The (Strata) Good Life

After many years where no one was studying strata issues we are experiencing a lot of interest in the area these days … and not only from the direct participants.

Shelter NSW is a nongovernment, non-profit, social change agency committed to working for a fair and just housing system.  They advocate for the housing interests of low-income and disadvantaged people in NSW, and provide community education to build the capacity of non-profit organisations to provide housing and housing-related services.

Shelter NSW engaged the clever people at the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW to research the issues around living in higher density and we now have their latest report Living Well in Greater Density.

The CFRC Report reviews more than 300 papers examining high-density living in Australia and overseas and found residents continually reported the same problems arising from noise and shared facilities.

They also conclude that the key problems of intrusive noise and smells and the use of parking and shared common areas are the most significant barrier to enjoying high-density living.  However, having better-designed, better-built and better-managed apartments, and educating people on how to live in higher density, will avoid a looming social and economic problem.

Lead author of the CFRC Report, Dr Hazel Easthope, said that international experience has shown that enjoyable high-density living is achievable … but only if factors such as building design and construction quality are addressed.

The Report makes a number of suggestions including addressing building standards to minimise noise, designing buildings to provide shared areas for children to play, and investigating apartment management structures which encourage less turnover in rental tenancies, thus allowing stronger residential communities to form.

Interestingly, Mary Perkins, Executive Officer of Shelter NSW, said the same issues were reported by public and private housing tenants and resident owners, regardless of their income or environment. This suggested that problems such as conflict over noise or use of common areas went beyond people simply failing to get along.

So, Shelter NSW thinks that Sydney’s high rise suburban future will be one of clashes and complaints between neighbours unless developers, planners and residents act to address problems in high-density living.

Let’s prove them wrong.

Francesco …