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.

Who’s responsible? Housing policy mismatched to our $6 trillion asset

22 June 2017

Does the Australian government have the policy, organisational and conceptual capacity to handle the country’s A$6 trillion housing stock?

New study urges for housing to be better recognised in economic policy

21 June 2017

A new study led by RMIT researchers calls for stronger coordination between governments on housing policy to better understand the $6 trillion sector’s contributions to national economic productivity.

Get used to your commute: data confirms houses near jobs are too expensive

26 May 2017

Australia’s capital cities are getting more and more units, that are largely concentrated and come with a hefty price tag, a new report shows.

Flight to safer land post NZ quakes increases housing prices: study

19 April 2017

Higher awareness of earthquake risks among residents in Christchurch, New Zealand, has led to increased prices for houses on safer land, a new RMIT study suggests.

Not everyone wins from the bank of mum & dad

15 March 2017

The “bank of mum and dad” is helping young Australians with more than just their housing aspirations. 

Making the case for evidence-based apartment design guidelines

13 February 2017

Financial motivators from both the supply and demand side of the housing market have increased pressure on apartments to be spatially efficient - that is, smaller.

Fuzzy households in an era of urban growth

Housing affordability stress is acute for both low-income households and a growing number of middle-income households, and with housing increasingly commodified and financialised, and as affordability reaches crisis levels, owner-occupation models are also being challenged.