International housing trends and policy responses
Summary
Recent Australian policy settings have been largely unresponsive to emerging housing challenges, such as trends to declining affordability and the greater polarisation of housing markets. While the scope and mix of policy levers required to address these issues in Australia may vary, this research suggests that there are common attributes associated with the most successful policy approaches overseas. In the 12 countries studied, recent housing policy responses are clustered around five themes: facilitating home ownership for new entrants and lower-income households; promoting private investment in affordable housing; using the existing private rental market for improved housing outcomes; reinventing social housing to improve choice and diversity; and promoting housing and neighbourhood sustainability.
Project Number: 60323
Research Theme: Housing_affordability
Project Leader: Milligan, Vivienne
Funding Year: 2006
Research Centre: Sydney
Description
The research used desktop methods alongside information from national reports, key informants and their participation in international conferences to review national housing problems and policies across 12 developed countries.
The key findings of the research are:
- The range of developed countries examined exhibit common housing problems:
1. Rising housing costs and declining housing affordability.
2. Housing supply shortages and issues of housing quality.
3. Social exclusion and segregation related to housing location, tenure and quality, and race and ethnicity.
4. Special housing needs of excluded groups, Indigenous communities and those with support needs.
- The successful aspects of housing policy responses across these developed countries have included the following five themes:
1. Facilitating home ownership for new entrants and lower-income households.
2. Promoting private investment in affordable housing.
3. Using the existing private rental market for improved housing outcomes.
4. Reinventing social housing to improve choice and diversity.
5. Promoting housing and neighbourhood sustainability.
