live near their work. In Melbourne, city hospital nurses should not be commuting from Craigieburn and Frankston; teachers should be able to live near their school; service workers of all kinds should not be travelling for hours to do their jobs. </p>
<p>All big cities have to deal with this as gentrification and property speculation squeeze the lower-income earners out of the inner city.</p>
<h2>Class prejudice: a case study in Flemington</h2>
<p>The immediate controversy is in the inner Melbourne suburb of Flemington. Here, the walk-up flats are to be replaced with apartment blocks of varying heights, with one to match the high rises that have to remain. </p>
<p>The town plan will be denser, with street frontages for apartment buildings, nearby parking and landscaped gardens. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/plans,-programs-and-projects/projects-and-initiatives/housing-and-accommodation/completed-building-projects/kensington-redevelopment">Kensington estate</a> overlooking J.J. Holland Park has already had such a makeover. The new public and private buildings are indistinguishable from each other, with gardens cascading down the embankment.</p>
<p>Local residents have several objections to the <a href="http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/plans,-programs-and-projects/projects-and-initiatives/housing-and-accommodation/flemington-renewal">Flemington proposals</a>. The estate will be too dense and too tall for the surrounding suburb, and its redevelopment has to be funded by selling part of the land to private developers for a mix of social, affordable and shared equity housing. The public component will increase by 10%. </p>
<p>The residents are supportive of public housing and want more, but more would have to be on the existing footprint, which will increase the population density that they deplore. More importantly, the inhabitants will remain sequestered.</p>
<p>Another objection is that the development is intended to break up the old public estate into a mixed community and that <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/social-mix-approach-to-public-housing-is-failing-research-finds-20170616-gwsj3m.html">research can be found</a> that engineered social mixing doesn’t “work”. </p>
<p>Certainly, many inner Melbourne families go to extraordinary financial and geographic lengths to ensure their children do not go to school with children from “the flats”. </p>
<p>The primary school at the edge of the Flemington estate was built for 1,000 and has fewer than 100 students, while all the surrounding schools are bursting at the seams. The same applies in the inner suburbs Carlton and Fitzroy. </p>
<p>The arguments are more sophisticated — that social mixing is “gentrification by stealth” — but the result remains that public tenants must inhabit a world apart.</p>
<p>But research can also be found that social mixing is working all around us every day. It’s working in streets sprinkled with infill housing, small developments, mixed developments, public apartments in private developments. It already works in Flemington away from the flats and in Kensington, where the two local schools are flourishing. </p>
<p>Above all there is abundant research to show that concentrating people into public housing estates <a href="https://www.bsl.org.au/knowledge/social-exclusion-monitor/who-experiences-social-exclusion/housing/">breeds social exclusion</a> and that’s bad for all of us.</p>
<p>A city needs social and economic diversity to function, but it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/opinion/how-we-are-ruining-america.html">doesn’t need enclaves and ghettos</a>. And a creative, knowledge city of the future will need to remain <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-white-flight-to-bright-flight-the-looming-risk-for-our-growing-cities-76787">affordable for young creatives</a>, just as it needs a mix of people to make it work. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-white-flight-to-bright-flight-the-looming-risk-for-our-growing-cities-76787">‘Bright flight’ – the looming risk for our growing cities</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>All great cities are grappling with this downside of gentrification, and public and affordable social housing has to be part of the solution. </p>
<p>London has teachers, police, nurses and young doctors in council housing. Yet Paris has got it horribly wrong, with its <em>banlieues</em> full of great architecture and human misery that can only make itself heard by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/22/nothings-changed-10-years-after-french-riots-banlieues-remain-in-crisis">burning cars and detonating bombs</a>.</p>
<h2>Solutions must embrace diversity</h2>
<p>Solutions will be various. They will need imaginative and bold leadership from governments and well-regulated partnerships with the private sector to raise the funds. </p>
<p>The walk-ups and sequestered public estates of Melbourne have passed their use-by date both physically and socially. </p>
<p>With land prices so high, the private sector will have to <a href="http://www.fmsa.com.au/opinion-acgp-housing/">step up and contribute</a>, and its pleas that it’s uneconomic regulated away. In Canberra, public housing is sprinkled throughout the city. Other countries, such as Germany and Japan, can do it and so can we.</p>
