In a significant move to address the ongoing housing crisis in Sydney, nine suburbs have been identified as priority areas for “well-located” social housing. The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) prepared a detailed spatial mapping of all neighborhoods. Their results showed alarming inequalities in the concentration of social housing across the city. The findings highlight a concerning trend: affluent regions are lagging behind in their social housing quotas.
AHURI CEO, Michael Fotheringham noted that the current distribution of social housing continues to entrench systematic disadvantage. He pointed out that areas with less attractive amenities tend to have more social housing. This trend is magnified in regions such as Canterbury-Bankstown and Western Sydney. Consequently, a 5 percent social housing floorspace provision is considered essential in all well-located sectors to address this disparity.
Identifying Priority Areas
The suburbs that have been chosen are: Source: Queensland Government. These suburban areas are Haymarket, North Bondi, Lavender Bay, Chatswood, North Dee Why, Moore Park, Tamarama-Bronte, North Randwick, Darling Point and North Avoca. We chose every location with a holistic idea of the social housing restoration supply in thoughts. These sites present a unique opportunity to lead with intentionality to deepen community integration.
To accommodate Sydney’s escalating housing need, at least 36 to 59 more extra dwellings should be built in these priority areas. The City of Sydney has taken significant steps to champion affordable housing projects, previously supporting 1,525 affordable, diverse units. Beyond that, another 2,131 homes are expected to develop in the immediate future.
“Everyone has the right to belong to a community,” – Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker
Parker has been a vociferous proponent for greater public investment in social housing. He calls for more advocacy at the state and federal level. He noted that the council does not directly build social housing. The boldness of their approach has them directly working to drive a significant increase in social and affordable housing by working with their government partners.
The Role of Local Government
North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker expressed her commitment to recovering thousands of affordable units that have been lost over the years. She characterized the city’s present undertaking as a “once-in-a-generation mass up-zoning,” designed to address an acute housing crisis in as direct a manner as possible.
Parramatta Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter has an agenda. He drew attention to the fact that his council is currently making big strides to get a wider range of housing built. And luckily, she added, all your hard work is paying off. They’re smashing through their housing under supply targets and have adopted plans for 15,000 more dwellings.
“I think the government is the perfect partner because, while we don’t have the funds for construction, we do have the sites and properties that can be used to deliver not just social and affordable housing but the best models,” – North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker
Fotheringham’s experience and perspective on the social housing as it exists today points to greater, more systemic issues. He pointed out that when delivering large amount of social housing, these projects always seem to go into low-socio-economic areas. In the process, well-off areas continue to escape examination. This geographic imbalance leads to what he called “concentration disadvantage.”
“We all need to play our part to ensure all housing is distributed fairly across the greater Sydney region with the infrastructure needed to support our growing communities,” – Lord Mayor Martin Zaiter
Addressing Systematic Disadvantage
As communities start to realize the magnitude of the housing crisis, opposition to social housing projects is slowly starting to disappear. Fotheringham added that although there is more awareness on the subject, it’s a long way from where things need to be.
“The idea that we have high-concentrations of social housing in low-socio-economic areas and almost none in higher socio-economic areas is problematic because it leads to systematic disadvantage,” – Michael Fotheringham
As communities begin to recognize the gravity of the housing crisis, resistance to social housing initiatives is gradually diminishing. Fotheringham noted that while understanding is improving, there is still a considerable journey ahead.
“As the community comes to understand that better, those resistances are fading as people recognise we have a genuine housing crisis in this country,” – Michael Fotheringham
