Planning for regional housing

Successive governments have encouraged mass immigration to artificially bouy economic growth in the absence of real productivity rises, but this has created housing shortages and resulting price rises in Australia’s urban centres, increasing the need for better planning for housing in regional areas.

Australia needs a national urban policy

Two thirds of Australians live in the state capitals, and so our cities will be central to achieving sustainability in a time of climate change.

Renting your way to your first home

Fewer young people have the means to buy their first home, but is there a way to shortcut a failing system through extending ‘rent to buy’ approaches?

Helping young people buy a home

Generous tax concessions to property owners will continue to push house prices out of reach of younger generations unless structural tax reform, such as winding back capital gains tax concessions on property assets, is implemented.

The housing crisis requires more than more homes

Removing regulatory barriers to new and diverse housing production may be part of the solution in cities where supply constraints persist, but additional strategies will be required to fix the shortage of affordable homes.

Improving rental housing standards

A large proportion of Australian rental properties are in such poor condition that they are putting residents’ health and wellbeing at risk, according to new research from the University of South Australia.

6 ways to prepare your home for winter

After a report warned that many Australian homes are ill-prepared for winter, here a 6 important maintenance tasks to prepare your home for a safe and cosy winter season.

Design for life

As our cities spread and intensify, there’s less habitat left for wildlife than ever, but we can design our homes and gardens to offer nesting sites and habitat as well as take it away.

Engineering a labour-shortage solution

Engineers – real engineers – build the world around us, but instead of investing in training our own, Australia has been content to poach trained engineers from abroad, creating serious shortages only proper domestic education and training programmes can satisfy.

NSW’s housing crisis

A rapidly increasing population and soaring interest rates and rents have created a growing housing crisis which the new NSW government will have to deal with, whatever side of politics takes power.

Digital twin cities

Digital technologies that allow experts to design and predict future city environments can become be a key tool in sustainable urban design.

Concrete jungle

Concrete is the second most used substance after water, but the high energy and emission toll of turning limestone into cement is encouraging the use of substitute ingredients in the mix.