New ideas for more diverse housing in the city

The City of Sydney is calling for new ideas to boost the diversity of housing across the city, with a focus on identifying and developing new models to increase affordable housing supply.

The Alternative Housing Ideas Challenge encourages new ways of thinking about housing across financing, management and design.

The challenge is open to anyone interested in innovation in the housing sector, including property professionals, financiers, lawyers, community organisers, policy managers, planners, designers and students.

Following consideration by a jury, a maximum of six entrants will receive $20,000 each to develop their concepts.

"Sydney is grappling with a housing affordability crisis. We need a diversity of housing to support diversity in our community," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

"The City has assisted in the construction of 835 new affordable housing dwellings since 2004, by collecting levies from developers and selling our land to affordable housing providers at discount rates. This type of affordable housing allows key workers such as teachers, nurses and paramedics to live close to their place of work, improving their wellbeing, shortening travel times and reducing congestion.

"While this is a proven mechanism, it's simply not enough. We need to meet the needs of low-income workers, elderly residents and families in our city.

"That's why the Alternative Housing Ideas Challenge is looking for new ideas - from creative tenancy arrangements like shared or co-operative living, to new funding and delivery models or previously unexplored ways of developing small sites."

Entries must:

demonstrate innovation in at least two of these areas: planning, design, ownership type, tenancy type, management (including sharing of facilities), construction, urban land supply and financing result in cheaper housing or meet the City's definition of affordable housing be financially viable, and socially and environmentally sustainable be liveable for residents be scalable and replicable

The community will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the short-listed concepts as part of the City's consultations to shape its next major strategic plan, Sustainable Sydney 2050.

More details for challenge entrants are at www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/vision/planning-for-2050/alternative-housing

For media inquiries or images, contact Roxanne Macara or Claire Thompson. Phone 0400 331 027 or email [email protected]

For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Julia Lenton. Phone 0410 748 039 or email [email protected]