Housing shortage worst it’s been in 100 years


Housing shortage worst it’s been in 100 years

Posted on Tuesday, December 04 2012 at 3:50 PM

Poor planning and a major underinvestment in vital infrastructure are failing new residential areas.

That’s the frank assessment delivered by
the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) in response to the State of Australian
Cities 2012
report released today by the Federal Government.

One of the key findings of the report was
that the gap between population growth and housing supply is the largest it has
been in more than a century.

At the same time, it highlights planning
deficiencies, infrastructure shortfalls and other issues facing the country’s
major cities.

UDIA national president Julie Katz believes
lessons should be learnt from the past and called for the removal of “barriers
to supply, such as the excessive taxation on the housing industry”, as well as
antiquated planning systems.

A new, radical approach is needed to tackle
housing shortages in a way that doesn’t replicate those service issues, she
says.

“We’ve clearly
underinvested in infrastructure in residential growth areas despite strong
levels of population growth.

“The net result has been residents in new outlying
communities being exposed to congestion while productivity in general has
suffered.”

And it’s likely to only get worse.
Australia’s population is projected to grow significantly in the next two
decades.

“This will require new residential
subdivisions to be supported by more infrastructure than is currently the
case.”

A mechanism is required to kick start new
housing in existing suburbs close to transport and job hubs, she says.

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