In November 2012, Brisbane hosted the 7th National Affordable Housing Conference, run by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) with the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works. Attended by more than seven hundred delegates and ninety-five speakers from Australia and overseas, the conference afforded an insight into the policy underpinnings that will shape the future of Australian housing.
The conference, which was organized into three streams – people, places and productivity – enabled sharing of ideas across housing research, policy and practice.
People
Cohousing construction.
Image: Courtesy of AHURI
A comment that stuck has with me, and which is representative of the conference, came from guest speaker David Cowans (UK), who said: “We are in the business of [making] places and not buildings.” It’s powerful because beyond bricks and mortar, people are at the heart of housing, and people need services, choice, aspiration, quality and opportunities. Bring these elements together in a project or precinct and you have the potential to make a place in which people want to live.
Widely discussed at the conference was the diversity of Australia’s demography, and the section of population widely referred to as having the greatest potential impact on the immediate future of housing: baby boomers. The sixty-five-plus age group is the largest growing in Australia. Of these, one in five will be single when they retire. Where they choose to live and what financial options they have at retirement will have a significant impact to the housing sector. They will be an important part of any mixed community and contribute to its sense of place.
Place
How do we measure the success of a place? One method of measuring outcomes is through a social return on investment (SROI) study. SROI studies (reinvigorated ideas of welfare economics or social cost-benefit analysis) attempt to quantify a project’s intangible outcome in dollar terms. A study commissioned by Common Equity Housing Limited for its Lakewood project had a $3.78 return for every dollar spent. This figure reflects increased tenant opportunities in terms of health, security, employment readiness, financial position and education.
An important focus of the conference was the research being undertaken by universities and other bodies into alternative housing delivery models and typologies.
Researchers at the University of Western Sydney have completed a how-to manual that covers the aspects to be considered in setting up a Community Land Trust (CLT), including the legal templates. CLTs began in America some years ago, and haven’t as yet been implemented in Australia. They are set up with members who own the land and then lease it, leaving only the upfront costs of building.
Monash University presented findings from ongoing research into greyfield precinct development, looking at developments larger than those by “mum and dad” developers, who respond only to land size and the age of the housing stock.
The University of Queensland is researching regeneration, specifically a sustainability assessment of Fortitude Valley. The success or failure of a project as measured through the social sustainability of people was a reoccurring topic at the conference.
Productivity
This section of the conference covered different delivery models, housing typologies and financing. Though productivity has certainly slowed in the social housing industry since the 2009 federal government stimulus package, sentiment about this sector was surprisingly optimistic.
A phrase that encapsulates the future for funding within the social and affordable housing sector is “necessity is the mother of invention.” On that, Dr Tony Gilmour of the Australasian Housing Institute spoke of cooperatives. The cooperative model was born in Rochdale (UK) in 1844 when the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers set down its guiding principles. The Australian housing cooperative model for lower-income groups is the non-equity cooperative, as distinct from the part- or whole-equity model. Housing assets are held by a governing equity body known as a housing association, and these manage a number of cooperatives. In Victoria, housing associations own the housing assets, which allows them to secure greater funding as they can borrow against these assets to build new houses and support new cooperatives. It’s about leveraging the size of the asset holding to grow larger communities.
Cohousing in the Australian context – case study by Sophie Jordon, RMIT. Murundaka in Heidelberg Heights, Victoria, by Daryl Pelchen Architects, is community housing for 18 households owned by CEHL. Completed in December 2011.
Image: Courtesy of Daryl Pelchen Architects
The RMIT research looked at co-housing in the Australian context through the lens of two community housings – Murunda and Urban Coup – both within around fifteen kilometres of Melbourne’s CBD. Based on differing models of procurement, ownership and management, their reports yielded some interesting comments from the residents interviewed.
At the other end of the scale, the research presented by Monash University looked at options for adaptable individual households. The Habitat 21 Housing Project, for instance, resulted in a seven-star house with a smaller than average envelope. The three-bedroom home works in different configurations – as two households, a home office or a larger family home. New research is looking into typology options to assist with dual-key arrangements and therefore mortgage flexibility.
So, what can an architect operating in the housing sector take from a conference focused on research, policy and delivery? We are the professionals able to deliver on the innovation that research explores. We can be further educated on policy reform, which needs to be lobbied for to enable better housing outcomes. We can become familiar with the drivers prohibiting new projects and assist our clients in delivering the best outcomes for their clients. The conference may have had limited design presentations but the content presented will enable attendees to better assist clients through the whole process of delivering good housing for all. Listen, learn and deliver.
The National Housing Conference is convened biennially by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).
