Social Mix - Will it solve the problems?
Improving 'social mix' is at the heart of NSW Government plans for Redfern Waterloo. Worldwide there have been many attempts to implement a better 'social mix' through the redevelopment of public housing estates. In Melbourne in 2010 a trumpeted development to improve 'social mix' in an inner city housing estate looks like it might lead to a wall to protect private housing amenity from the adjoining public tenants after the redevelopment. Here we have bought together some of the research and issues that will need to be addressed if an engineered improved housing mix is going to lead to improved outcomes for public tenants as well as the new residents in Redfern and Waterloo. The documents include papers given to the Shelter Conference ‘Estates in the balance’, relevant media articles and opinion pieces that open up some of the issues that need to be addressed. Thanks to Ross Smith for suppling much of the material.
The transfer of housing stock from Public Housing to Community Housing is on the Government agenda for the redevelopment of Redfern and Waterloo public housing. In 2000 Shelter NSW requested Michael Darcy and Jill Stringfellow from the Urban Frontiers Program at the University of Western Sydney to investigate the issues. This paper is hence important background reading in the discussion about the redevelopment of Redfern and Waterloo public housing and its possible transfer from the Government to Community Housing administration.
Gregor Macfie, Executive Officer, Tenants’ Union of NSW outlines the five issues that he think will be important to low income and disadvantaged tenants affected by social mix redevelopment in the extract below from his Presentation to Shelter NSW conference, ‘Estates in the balance’, in Sydney, 17 June 2010.
Dr Kathy Arthurson of Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity, Flinders University raised concerns around the concept of Social Mix and the manner of its proposed implementation by Housing NSW and the NSW Governmentin her presentation to Shelter NSW conference, ‘Estates in the balance’, in Sydney, 17 June 2010.
"What is the problem that mixed tenure redevelopment policies are attempting to solve?" asks Michael Darcy in the extract below from his Presentation to Shelter NSW conference, ‘Estates in the balance’, in Sydney, 17 June 2010.
During the Shelter NSW conference – ‘Estates in the balance’ on 17 June 2010 participants were encouraged to write down their questions and place them on the wall outside. Many were not answered at the conference. Many of the questions give a good overview of the concerns of participants and many apply also to Redfern and Waterloo issues even when asked about other locations. Such questions will need to be addressed in the planning for the redevelopment of public housing estates in Redfern and Waterloo.
Simon Pinnegar of City Futures Research Centre, UNSW, examines the NSW proposals, reviews overseas experiences, and raises concerns around the desired purpose and intent of the current Housing NSW planning. He sets out various areas of concern around arbitrary Estate Regeneration and forced Social Mix in his presentation to Shelter NSW conference, ‘Estates in the balance’, in Sydney, 17 June 2010.
In response to the Federal "The State of Australian Cities 2010" report AHURI as the national research institute focussed on housing and urban matters is inviting responses to the proposed research priorities. As well, through a series of urban policy seminars occurring across the capital cities AHURI is inviting your participation and provide a further opportunity for your contributions. A breif summary of AHURI statement is below.
This paper by David Lilley responds to a number of papers given at the Shelter 2010 Conference 'Estates in the balance: best practice in redevelopment and regeneration of public housing estates' on Social Mix and de-concentration. David's comments in this paper were referenced in the REDWatch paper following David's presentation on behalf of HNSW to a REDWatch meeting. We would like to thank the Australasian Housing Institute (www.housinginstitute.org) for permission to reproduce this paper, and for encouraging comment and dialogue on the issues it raises. File is PDF 564Kb.
Below is a list of references for relevant theoretical and empirical papers relating to de-concentration and social mix prepared by Housing NSW. A link to a second document containing links to material available online is at the foot of this page. This list has been prepared by HNSW and supplied as a result of requests for details of the research being relied upon.
Residents’ Voices is hosting a free resident forum on Social Mix. This informal forum has been designed to allow residents and other community members to ask a panel of independent researchers questions about social mix policies and approaches that are important to residents. This forum is independent of Housing NSW and other government agencies. Come along and ask important questions and receive informed answers.