Can high-density living meet growing housing demand?

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The classic Australian dream of a suburban home with a big backyard is shifting as policymakers race to meet growing housing demand. With supply struggling to keep up, there’s a push to build up rather than out in major cities—but questions remain about whether high-density living can truly meet changing needs.

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00:00A mere grocery run becomes a mission in multitasking, especially when the lift in Brielle Pope's

00:09high-rise broke last year.

00:12She had to lug groceries and her toddler up a dozen flights of stairs.

00:17The issues don't stop at the door.

00:19So this is Evie's room, which has been a constant game of Tetris since she was born.

00:27Tiny bedrooms in her home of eight years, hot kitchen appliances where little hands

00:32can reach, and an 11th floor balcony.

00:35No match for her toddler's boundless curiosity.

00:38I've struggled to be able to find solutions to keep these doors closed.

00:42She's figured out how to open up the lock.

00:44Cramped kitchens, tiny bench tops, awkward storage, small and cluttered living areas,

00:50bleak communal space.

00:52These were repeat issues in recent photo-based studies about adjusting to apartment life.

00:58This was the food preparation area in an apartment and you can see that it's extremely restricted

01:06near to the stove.

01:07In Sydney, accelerated rezoning is set to unlock space for nearly 60,000 new homes over

01:1315 years, all in walking distance to eight transport hubs.

01:17In Melbourne, well-connected suburbs could rise above 10 storeys as the Victorian government

01:23scrambles to meet housing targets.

01:25The challenge is turning high-density houses into long-term homes.

01:29The current apartment stocks really seem to be tailored towards people who are just moving

01:35through that apartment, not really seen as a home.

01:40This building, on the other hand, was designed for long-term living, with a fair portion

01:44of three-bedroom apartments, cross-ventilation and communal space.

01:48It's become a poster child for improved design standards, but when it comes to building more

01:52like them, there's one major issue.

01:54But that all comes at a compromise in yield and additional cost, and so there are a number

01:58of things there that sort of put quite a lot of pressure on it.

02:02Construction costs are high, so too are interest rates, so borrowing capacity is low, a double

02:07blow to the feasibility of medium-density developments.

02:12It's a conundrum with few easy solutions, but much at stake.

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