Population growth and mobility in Australia: implications for housing and urban development policies

Abstract

Related reports and documentsInquiry into population growth, migration and agglomeration https://www.ahuri.edu.au/housing/research-in-progress/ population-growth,-migration-and-agglomeration AHURI AHURI is a national independent research network with an expert not-for-profit research management company, AHURI Limited, at its centre. AHURI's mission is to deliver high quality research that influences policy development and practice change to improve the housing and urban environments of all Australians.Using high quality, independent evidence and through active, managed engagement, AHURI works to inform the policies and practices of governments and the housing and urban development industries, and stimulate debate in the broader Australian community. AHURI undertakes evidence-based policy development on a range of priority policy topics that are of interest to our audience groups, including housing and labour markets, urban growth and renewal, planning and infrastructure development, housing supply and affordability, homelessness, economic productivity, and social cohesion and wellbeing. AHURI Limited also gratefully acknowledges the contributions, both financial and in-kind, of its university research partners who have helped make the completion of this material possible. DisclaimerThe opinions in this report reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of AHURI Limited, its Board, its funding organisations or Inquiry Panel members. No responsibility is accepted by AHURI Limited, its Board or funders for the accuracy or omission of any statement, opinion, advice or information in this publication. AHURI journalAHURI Final Report journal series is a refereed series presenting the results of original research to a diverse readership of policy makers, researchers and practitioners. Peer review statementAn objective assessment of reports published in the AHURI journal series by carefully selected experts in the field ensures that material published is of the highest quality. The AHURI journal series employs a double-blind peer review of the full report, where anonymity is strictly observed between authors and referees.

Inquiry into population, migration and agglomeration

“…The majority of Australians live within Australia's capital cities-with economic, lifestyle and cultural factors all informing these locational decisions (Davies and James 2011;James, Rowley et al (2021). Over the last decade, these preferences of both Australians and migrants have placed considerable increased pressure on infrastructure, services and housing, resulting in a need to better understand the drivers that inform location choices.…”

“…Population change, concentration, trends and projections were analysed in detail in one of this Inquiry's SRPs (James, Rowley et al 2021). This SRP analyses population growth at the Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3) spatial unit.…”

“…The SRP reported by James, Rowley et al (2021) studied household mobility and locational choice using a mix of research methods, including econometric analysis of the HILDA survey dataset, and quantitative analysis of the 2019 AHURI-funded Housing Aspirations Survey.…”

“…The James, Rowley et al (2021) study goes on to examine differences between urban-urban moves and urban-regional moves. They find a set of common drivers, including:…”

“…In this section we begin by examining the literature on residential mobility in order to unpack the key drivers of these processes. We then carry out a rapid synthesis of the findings of one of the SRPs (James, Rowley et al 2021) in terms of understanding the most pronounced or evident trends in spatial patterns of population growth in Australia 2006-2016-that is, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We briefly introduce some of the more recent trends in population change that have occurred during the pandemic, along with their housing market implications.…”