Episode 4: From plans to homes - Planning a housing continuum for affordability, ageing and accessibility (3As) with Nicole Bennetts and Associate Professor Daniel O'Hare

Most people don’t think much about planners, yet they shape the way neighbourhoods grow and the liveability of our cities. The market may deliver housing, but planners create the frameworks that guide development and keep growth sustainable. Without their direction, cities risk becoming less affordable, less accessible and less able to meet the needs of an ageing population, while expanding without a clear plan.

In this episode I speak with Nicole Bennetts, state manager of QLD and NT for the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), and Dr Daniel O’Hare, associate professor of urban planning at Bond University, about the pressing housing challenges in Australia. We look at why planners are needed more than ever, why their work is often invisible, and how planning can help create stronger and more sustainable communities.

Some of the key ideas we explore are:

• Demographic wheel for intergenerational housing – the idea that housing should support people at different stages of life and allow flexibility across generations

• Quality in my backyard (Quimby) – moving beyond the extremes of YIMBYs (yes in my backyard) and NIMBYs (not in my backyard) to focus on quality development that benefits communities

• Consolidated growth – managing urban expansion by building inwards and upwards instead of sprawling outwards

• A growth mindset in urban planning – encouraging communities to embrace change and see the opportunities that come with development

• Developers and housing finance – recognising that private investors provide most housing stock, so they cannot be blamed for everything, and calling for a shift away from housing as a financial asset towards affordability and accessibility, especially in well-located areas

• The 3As framework, which sets out three key priorities:

  • Affordability should include not only housing costs but also essential expenses, with climate resilience in mind

  • Access should cover design, tenure and transport that connect people to jobs, services and opportunities

  • Ageing should involve homes and neighbourhoods that provide amenities, social life and flexibility across generations

• Urban leadership change – highlighting the need for leaders who can guide growth with vision and innovation, build trust in communities and drive the kind of change needed to create sustainable and liveable cities

Nicole’s passion for planning began with her love of SimCity, a game that opened her eyes to how cities could be designed. That interest grew when a planner visited her school. Daniel, despite growing up in a rural area, was drawn to urban planning because of vibrant, functional urban spaces led him to pursue a career where he could help shape the very cities he admired