<p>But to do all this we also need a new civility in our inner suburbs, a civility that endorses necessary change for the common good above private interests. And we will know that we are succeeding when all our schools represent the diversity that is modern Australia.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81560/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janet McCalman receives funding from the Australian Research Council for historical population history. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah Warr does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even where communities are mixed, many inner-city families go to extraordinary financial and geographic lengths to ensure their children do not go to school with children from ‘the flats’.Janet McCalman AC, Professor of Population Health, The University of MelbourneDeborah Warr, Associate Professor, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/809562017-07-20T20:12:05Z2017-07-20T20:12:05ZSocial mix in housing? One size doesn’t fit all, as new projects show<p>A <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-should-the-state-wriggle-out-of-providing-public-housing-79581">recent suggestion</a> that new housing on inner-city public land should start from a presumption of 100% social housing prompted indignation in government circles. “We can’t condemn another generation of Victorians to live in housing poverty,” huffed the housing minister, Martin Foley.</p>
<p>It’s curious, then, that we heard barely a peep about the latest government <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/queen-victoria-market-tower-height-slashed-in-compromise-with-city-council-20170711-gx8omx.html#_blank">announcement</a> that the height of an apartment tower associated with the Queen Victoria Market makeover will be reduced by removing the <a href="https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/application/files/7914/9969/1470/1955_CoM_QVM_A4_factsheet_2sided_FA.PDF">original affordable housing component</a> to a separate, smaller development. </p>
<p>It is tempting to conclude that both responses accord, naturally, with the interests of the developers of private housing. But that would be to over-simplify the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00049182.2015.1075270?journalCode=cage20">complex issue of social mix</a>. It is increasingly clear there is no one-size-fits-all.</p>
<p>The principle of social mix now routinely drives public housing estate renewals and new housing builds on surplus public land. This is usually expressed in a 50:50 mix of social (public and community) and private housing, though the social component is often much smaller. As the stock of public land is ever diminishing, and affordable housing is in such short supply, this is problematic.</p>
<p>I have <a href="http://policypress.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1332/policypress/9781847424938.001.0001/upso-9781847424938-chapter-10">argued before</a> that government commitments to social mix are often disingenuous. They are more likely to be driven by an ideological imperative to privatise public assets, or at best to secure upgrades to public housing without having to fund them directly. </p>
<h2>What does the evidence tell us?</h2>
<p>Soon-to-be-published research by Abdullahi Jama and I on the Carlton public housing estate redevelopment supports these conclusions.</p>
<p>Our findings show that public and private residents on the new estate are not mixed. They are <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/social-mix-approach-to-public-housing-is-failing-research-finds-20170616-gwsj3m.html#_blank">divided into separate buildings with separate gardens</a>, explicitly with a view to increasing the value of the private apartments. </p>
<p>The case that normally follows from such a finding is that public and private households should be “salt and peppered” through new apartment buildings to encourage social mixing. While Abdullahi and I agree this is a necessary precondition for social mixing, this is not the entirety of our argument. We question the very basics of the policy orthodoxy on social mix. </p>
<p>The rationale for building upmarket private housing in low-income areas draws on the neighbourhood effects thesis, which says that concentrations of poverty exacerbate its effects. </p>
