AHURI unveils 2024 housing research projects

AHURI has unveiled the funded research activities for the 2024 National Housing Research Program, aiming to address the critical challenges within Australia’s housing systems.

The 2024 program will fund a major Inquiry into construction constraints affecting housing supply and 14 research projects covering a broad spectrum of housing system challenges.

“AHURI is looking for solutions for many of the most urgent challenges facing Australia’s housing systems; in particular, the inquiry investigating construction constraints is a topic of national importance,” said Michael Fotheringham (pictured above), managing director of AHURI.

Addressing diverse housing challenges

The research program is designed to explore various aspects of the housing sector, from homelessness responses and public and social housing provision to the private rental system and homeownership issues.

Fotheringham emphasised the importance of innovation in housing construction to address supply shortfalls and improve affordability.

“The breadth of the research program reflects the diversity of our housing system challenges,” he said, outlining the program’s aim to address system issues like rental vacancy monitoring, understanding homelessness, and measuring the impact of housing assistance.

The 2024 research activities have been determined in collaboration with state/territory and federal government officials, industry, and non-government experts. They will examine a range of contemporary housing, homelessness, and urban policy questions.

The AHURI inquiry

The AHURI inquiry, in particular, titled “Inquiry into overcoming construction constraints for the supply of new detached and high-rise housing” and led by Ron Wakefield, will delve into the housing construction sector’s constraints related to the supply chain, workforce, technology, regulation, system of work, and markets.

The inquiry is supported by three key research projects:

• “Innovation for more efficient, resilient and responsive housing construction industry: international lessons”, led by Andrew Beer, aims to pinpoint global innovations that can boost productivity in housing construction while also achieving social, environmental, and economic goals.
• “Transforming detached housing construction: Policy solutions to overcome productivity constraints”, under the guidance of Ehsan Gharaie, delves into the construction phase of detached housing to identify how it affects housing delivery and supply, alongside potential performance-enhancing interventions.
• “Transforming high-rise housing construction: policy solutions to overcome productivity constraints”, led by Chy Lin Lee, examines the construction phase of high-rise developments to understand its impact on housing delivery and supply and to explore effective improvement interventions.

AHURI research projects

The program also includes projects on engaging Indigenous communities to improve housing outcomes, improving housing for people with disabilities, demystifying the rental vacancy rate, and examining workplace trauma in housing and homelessness services. Additional projects will look into the implications of short-term rental accommodations, shared equity programs, and the role of Commonwealth Rent Assistance, among others.

For the complete list of research projects, visit the AHURI website.

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