Intergenerational Community Developments, ICDs – A Case for Auckland: A Proposed Alternative of Affordable Multifamily Housing for Auckland

Abstract

Lack of affordable housing has become a central issue in major urban centres of New Zealand. Unprecedented demand for housing in recent years has resulted in high rental costs, increased pressure on the available rental stock, declining rates of homeownership, and a widening gap between the current tenures, particularly in Auckland. While stakeholder responses to address housing unaffordability remain rooted in complex dynamics between demand and supply, so far, top-end interventions have offered limited sustenance to augment tenure mobility for households. This thesis proposes an alternative pathway to homeownership after examining a correlation between housing prices and household incomes. It initially conjectures that a partial reason for stagnation in the housing continuum arises due to the unavailability of incomecompatible alternative tenures in the housing market, essentially arguing that choices are essential in current homeownership pathways to maintain a flow in the housing continuum. Housing choices must allow households to select from various tenure options without compromising their preference for housing models. The alternative pathway termed Intergenerational Community Developments, or ICDs is a specifically coined term in this research that redefines affordability to reflect different financial capacities of income-diverse households. An ICD model comprises three essential elements. The organisational component of cross-sector collaboration ensures optimum utilisation of resources and risk minimisation through shared responsibilities. The financial component explores funding through ingenious mechanisms like cross-subsidisation and offers alternative procurement models (APM) as income-compatible tenures for households. The physical element provides a variety of architecturally designed multifamily typologies. A multi-case methodology qualitatively examines sixteen overseas ICDs to identify replicability factors for Auckland. The findings reveal that in the absence of supporting policies initiating ICD processes for Auckland may appear challenging initially. However, if well-executed by the collaboration, ICDs may prove effective, affordable housing alternatives. Also, architects play central roles in ICD processes by efficiently contributing through high-quality, sustainable design and a tenure-blind approach to enhance social inclusion. In conclusion, a strong collaboration with clear agendas, a robust understanding of APMs, and the early engagement of architects are essential for the success of ICDs. The key, however, lies in end-user engagement and community consultation during early decision-making processes.