Stay up to date with news coverage and commentary from members of the Initiative, along with our newsletter featuring the director鈥檚 update, recent research grants and upcoming events.
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Keep up to date with our director's update, latest research, news update and events information.
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interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the federal government鈥檚 housing tax changes, including negative gearing and capital gains tax. She discussed how these reforms could interact with inflation and rising interest rates to affect property values and market growth.
听reported on debate over short-term rental regulation in Waverley. Professor Nicole Gurran highlighted the challenge of balancing strong visitor demand in areas like Bondi with the need to protect permanent rental housing for residents.
reported on how tax reforms may affect short-term rental investment. Professor Nicole Gurran noted that short-term rentals contribute to rental pressures, particularly around CBDs, and that the reforms could influence investors considering existing homes for short-stay use.
explored the growing trend of backyard redevelopment to address housing pressures. Professor Nicole Gurran said current 鈥済ranny flat鈥 data captures a wide range of housing types, including semis and other forms of infill development.
reported on the rise of subdivisions and secondary dwellings as a property investment strategy. Professor Nicole Gurran noted that 鈥済ranny flat鈥 data can mask different types of redevelopment, including knockdown rebuilds replaced by semis for rent, resale or subdivision.
discusses Australia鈥檚 housing challenges, referencing commentary from Professor Nicole Gurran. She argues that housing affordability is not solely a supply issue, but also a question of how existing housing stock is accessed and utilised.
reports on the growing impact of short-term rentals on Australia鈥檚 housing market. Professor Nicole Gurran highlights research showing that in some regions, short-term rental listings vastly outnumber available long-term rental properties, intensifying housing pressures.
reports on calls for stronger regulation of short-term rentals. Professor Nicole Gurran highlights research showing short-term accommodation can significantly outnumber rental vacancies in some regions, contributing to housing pressures.
interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about new AHURI research into the impact of short-term rentals on housing availability. She discussed how platforms such as Airbnb can affect rental supply and contribute to affordability pressures in some markets.
examined the impact of short-term rentals on housing availability. Professor Nicole Gurran discussed new data showing record levels of short-term accommodation listings alongside declining rental supply.
interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about new research into Australia鈥檚 short-term rental sector. She discussed the challenges of measuring Airbnb鈥檚 impact in NSW and the role regulation could play in managing housing pressures.
reports on new AHURI research showing continued growth in Australia鈥檚 short-term rental sector. Lead researcher Professor Nicole Gurran discusses how concentrated short-term rental activity can contribute to housing affordability pressures in some communities.
interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about new AHURI research showing a 10 per cent increase in short-term rental listings between 2022 and 2024. She discussed the impact of short-term rentals on housing affordability and the need for stronger regulation in areas experiencing housing pressure.
reports on growing calls for stronger regulation of the short-stay accommodation sector. Professor Nicole Gurran argues that short-term rentals have evolved into a sophisticated commercial industry, highlighting the need for better data collection and oversight.
reports on Byron Shire鈥檚 60-day cap on short-term holiday letting. Professor Nicole Gurran discusses research into the policy鈥檚 impact on housing availability and affordability in the region.
interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about housing policy and affordability pressures facing younger Australians. She highlighted the potential role of reforms to negative gearing and capital gains tax in addressing housing inequality and improving affordability.
examines housing solutions from global cities, including Singapore鈥檚 state-led housing model. Professor Nicole Gurran argues that a stronger mix of public, private, and non-profit housing providers could improve affordability and create a more reliable housing supply in Australia.
reports on the impact of Byron Shire鈥檚 60-day cap on short-term holiday letting. Professor Nicole Gurran discusses research examining how the policy has affected local housing availability.
reports on warnings of a potential housing market downturn as demand softens. Professor Nicole Gurran notes that falling property prices do not automatically improve affordability, as those most in need of home ownership are often least able to access finance during economic downturns.
promotes a community forum on Airbnb and short-term rentals featuring Professor Nicole Gurran, exploring the impacts of short-term accommodation on housing and local communities.
reports on the City of Sydney's investigation into targeted bans on short-term rentals such as Airbnb and Stayz. Professor Nicole Gurran discusses the impact of short-term accommodation on housing availability and local liveability.
interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the impact of short-stay accommodation on housing availability. Discussing Sydney and Byron Bay, she explored how platforms such as Airbnb can affect rental supply and contribute to housing pressures in popular destinations.
explores the practice of property owners purchasing neighbouring sites to protect valuable views. Professor Nicole Gurran notes that while this has long occurred in premium markets, planning systems play an important role in balancing private interests with broader community outcomes.
