Meeting Geelong's Housing Challenge: Balancing Growth, Affordability, and Sustainable Design

In response to Victoria's newly released Housing Statement, the City of Greater Geelong is tasked with delivering 139,800 homes by 2051. While around 50-70% of these homes will be built in growth areas, the remaining must come from infill development in established areas, with a focus on urban Geelong. This will require a substantial increase in affordable and diverse housing options, including social and medium-density housing near services and transport hubs. There will also be an emphasis on environmentally sustainable design (ESD) to encourage higher density living, reduce car reliance, and promote active transport.

This target raises key questions: How will it be achieved? How can we bring diversity in housing types? How can we ensure these homes are affordable, well-designed, inclusive, and integrated into the community? We are seeking insights from expert panellists with extensive industry experience and deep knowledge of key factors such as good design, sustainability, planning, and affordability. The focus will be on exploring effective strategies to meet housing demands while ensuring diverse, affordable housing without compromising design and quality. The discussion will also address sustainable development approaches that support Geelong's growth and contribute to achieving its net-zero targets.

Meeting Geelong’s Housing Challenge Panel:

• Victoria Reeves, Director of Architecture, Kennedy Nolan

• Mark Sheppard, Director, Urbis

• Alan Tran, Manager Project Planning, Homes Victoria