RETHINKING HOUSING

 

Car parks - particularly empty ones - are a waste of space.

Professor of human geography and planning at UTAS Jason Byrne said that made them prime candidates for affordable housing, as a recent City of Launceston council motion sought to explore.

"You're taking land is dedicated to parking, which unless it's got cars on it is a wasted asset in the city, and you're filling a real need in the market for affordable housing," Dr Byrne said. [!!!]

This solved two issues with Launceston's housing supply - land availability in a city where developable blocks were in short supply and opened up the market to first-home buyers.

Dr Byrne said decades of treating housing as a commodity meant property investors, banks, developers, and governments benefitted at the detriment of first-home buyers and renters. [!!!]

Making council-owned land, be it a car park or something else, available to developers on the condition they build affordable housing on it meant Launceston could buck a national trend.

"In other Australian cities, inner city housing oftentimes doesn't sell to people in the new home market or affordable housing market. It's often premium prestige apartments in the heart of the city," Dr Byrne said.

ECOdesign Architects principal architect Nigel Bell on the house of the future.

Don't fear the 15-minute city

Building affordable housing - that is homes sold at below-market rates - within Launceston's CBD would be a "really good example" of what Dr Byrne described as urban consolidation, which he said was sorely needed in Tasmania.

This is commonly known for creating "15-minute cities".

Developing housing in the urban core rather than the fringes ensured vital services were within a reasonable distance of where people lived, without them needing to commute by car.

"That's the idea of the 15-minute city, being able to get access to fresh fruit and vegetables, healthcare, childcare, aged care facilities, all within 15 minutes of where you live, either by walking or cycling," Dr Byrne said.

This had economic benefits, as maintaining the infrastructure to service sprawling suburban developments was paid for by taxpayers even if developers initially paid for it.[!!!]

There were also environmental benefits like reducing people's reliance on cars - cutting emissions and reducing traffic.[!!!]

Dr Byrne said high-density was not necessarily for everyone, for instance young families might benefit from lower-density housing.[!!!]

"There's all sorts of questions about whether that housing is well-suited for raising a family. Whether you can raise kids effectively in a three-bedroom apartment with a balcony is a big question," he said.

This, he said, came down to the provision of services like schools and recreation spaces nearby.

No more lonely hearts

Tasmanians are among the loneliest people in Australia.

Thirty-seven per cent of the Apple Isle's residents reported feeling lonely in 2023 - more than in any other state or territory besides the Australian Capital Territory.

This is becoming an acute health issue, with research suggesting loneliness is as bad as smoking.

Urban consolidation could ease that.

"You get a more convivial, lively, active city, and you get those incidental moments of social interaction in what we call third spaces," Dr Byrne said.

Third spaces - cafes, libraries and the like - would flourish with increased foot traffic, leading to economic and social sustainability.

Dr Byrne said this was of particular benefit to Launceston, with its many eateries and bars but a struggling night-time economy.

"[Launceston] would be an increasingly active and vibrant city after hours, with a very rich social life in the night-time, but also on the weekends. That's a huge win," he said.

Proof will be in the pudding

Dr Byrne said the benefits of the proposal were easy to tout, but like all things the proof was in the pudding.

Thought had to be given to design - not just architecture but wider, city-level planning.

"Rather than a cookie cutter approach, where we don't really consider design outcomes we should be focusing on urban design so making sure the spaces in between the buildings are vibrant and enjoyable," Dr Byrne said.

Recreation spaces inside dwellings or balconies, adequate sunlight in winter and noise reduction were all key considerations.

Access to services like public transport, education and childcare, nearby parks and other green spaces, and the capacities of water, sewer and electrical infrastructure were others.

Catering for an aging population and young families, who Dr Byrne said had mobility issues for different reasons, would also be a challenge.

There was also the matter of planning for a changing climate - not only was the planet warming but increasing density in cities meant higher temperatures.

Part of this would be solved with choosing an appropriate location.

For instance the city's parks should be ruled out as candidate sites to preserve the urban plant canopy.

"When we increase density in the cities, oftentimes that means there's tree clearing and there's less attention to parks and green spaces, and we lose tree canopy," Dr Byrne said.

"Luckily, the City of Launceston has an excellent [???] urban greening strategy."