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FUTURE CHRISTCHURCH: HOUSING SOLUTIONS

Biran He email: biran.he@gmail.com phone: 0211639244

Housing is vital in supporting future social and demographic change, and the housing sector

is an economic driver that contributes to wealth creation and distribution in the community.Housing makes up just over 70 percent of household net wealth. It also accounts for 22percent of average household expenditure for owner-occupied households and 28 percent ofrenting households average household expenditure. (CHRANZ, 2003) Aggregated housingstatistics demonstrate its economic importance. In 2007 the New Zealand housing stock wasvalued at $614 billion, nearly four times the value of total G.D.P of $164.7 billion. In 2006, of atotal household wealth of $584 billion, $420 billion was held in residential property.

Affordable housing is one of the primary factors for attracting and retaining prospectiveworking and student populations. Innovation drivers can be undermined if successful regionaleconomies alienate young, creative workers at the beginning of their careers because the

struggle to access affordable housing in the local market is too great. Along with otherinfrastructure components, affordable housing helps to determine whether or not companiesand employees locate and/or remain in a city or region. Thus the availability of affordablehousing will be a main economic driver in the rebuild of Christchurch.

My thesis is about providing affordable solutions to Christchurchs housing problems.Christchurch has lost an estimated 6,000 houses due to the earthquakes in 2010/2011. Withprojections of 36,000 workers expected to move into the city for the rebuild by the end of 2013,

there is a very real and urgent housing crisis. According to the Greater Christchurch UrbanDevelopment Strategy (GCUDS, 2007), Christchurch Citys population is expected to grow bymore than 70,000 people by the year 2041. This would mean around 40,600 additionaldwelling are required. So where will all these new people live and in what type of house?Market research shows that there are limited choices for the home buyers in Christchurch.With single detached housing comprising 74%, of the market and multi-unit housing typesaccounting for 22%; there is a huge opportunity for the city to consider new housingtypologies for its rebuild. Projected demographic data from Statistics New Zealand alsoindicates changing housing needs. By 2041, Christchurch will see more single personhouseholds, families will have become smaller, and more couples without children and anincrease in empty-nesters. This mismatch between smaller households and the large size ofthe average Christchurch house is leading to an imbalance in supply and demand.

There are two housing strategies options: to develop the fringe land, and create new sub-divisions; or infill within the urban boundary and build higher density housing. Each optionhas advantages and disadvantages. Creating subdivisions incurs significant infrastructurecosts for roads and footpaths, water supply, electricity, sewerage. So it is important to ensureinfrastructure is in the right place, with the right capacities and at an affordable cost. . Ascenario study completed in 2011 by the Greater Canterbury Urban Development Strategy(GCUDS, 2007) partnership shows a compact city will cost $150 million less on public

infrastructure than a sprawling one.

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FUTURE CHRISTCHURCH: HOUSING SOLUTIONS

Biran He email: biran.he@gmail.com phone: 0211639244

The GCUDS partnership proposes to intensify the city, controlling sprawl at the urban fringe.

The plan aims to change the intensification versus greenfield development ratio from 25:75, to

60:40 by 2041. However Hugh Pavletich and Wendell Cox (Demographia Housing

Affordability Survey authors) argue that having a tight control on fringe-land release leads to

increase land prices, thus making houses unaffordable. However, there are also ways todevelop within the city boundaries while being affordable such as, picking out under-used

infill sites and redeveloping them for housing. Or developing sections where the prices are not

inflated within the urban boundary.

My thesis looks at the current and future housing situation in Christchurch and aims topropose solutions to the unprecedented demand. To accommodate the additional 70,000people within the present boundaries of Christchurch I believe we have to build multi-storeyapartment blocks as well as allow for two or more townhouses on remaining quarter-acre

sections. It is clear we cannot continue building the same housing type from the 1960s; it nolonger meets the demographic demand, and the hidden costs are taxing on our economy andindividuals income.

While the population is increasing, the average household size is decreasing, which means wewill require even more dwellings. Lifestyles are also changing the type of houses we want tolive in, the location and demand for services such as shops, schools and recreational facilitiesare important to the new home buyer. This thesis aims to address the housing crisis byproposing housing types that meet demographic demands and provide choices, to theotherwise heavily suburban dominated landscape. It also advocates for intensification as ameans to provide citizens with more cost effective housing choices.