The key research areas of this group are housing systems and their implications for urban societies and the built environments we inhabit.

We aim to develop a better understanding of the political economies of housing policy and housing production and their various economic, social and environmental outcomes. 

Our researchers have a strong multi-disciplinary interest in exploring how housing systems interact with, and impact upon, a wide range of dynamics, including: urban land and labour markets, housing production and sustainable design, housing policy and institutions, housing affordability, housing-related inequality and polarisation, health and wellbeing, and lived experiences of housing.

Projects

An Investigation into the Drivers of Housing Supply Responsiveness in Australia

2015–2016

This project estimates and maps the price elasticity of housing supply at a local government area level, providing insights into how various factors affect the speed of housing supply responsiveness to market pressures in Australia.

The structural drivers of homelessness in Australia 2001-2011

2016–2018

Examination of the impact of housing and labour market factors, demographics and service availability on rates of homelessness across Australia over the past decade.

A New Look at the Channels from Housing to Employment Decisions

2014–2018

This project broadens the research around housing and labour supply by addressing the work incentive implications of rising real house values and the fungibility of assets following mortgage innovation and deregulation.

Lifetime Affordable and Tenable City Housing

2014–2016

Research into homebuyer decision making and lived experience of households.

Making Connections: Housing, Productivity and Economic Development

2016–2018

This study considers the national scale but then focuses on local approaches, reviewing plans and interviewing officials in 13 agencies, to assess how housing are meshed with economic development in strategy formation and monitoring.

Australian demographic trends and their implications for housing subsidies

2015–2018

Policymakers are concerned that demographic changes will threaten the viability of Australian housing subsidy arrangements.

Infill Developments: Housing Outcomes Metrics and Evaluation (Project HOME)

2016–2022

The project links housing outcomes to metrics and evaluation of housing design in the rapidly growing infill multi-residential sector.

Housing markets, economic productivity, and risk: international evidence and policy implications for Australia

2014–2015

This paper proposes a policy-relevant definition of housing market efficiency and a set of indicators for measuring the responsiveness of housing supply.

Transforming public housing in a federal context

2015–2016

This research examines the transformation of public housing in four federal states: Austria, Germany, Canada and the USA and finds Austria to be a leading example of a sustainable affordable housing industry.

Inquiry into Housing Policies, Labour Force Participation and Economic Growth

2015–2017

This inquiry will develop coherent conceptual frameworks and empirical evidence to guide housing policy reforms that promote Australia’s economic development

Understanding the assumptions and impacts of the Victorian Public Housing Renewal Program

2018–2019

This research project aimed to evaluate the claims of the PHRP and its underlying model in order to establish an accurate evidence base and assess the anticipated impact of the model on public housing residents in Melbourne.

Digital innovations, PropTech and housing – the view from Melbourne

2019 (ongoing)

This research is concerned with the collection, digitisation and use of housing information in Australia.

Building materials in a circular economy

2021–2022

This project uses a circular economy framing to investigate use and waste in material supply chains to contribute knowledge so that the housing construction sector can reduce, reuse, recycle and recover resources and rely much less on virgin material

Related Content

News & Blog

News

Moving towards a circular economy for more sustainable housing

22 April 2021

RMIT urban researchers will lead a pioneering project examining how Australia’s housing sector can transition to a circular economy for more sustainable homes.

News

Rethinking cities with ageing in mind

16 April 2021

From urban wellbeing and public health to urban planning and housing, RMIT researchers are helping to build age-friendly cities across Europe and Australia.

Blog

Build-to-rent surge will change apartment living for Australians, but for better or worse?

12 March 2021

Australia’s emerging build-to-rent sector is growing — “booming” by some accounts with a 70% jump in value in the past year.

News

Report shows our homes must change for better health and living

25 November 2020

A new study examining Victorians’ lived experience during COVID-19 points to the design and quality of homes and neighbourhoods as a key mitigating factor in people’s capacity to cope with disasters.

News

RMIT experts call for rethink of how Australians finance their retirement

24 November 2020

RMIT economists are calling for a rethink in retirement financing in a new first of its kind report which reveals that more older Australians are using reverse mortgages to pay off debt.

News

Future of age care must be built on better housing design: report

16 September 2020

Pragmatic housing design features are vital to enable older people to stay home longer, have greater independence and reduce the cost of age care services, according to new RMIT University research.

Stimulus that retrofits housing can reduce energy bills and inequity too

03 June 2020

Stay-at-home orders and the economic crisis have increased the burden of energy costs on lower-income Australians. Poor housing quality and unequal access to home energy efficiency are hurting our most vulnerable households.

News

New project investigates how COVID-19 impacts housing stress

28 May 2020

RMIT urban researchers have received funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute to investigate COVID-19’s impact on housing stress in Melbourne.

Blog

Reforming land policy for affordable and inclusive housing

13 May 2020

How policy makers regard and manage the ownership and use of land has profound consequences for the affordability of our homes and the inclusiveness of our neighbourhoods.

Blog

Australia had rent control in wartime. War on coronavirus demands the same response

15 April 2020

In this coronavirus “war”, governments should take inspiration from the past and again implement rent control.

News

Meet the women helping to improve how we live in cities and with nature

05 March 2020

As our cities evolve, so too should our approach to building and planning our urban habitats. Here, six RMIT urban researchers share how their work is shaping how we live in our cities and with nature.

Blog

How 1 bright light in a bleak social housing policy landscape could shine more brightly

22 November 2019

In the year since the Australian government created the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), its bond aggregator, AHBA, has raised funds for affordable housing providers, allowing them to refinance loans under better conditions.