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As our cities host larger and more diverse populations, we will need to modify our transport networks, recast the way we think about affordable, appropriate housing and explore better utilisation of public space and facilities. In the face of all of this, we need to rethink the way that we engage with the city about change.
Founded in San Francisco by design collective REBAR, PARK(ing) Day is an international initiative which takes over metered parking spaces one day in September each year. Parks for cars are transformed into parks for people, celebrating public space and generating dialogue about our urban environments.
Each PARK(ing) Day, Arup has reclaimed a Sydney CBD parking spot and used our installation to discuss a local city challenge, including productivity, creativity, and city soundscapes. This year we queried housing availability.
Using recycled materials we built our ‘geodesic dome home’ in a few hours, and set up on the corner of Hickson Road and Napoleon Street. We dropped our ‘rent’ into the parking meter at $5.60 per hour and took advantage of harbour views across Barangaroo, walking access to parks, transport and world class cultural facilities.
Whilst cost effective to build, we calculated our weekly rent (not including changes to parking restrictions throughout the day) at approximately $940, not dissimilar to rental prices in some suburbs of Sydney.
$940 per week represents 50% of a median ‘moderate’ household income, which would place a household in this band in ‘housing stress’ while living in a parking space.
Our home was placed in front of the backdrop of UNSW City Future’s Sydney Housing Affordability Index. The index visualises housing affordability pressures in Sydney – responding to the question:
‘What proportion of property sales are affordable to a household earning $100,000?’.
The Index shows that in 2015, within 10kms of the Sydney CBD, less than 20% of property sales were affordable to households with an annual income of $100,000. Visualising the index shows that most of the Sydney Metropolitan Area experiences these pressures, with almost all of the city providing less than 20% affordable housing or 20-39% affordable housing based on a moderate household income.
We invited citizens to step off the footpath so that we could hear their views on housing in Sydney:
“If I didn’t buy my house 10 years ago, I wouldn’t be able to buy there today…”
“#dreamhome2050”
“More micro-homes and granny flats”
“For sale price: 20 times your annual Gen Y salary”
“Cheaper to commute than to live in Sydney”
“I’ve lost all hope at 22”
“What housing do we need for our big growth in old people + kids…will they fit?”
This last comment directs us towards the questions being asked of housing in Sydney. We all need to be better informed about the types of households Sydney needs to thrive, and how these are changing. We need to understand changes in housing tenure to support housing transition, and of course, continue to have conversations with the city – in a creative way.