<p>This might be the case in large areas of disadvantage, such as the US <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/rust-belt-what-is-it-us-ohio-michigan-pennsylvania-election-2016-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-a7405141.html">Rust Belt</a> cities, parts of the UK and even some outer suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne. But it doesn’t stand up in highly resourced, gentrified inner cities where community facilities and opportunities for interaction are plentiful. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JjVmX_lk4LQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Paul Watt talks about neighbourhood effects, the disputed idea that poor communities benefit from social mix in urban renewal projects.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Even where poverty is widespread, studies from <a href="http://spe.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/spe/article/view/6081/3071">Toronto</a>, <a href="http://rabble.ca/news/2012/02/moving-gentrification-vancouvers-downtown-eastside">Vancouver</a>, <a href="http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789400723085">Amsterdam</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10901-009-9174-9">London</a> show that imposed social mix disrupts support networks and social structures. Involuntary displacement from a neighbourhood often has <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0042098008097105">serious</a> <a href="http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_urbanlaw/vol28/iss1/4/">effects</a> on physical and mental health.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/39_bq1_jO1U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Ranjan Balakumaran and Kam Sandhu discuss the displacement of poorer communities by ‘redevelopment’.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Minority communities may benefit from concentration in terms of safety and maintaining their cultural heritage. A substantial <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=SPJywR489q0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=Mixed+Communities:+Gentrification+by+Stealth%3F&ots=alue9lxGaG&sig=NcLyoVT8sGwHKHzmZuGUZYo0TRE#v=onepage&q=Mixed%20Communities%3A%20Gentrification%20by%20Stealth%3F&f=false">body of research</a> shows that social mix policies do not replace the social capital they displace. </p>
<p>So, are there good reasons to introduce social mix? </p>
<p>The strongest argument is the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228361869_There_goes_the_neighbourhood_The_malign_effects_of_stigma">reduction of stigma</a> that for some people comes with public housing. If the public housing is indistinguishable from private housing, the public tenants’ wellbeing is considered to be improved. </p>
<p>It’s not entirely clear, however, whether this is due as much to the housing being new and decent as to having private residents as neighbours. Also unresolved is the question of whether stigma is felt as keenly on estates in gentrified cities, which are islands of public housing in seas of inner-city privilege, as it may be in widely disadvantaged neighbourhoods. </p>
<p>There is certainly evidence that, for some people, being thrust among others from different class and socio-economic groups can increase feelings of inadequacy, discomfort and sometimes hostility.</p>
<h2>So how do we provide affordable housing?</h2>
<p>These issues vary across place, time and individuals. What is clear is that different responses are needed accordingly. </p>
<p>It is also clear that, with <a href="https://theconversation.com/affordable-housing-finger-pointing-politics-and-possible-policy-solutions-75703">dire shortages</a> of <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-outdated-assumptions-prevent-progress-on-affordable-housing-to-everyones-cost-80198">affordable housing</a> in so many cities, all opportunities should be seized to build as much affordable housing as possible. That’s not just <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-should-the-state-wriggle-out-of-providing-public-housing-79581">public</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/community-sector-offers-a-solid-platform-for-fair-social-housing-79997">community housing</a>, but <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-10/affordable-housing-scheme-helping-essential-workers/8432522">“key worker” housing</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/at-budget-time-remember-we-all-live-in-subsidised-housing-26520">“below market rent” housing</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/reinventing-density-how-baugruppen-are-pioneering-the-self-made-city-66488">co-op housing</a> and <a href="https://www.prosper.org.au/2008/05/29/community-land-trusts-explained/">community land trusts</a>. Models for all these exist and should be encouraged and explored. </p>
<p>A diversity of housing types must include diverse sources of funding, with a range of support programs. Involving future residents in design and ensuring they know what they’re moving into, and enabling people to organise their own housing, are far more effective ways of building social harmony than enforcing a rigid notion of mix. </p>
<p>Separate buildings for social tenants and private residents next to the Vic Market might be a perfectly reasonable response. But it should come from nuanced public policy and optimal use of public resources, rather than the developers and their sales people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80956/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Shaw does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mixing public and private housing in urban renewal projects can be a contentious business. But public good and optimal use of public resources, not developer interests, should guide such decisions.Kate Shaw, Future Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.