Conflicting imaginaries of home and care in urban renewal

23 November 2023

This panel and exhibition event brought together leading researchers from different international contexts to examine the experiences and struggles of home, care and belonging under conditions of displacement and racial banishment.

Rebuilding homes in Ukraine

01 September 2022

The consequences of Russian military aggression on Ukraine has led to considerable loss of life and the devastation of many homes, livelihoods, services and infrastructure.  Millions of civilians have been displaced. Most people want to return but they cannot, as this requires having safe, secure and adequate home and neighbourhood to return to. Realizing these […]

ARC Discovery project takes a new approach to understanding precarious living situations

30 January 2022

An Australian Research Council Discovery grant has been awarded to Professor Libby Porter and Dr David Kelly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How can we improve our homes to be energy efficient?

04 October 2019

With rising energy bills the new normal, we need to focus on improving Victoria’s housing stock to help householders adapt. New research in Moreland is exploring the barriers and opportunities householders face in improving their homes.

Fall in ageing Australians’ home-ownership rates looms as seismic shock for housing policy

27 August 2019

A new report raises concerns that rising mortgage debt and falling home ownership rates in later life are undermining the role of home ownership in supporting retirees’ financial wellbeing.

Regional cities beware – fast rail might lead to disadvantaged dormitories, not booming economies

17 July 2019

Governments are looking to fast rail services to regional cities to relieve population pressures in major cities, but will subsidising metropolitan workers to live in cheaper regional towns have a positive economic effect?

From hospital to homeless: Victoria’s mental health system fails the most vulnerable

11 July 2019

People experiencing homelessness and poor mental health are among Australia’s most vulnerable citizens. Without secure housing and an accessible mental healthcare system, recovery from mental illness is seriously compromised.

Meet Mittul Vahanvati: Expert in housing and community resilience

23 May 2019

The homes we live in, and the homes we’re building, are not what we need in a changing climate. Dr Mittul Vahanvati explains what this means and what we need to change to support climate resilience in Australia.

Seven ways climate change affects key Federal Election issues

06 May 2019

Climate action is rated as a top priority among voters in the lead up to this year’s Federal Election. How does it affect other key campaign issues?

How could degrowth tackle environmental issues and social inequities?

18 February 2019

Successful economies are characterised by growth, so how can “degrowth” in our cities and housing possibly be good for us? Urban academic Anitra Nelson explains.

Livin’ on the edge: How to plan a new suburb on Melbourne’s fringe

With the Victorian Government releasing 50,000 housing lots for 12 new suburbs on Melbourne’s urban fringe, how can we ensure new areas like these are liveable and thrive?

Is social housing essential infrastructure? How we think about it does matter

06 February 2019

As house prices subside from recent record highs, Australians are struggling to obtain the housing they need to be as healthy, well and secure as they could be yet many Australians have no home at all.

Nine things to make Melbourne even better

30 October 2018

Here our experts share everything you need to know about how policymakers can make Melbourne more liveable, improve our liveability, reduce commuter crushes and increase housing affordability.

When falling home ownership and ageing baby boomers collide

25 September 2018

Until now, the majority of older people in Australia have achieved the goal of owning their own home outright. Hence, policymakers have typically shown little concern about the size and budget costs of rental housing assistance programs for seniors.

Urban researcher wins Graduate Women Victoria scholarship

18 July 2018

RMIT PhD student Ani Landau-Ward has been awarded the prestigious William and Elizabeth Fisher Scholarship for her research on property registration for marginalised communities.

Why Australia’s homelessness problem is getting worse, despite a rise in housing stock

New housing supply is simply not expanding affordable housing opportunities for the poor in a way that reduces the homelessness count.

The mark of the covenant on housing and planning

18 May 2018

The recent Reserve Bank of Australia report The Effect of Zoning on Housing Prices put forward the argument that restrictive zoning is driving Australian house prices up - particularly in Melbourne and Sydney - arguing that that planning policy reform is necessary in order to meet projected population increases.

Homeless numbers will keep rising until governments change course on housing

16 March 2018

The number of people experiencing homelessness and the rate of homelessness have both increased. Our research points to problems in the public housing system as one of the more important causes of these increases.

How can we make living on the edge better?

18 August 2017

New research by RMIT urban academics calls for greater collaboration between urban planners and social workers to deal with new and emerging forms of poverty and spatial disadvantages affecting Australians.

Australians are working longer so they can pay off their mortgage debt

29 June 2017

Rising mortgage debt is affecting everything from employment to spending, as Australians approach retirement, our study finds. Higher levels of housing debt among pre-retirees are linked to them working for longer.