National urban policy - careful what you wish for
Insights
Come federal election time many in the urban policy community search for signs that an incoming Commonwealth Government will show stronger leadership on cities...
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SGS welcomes two new partners: Tara Callinan and Emily Hobbs
What's New
We are extremely proud to be an employee-owned business and to have an outstanding group of individuals in the SGS partner group. Partners are the major investors in the business and they set out their expectations for returns across community impact, culture and financial returns in the SGS Partner Charter. It's wonderful to see our employee-owned model growing...
New data demonstrates how Australia’s population growth is responding to the pandemic
Insights
Employment, Housing
Over the last few decades, Australia has seen population growth largely concentrated in and around a few major capital cities, as people were attracted to increasing economic and service opportunities. This has placed huge pressure on these cities to keep up with growth and provide adequate infrastructure and services for the new residents.
Social and affordable housing contributions: Developers must play their part in social housing
Insights
Housing
Social and affordable housing should be seen as essential infrastructure for successful communities and developers have an important role to play. When the now abandoned Social and Affordable Housing Contribution was announced in Victoria, respected property players who in other forums had freely acknowledged that development contributions for social housing had a part to play went to ground. Instead, we heard the party line from the peaks that social housing is a community-wide problem demanding a community-wide response and not an opportunistic tax on those who build the houses we need.
‘Gut-wrenching’: Hunt for affordable home couldn’t outrun climate change
Media
Out-priced city dwellers have been moving to the regions but, in doing so, these homeowners have exposed themselves to a different problem – the cost of increased climate change risks. Director and partner at SGS Economics and Planning, Ellen Witte, believes it’s a problem politicians need to fix. “There is a big failure in both the climate change area and the housing area,” Ms Witte said. At the moment there are no clear rules on where to build new residential development in a way that plans for and mitigates climate change risks at any government level, she explained. “At a local level...
The John Curtin Hotel: How much is a good pub worth?
Insights
Arts and Culture
The John Curtin Hotel on Lygon Street in Carlton is being sold to developers who will, most likely, demolish it to make way for apartments. While it isn’t contentious that the Melbourne metropolitan community needs more housing, the sale of The Curtin begs the question – are apartments really the highest and best use of this site? Would the gain in housing warrant the extinction of a storied pub which hosted the union gatherings, including the drinking feats of Bob Hawke, for generations?