City Futures Blog

News and research in housing and urban policy, from Australia’s leading urban policy research centre.

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The housing and homelessness crisis in NSW explained in 9 charts

March 20th, 2023 · No Comments · Uncategorized

By Hal Pawson, UNSW Sydney. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Whatever the result of the New South Wales election on March 25, rising housing stress is a problem the new state government will have to confront. Soaring rents and an extraordinary lack of rental […]

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Planning, regulation, the local state and the housing crisis in England

February 8th, 2023 · No Comments · Guest appearance, Housing

By Assoc Prof Ben Clifford, University College London. This post comes out of Assoc Prof Clifford’s September 2022 presentation in the City Futures Seminar Series. In England, as in Australia, the housing crisis, and its links to planning reform debates, has remained high on the political agenda for many years. Recent months have seen tensions […]

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How project marketers shape our cities

December 14th, 2022 · No Comments · Uncategorized

By Dr Rupa Ganguli, City Futures Research Centre. Originally published by The Fifth Estate. In NSW, the Opal and Mascot Towers defects scandals have galvanised a wide ranging response on the issue of quality in apartment building. Together with the tragic fire in London’s Grenfell Tower, the shine has most certainly come off the so-called […]

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Do tenancy reforms to protect renters cause landlords to exit the market? No, but maybe they should

November 29th, 2022 · No Comments · Housing, Law

By Chris Martin, UNSW Sydney; Milad Ghasri, UNSW Sydney; Sharon Parkinson, Swinburne University of Technology, and Zoe Goodall, Swinburne University of Technology. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. More Australians are renting their housing longer than in the past. But they have relatively little legal […]

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What makes a great footpath? The answer is key to our happiness and wellbeing as we age

October 26th, 2022 · No Comments · Wellbeing

By Fatemeh Aminpour, UNSW Sydney. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. As people age, they often become less confident about walking. Fear of falling can limit the activity of older people, leading them to become isolated. So what, exactly, makes for a great footpath to […]

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The elephant in the room: to broaden home ownership access, governments must tackle housing affordability head-on

September 20th, 2022 · No Comments · Affordability, Housing

By Prof Hal Pawson. Originally published at Red Brick, the UK housing policy blog. Boosting home ownership: an overriding housing policy objective for many decades, not only in Britain but the world over. And yet, as also seen in many countries, the past 10-20 years have witnessed owner occupancy rates static or falling – see […]

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Is it time to talk about rent control in Australia?

August 29th, 2022 · No Comments · Housing

By Ben Knight, UNSW Sydney. Originally published at UNSW Sydney Newsroom. The rising cost of everyday essentials has most people feeling the pinch. But if you’re a renter and haven’t already been hit with a rent increase, there’s a good chance you’re especially worried. Property data sources like CoreLogic show rents in Australia are climbing across […]

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Recess is a time of conflict for children. Here are 6 school design tips to keep the peace

July 25th, 2022 · No Comments · Uncategorized

By Dr Fatemeh Aminpour, City Futures Research Centre. Originally published at The Conversation. Conflict is one of the main barriers to children’s play during school recess. Research has found students experience an average of one conflict at recess every three minutes. My own research shows how well-designed school grounds can reduce conflict and help vulnerable students take part in recess […]

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Without meaningful national housing strategies, first-home buyer schemes will only increase owners’ wealth

July 7th, 2022 · No Comments · Housing

By Hal Pawson and Chris Martin. Originally published in The Guardian. The Albanese government plans new help for entering the market but systemic change is needed to tackle housing affordability. More than $20bn was given by Australian governments in tax breaks and cash grants to first-home buyers in the decade to 2021. While assisting access to home ownership is an […]

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Freezing indoors? That’s because Australian homes are closer to tents than insulated eco-buildings

June 14th, 2022 · No Comments · Climate change, Housing

By Associate Professor Philip Oldfield, Head of School, Built Environment, UNSW. Originally published at The Guardian. As winter sets in, and temperatures plummet, it can sometimes feel as cold inside as it does outside. The reason for this is the poor thermal performance of houses in Australia. Our homes need to be rapidly improved to […]

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