The Factors Driving the Escalation of Community Opposition to Affordable Housing Development

Abstract

Community opposition to locally unwanted development is not inherently problematic, but it can be destructive where conflict between proponents and objectors escalates. This paper relates mixed-methods findings from a Sydney case-study where opposition to planned affordable housing projects was widespread but uneven. Five factors are identified that escalated individual opposition campaigns in this case: public notification procedures; sense of injustice; prejudice; strong campaign leadership; and the involvement of politicians. We argue that these factors will likely also escalate opposition to the planned development of other forms of critical social infrastructure, and that an understanding of them can help minimise destructive conflicts between proponents and host communities.

社区反对当地不喜欢的开发项目，本身并没有什么问题，可一旦支持者和反对者之 间的冲突激化，就可能导致毁灭性的后果。本文是悉尼多方法个案研究的结果，研 究发现对规划的经济适用房项目的反对普遍存在但分布不均匀。在这些案例中，导 致各次反对活动的因素可归纳为五种：公众告知程序；不公正感；偏见；强有力的 运动领导；政客的参与。我们认为这些因素可能激化对其他形式关键社会基础设施 规划开发项目的反对。理解这些因素或有助于减少支持者和相关社区的毁灭性冲突。

Keywords:

• Affordable housing
• planning process
• conflict escalation
• land-use conflict
• Sydney
• NIMBY

Funding

This work was supported by Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute [grant number 71007].

Notes

1. Affordable housing in this paper refers to housing which accounts for no more than 30% of gross household income for low and moderate income groups across home ownership, private rental, non-profit rental and government rental.

2. The intention with interview selection was to obtain a broad cross-section of views from relevant stakeholders other than resident objectors (it was felt that resident views were better gathered through submissions analysis and doorstep surveys). Interviewees from the NSW Government Planning and Housing Authorities were selected specifically for their involvement in the design, assessment and/or delivery of affordable housing. The Parramatta councillors that had been most vocal in the opposition to affordable housing in the study period were interviewed along with planners involved in the assessment of controversial projects. The affordable housing developers interviewed operated in Parramatta and had encountered opposition to their projects in the study period. Representatives from advocacy groups were interviewed for their knowledge of opposition to affordable housing across NSW more generally. Of all those people approached, the only person who chose not to participate in the research was the NSW Planning Minister.

3. This was true so long as between 20 and 50% of dwellings were to be rented as affordable housing at sub-market rates.

4. Although it should be noted that projects funded through the SHI in NSW could be delivered through planning assessment tracks other than the ARH-SEPP (see Shepherd & Abelson, 2010; Ruming, 2014a, 2014b).