reports on housing pressures in regional NSW and the impact of short-term rentals on housing availability. Professor Nicole Gurran discusses emerging research on the issue and her involvement in an upcoming Byron Shire Council forum examining short-term rental regulation.
reports on the growing trend of pubs being redeveloped for housing. Professor Nicole Gurran highlights the challenges of balancing residential development with the community role of pubs, particularly when it comes to noise and preserving local character.
reports on the development of Bradfield, Australia鈥檚 first new city in a century. Professor Nicole Gurran highlights the scale of the project, noting that it represents a level of city-building rarely seen in Australia compared with previous urban renewal initiatives.
reports on Sydney publicans redeveloping pub sites for housing. Professor Nicole Gurran notes that while pubs are often well-located for residential development, balancing new housing with the community role of venues and potential noise conflicts remains a challenge.
published an opinion piece by Professor Nicole Gurran arguing that unlocking government-owned land could play a significant role in addressing Australia鈥檚 housing affordability crisis. She points to the NSW Land Commission as an example of how public land has previously been used to increase housing supply.
features commentary from Professor Nicole Gurran on the scale of Australia鈥檚 emerging city-building projects, noting that developments such as Bradfield represent a rare example of a planned 鈥渟econd city鈥 rather than a typical urban renewal project.
reports on a seniors housing proposal in Vaucluse that would increase housing yield while incorporating affordable housing. The article references research by Professor Nicole Gurran, which found Sydney鈥檚 Eastern Suburbs experienced the city鈥檚 largest decline in essential workers between 2016 and 2021, highlighting growing housing affordability pressures.
reports on the $2.7 billion Bradfield project, describing it as Australia鈥檚 first new city in a century and Sydney鈥檚 future third CBD. Professor Nicole Gurran highlights Bradfield as a rare example of a planned 鈥渟econd city鈥, distinct from previous large-scale urban renewal projects.
interviewed Professor Nicole Gurran about the contrast between Sydney and Melbourne's housing markets, discussing Melbourne鈥檚 relatively lower property prices and the impact of housing policies on affordability and investment.
interviewed Emeritus Professor Peter Phibbs about Tasmania's housing market. He noted that Hobart has a far higher concentration of short-term rentals than Sydney or Melbourne and suggested that revenue from short-term rental taxes should be invested in social and affordable housing.
featured comments from Professor Nicole Gurran, who explained how western Sydney suburbs like Penrith, Blacktown and Parramatta face higher temperatures during heatwaves due to their inland location and lack of coastal breezes.
This article highlights key research on gender, cities, and planning. Despite some progress, recent research suggests that the 鈥榞ender agenda鈥 remains incomplete, likely due to failures and inequalities in planning schools themselves.听
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Feminist researchers have long critiqued failures to consider gender in urban planning and design. Broadly speaking, this work highlights three concerns:
鈥 How the spatial arrangement and design of cities, neighbourhoods and homes reflect and reinforce gender norms, impede women鈥檚 mobility, and limit economic opportunities;
鈥 Physical safety / exposure to violence, particularly in public spaces; and
鈥 Under-representation in political and leadership roles and or planning processes.
Although earlier writing focused on gender based differences, more recent work emphasises that gender intersects with other factors 鈥 such as race, class, age, ability 鈥 to mediate needs and experiences of the city.听
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The current housing crisis has renewed debates about how to regulate short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb. The international research on the impact of these rentals is clear: when landlords 鈥渉ost鈥 tourists rather than residents, housing supply is depleted, rents rise and neighbourhoods change.
Given Australia鈥檚 dire shortage of rental housing, restricting short-term rentals seems like a no-brainer. New research published this week showed the share of rental properties under $400 per week has fallen to 15% in most capital cities 鈥 half of what it was a year ago.
We鈥檝e long studied these issues, watching as major cities around the world 鈥 from New York to Berlin to Barcelona 鈥 have enacted strong laws designed to protect local housing supply and neighbourhoods.
But do they even work? And would controlling short-term rentals solve Australia鈥檚 long-term rental crisis?
The federal Labor government has promised to craft a national housing and homelessness plan and to fund new social housing, returning Canberra to a field it all but abandoned for a decade. A new Productivity Commission report is scathing about current arrangements and calls for far-reaching change.
Yet some of the report鈥檚 key recommendations rest on faulty assumptions and outdated economic thinking. It relies on a misplaced belief that the market will respond to low-income households鈥 need for affordable housing. Its faith in deregulation as a cure-all is misguided.
The experience of recent decades and a wealth of research evidence instead point to the need to increase government investment in public and community housing.
