Affordable-Accessible Housing for Perth

Presentation to AITPM – Affordable Housing and Transport SeminarEmma de Jager, Executive Officer WA and NT

Housing is not really affordable if located in isolated areas with high transportation costs

Image: Sydney Morning Herald, Photo: Jason South

Affordable – Accessible housing allows households with diverse incomes, abilities and needs to live together in attractive, diverse and dynamic neighbourhoods

Affordable Housing

o Housing is considered affordable if it costs less than 30% of a household budget. Transportation is the second largest expense for families, but few often consider these costs when choosing a place to live.

o A more complete measure of affordability is that combined housing and transportation costs take up no more than 45% of a household budget.

Living

Source: The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index

It’s Complicated

Source: Planning Provisions for Affordable Housing Discussion Paper October 2013 – Department of Planning

Key Findings (THWC)o Attributes of location matter most to households.

Specifically safety and security; easy access to work and schools; and being located near family and friends and public transport.

o People were happier to have smaller properties if it meant that they could live in their preferred location.

o There was a strong preference to live in the inner and coastal regions. However, only half of respondents were able to choose these locations when constrained by household budget.

Moving Australia 2030-A Transport Plan for a Productive and Active Australia sets out pathways for the establishment of a transport, land use management, planning and funding framework, including how we move people, today and in the future, to maintain the living standards we currently enjoy in Australia.

OBSERVATIONSo Housing Diversity doesn’t always equal affordabilityo 1 Bedroom Apartments of limited demand (THWC)o Inclusionary Zoning – Mandatory Provisions already in

place but have had limited affecto Ensure contributions are affordable in perpetuity o Parking Requirement Adjustment Factors (not fully

explored)

Planning and the Provision of Affordable Housing

Interstate Experiences

Closer to Home Initiatives

A demonstration project

Background To Selandra Rise

o Located 52km from CBD in Melbourne’s South East

o Launched in 2008 to demonstrate how objectives for affordable, healthy and liveable communities can be achieved ‘on the ground’

o Collaborative Partnership between Industry, Government & the Private Sector

o Project Objectives:

o Improving housing diversityo Promoting local employmento Creating a healthy and engaged community

Key Project Initiatives – Alternate Transport Options

Key Project Initiatives Connected Community

o Recognise transportation affordability as a planning goal of equal or greater importance than congestion reduction.

o Evaluate ways that common planning decisions (roadway expansion, parking requirements in zoning, the location of public facilities such as schools) affect transport and housing affordability.

o Support affordable modes (walking, cycling and public transit)

o Support carsharing, which reduces the need to own a vehicle for occasional use.

How can we improve affordable living?

o Support compact, mixed, multi-modal development and transit-oriented development which reduce the distances that people must travel to reach services and activities, and improves their travel options.

o Reduce or eliminate parking requirements, and encourage parking unbundling (parking is rented separately from building space), particularly for lower-priced housing, so residents are not forced to pay for parking they do not need.

o Minimum Service Levels – Public Transport in outlying areas

How can we improve affordable living?

Thank You