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Is medium density housing the way of the future?

Writer's picture: Skye TaylorSkye Taylor

We all know we are in the depths of a housing crisis, and there is no silver bullet that will make this go away overnight.



But Michael Fotheringham from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute has some key suggestions that would help many.


As he explained recently to ABC news:

"historically, we have gone to the outer edges, the urban fringes of suburbs and built 3-4 bedroom houses, expanding already sprawling cities.
Or we build high density apartments within the CBD zones, further increasing the density in a heavy populated area.
But between both of these is a middle zone. The missing middle ring"

This is not a new concept, and medium density living has existed for the better part of a century, but where we build them may need to be what is changed. More housing is too simplistic and diversity of supply in every location will be invaluable.


There has been resistance to building townhouses, larger apartments, and small unit blocks within already established suburbs, but yet the need for varied dwellings, and affordable housing is crucial now more than ever.


Improving the amenities of areas, targeting housing generally that may be in need of repair, slightly increasing the density can bring on the community and a sense of urban renewal.


Tiny housing has been another hot topic of late, but generally the tiny houses that exist are subject to outdated council planning permissions, as in generally not permissible in any metro area, and little communities of tiny houses have been popping up in rural areas, and it's easy to see the appeal. However that also won't work for every household.


There is not 1 type of housing that will resolve this issue, and hopefully with more awareness about what we need across the market, sees attitudes change, developers and councils thinking outside the square, along with the government doing their part in housing policy, and we might see the crisis start to lift.


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