Planning for Lower-Income Households in Privately Developed High-Density Neighbourhoods in Sydney, Australia

Abstract

In Australia, as in many other countries, private high-density housing is typically marketed as the domain of middle- and higher-income residents. But, in practice, it accommodates many lower-income households. These households often live in mixed-income communities alongside wealthier neighbours, but, because of constrained budgets, they rely more heavily on access to community services and facilities. This has implications for public infrastructure planning in high-density neighbourhoods where private property ownership dominates. In this article, we examine two neighbourhood case studies within the same local government area in Sydney that have sizable populations of lower-income households living in apartments, but which provide markedly different day-to-day experiences for residents. We consider the causes of these varying outcomes and implications for neighbourhood-scale planning and development. The article argues that coordinated and collaborative planning processes are key to ensuring that the needs of lower-income households are met in privately developed apartment neighbourhoods.

Housing, income, and precarity: The Australian suburban settlement in an age of uncertainty

“…This is an important side note to compact city conversations that are quick to point out the amenity benefits of inner-city living, yet fail to recognise that the emergent experience, in Sydney at least, is suburban apartment living. There are considerable challenges to apartment living (Easthope and Randolph 2009) and apartment construction broadly, where building defects are rife (Crommelin et al 2021), design lacks basic consideration for children (Easthope and Tice 2011), and there are often poor outcomes for low-income households (Easthope et al 2020(Easthope et al , 2022. While policy interventions can certainly address many of these challenges, the current situation potentially introduces a range of inequities in housing outcomes for those in apartments.…”

Planning and the High-Rise Neighbourhood: Debates on Vertical Cities

“…Debates on vertical urbanisation have too often focused on the role of urban elites, middle and high-income purchasers, and real estate investors as the drivers of high-rise development. Yet, as Easthope et al's (2022) article argues, there is a necessity to recognise and plan for the needs of lower-income households in high-rise neighbourhoods. Drawing on a case study in Sydney, Australia, their article highlights the ways in which coordinated and collaborative planning processes can positively ensure the needs of lower-income households are met in highrise developments, while also emphasising how divergent political and market contexts can lead to different design and amenity outcomes for lower-income residents.…”