Housing News Digest
Housing News Digest
The Tenants' Union Housing News Digest compiles our pick of items from all the latest tenancy and housing media, sent once per week, on Thursdays.
Below is the Digest archive from November 2020 onwards. From time to time you will find additional items in the archive that did not make it into the weekly Digest email. Earlier archives are here, where you can also find additional digests by other organisations.
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Archive
Enough Already: Beyond the YIMBY-NIMBY Divide
Ian Volner The Baffler (No paywall)MAYBE IT WAS the unseasonable warmth in New York this winter, but it does feel as though the discourse around affordable housing has become just a touch overheated of late—like surface-of-Mercury, gas-station-coffee, control-rods-jammed-in-reactor-Number-Four hot. There have been threats and counterthreats; posts have been deleted, accounts banned. A little sampling of recent blue-bird chatter, just for flavor: “psychotic YIMBcels”; “Frankly sickening nimby”; “YIMBY clowns”; “First time to sit tomorrow with a NIMBY. Any tips other than violence?” It gets worse from there. The dispute between, on the one hand, advocates of housing development as a means to bring down prices (at least for renters), and those who favor sweeping regulations on the other, has come to resemble a wonkish, extremely online sequel to the Hatfields and the McCoys, right down to the prevalence of beards among the principal antagonists. Of course, this time around, what’s at stake is a lot bigger than swilling moonshine.
# Hot topic International, Affordable housing, International, Planning and development.The economic case for affordable housing
Gerald Koessl Social Europe (No paywall)Much applied economic analysis and policy-making in recent decades has been based on the belief that under (perfect) market conditions unregulated markets lead to the best economic outcomes, in terms of the allocation of products and services to society at large. Developments in the housing market—and in particular the crisis of affordability—have however placed a big question-mark against this assumption.
The impacts of the housing crisis are no longer felt only by those households struggling with its cost but also by the economy as a whole. As a recent report from the European Commission explains, inflated house prices and rents can lead to a misallocation of resources, away from productive (job-creating) investments towards unproductive assets.
https://www.socialeurope.eu/the-economic-case-for-affordable-hou…
# Hot topic International, Affordable housing, International, Planning and development.Minns to turbocharge Sydney’s density with affordable housing bonuses for developers
Michael Koziol The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)Developers will be given stronger incentives to build higher, denser housing developments that override local environment plans under the Labor government’s first major reform to help solve Sydney’s housing affordability crisis.
Premier Chris Minns will on Thursday unveil a suite of incentives for large private developments containing at least 15 per cent “affordable housing” – that is, homes typically offered at 20-25 per cent below the market rate for 15 years, often managed by not-for-profits.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/minns-to-turbocharge-sydney-…
# Hot topic, New policy announcement NSW, Campaigns and law reform, Planning and development, State Government.NSW government abandons controversial public housing development in Glebe
Gavin Coote ABC (No paywall)The New South Wales government has scrapped plans to redevelop a controversial inner-Sydney public housing block, but will push ahead with another one, amid ongoing protests.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-17/nsw-government-abandons-p…
# Hot topic NSW, Public and community housing, Campaigns and law reform, Strong communities.Sydney housing crisis: Supply forecast falls to 25,000 new homes per year
Michael Koziol The Sydney Morning Herald (Paywall)The number of new homes forecast to be built in Greater Sydney in five years has plunged to 128,450, worsening the supply crunch and putting even more pressure on housing affordability.
It represents a significant decline from the 151,000 new dwellings contained in the Planning Department’s previous forecast, and will boost the state government’s determination to reform planning laws to encourage supply.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/sydney-housing-supply-foreca…
# Hot topic, Research alert NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market, Planning and development.No pets allowed: NSW pushed to act on ‘urgent’ need to make rentals more animal-friendly
Jordyn Beazley The Guardian (No paywall)The New South Wales government is being pushed to make rentals animal-friendly sooner as pet owners find it increasingly hard to find a home and pounds see an influx of renters giving up their pets.
Labor promised in the lead-up to the election that it would make it easier for renters to own pets, with plans to give landlords 21 days to respond to a renter’s request to own a pet. If the landlord refuses within the timeframe, they must put their reason to the yet-to-be-established rental commissioner for a final decision.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/18/no-pets-a…
# Hot topic, New policy announcement NSW, Campaigns and law reform, Pets, State Government.Kincumber Nautical Village residents take owner to tribunal over site fee increases
Keira Proust ABC (No paywall)Alan Thiele, 72, says he cannot afford to turn on the heater this winter due to the rising cost of living and "unfair" site fee increases at the residential park he lives in.
The pensioner lives in Kincumber Nautical Village on the New South Wales' Central Coast and said the extra costs have forced him to cut back on essentials.
The owner of the village has increased fees for people living on a "notice method" by nearly $53 a fortnight, which homeowners are now fighting in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-19/kincumber-nautical-villag…
# Hot topic NSW, Land lease communities, Older people, Personal stories.Housing crisis could worsen as city slickers flock to regional NSW
Tileah Dobson City Hub (No paywall)City dwellers are continuing to flock to regional NSW amid the rising cost of living. However, many regional areas do not have the infrastructure to support this migration and local residents are suffering the consequences.
Dr Laura Crommelin, Senior Lecturer in City Planning at the School of Built Environment, UNSW ARTS, Design & Architecture, has said, “some who are priced out of the city housing markets may be able to afford a more spacious, standalone dwelling in a regional area.”
“Those regional areas within striking distance of the city are increasingly popular with those who still might commute once or twice a week to the city for work, but spend most of their time living by the coast.”
https://cityhubsydney.com.au/2023/06/housing-crisis-could-worsen…
# Hot topic, TUNSW in the media NSW, Housing affordability, Housing market, Regional NSW.