Power Relationships in Housing Production: A Sociotechnical Systems Perspective on the Expanding Suburbs

ABSTRACT

Despite repeated calls for housing diversity, a persistent housing product dominates new suburbs: the low-density single-family dwelling. This article investigates the systems perpetuating this housing form by exploring power within the housing supply industry. It uses a sociotechnical systems approach to identify and examine the complex links between government, industry and consumers responsible for greenfield suburbs. Interviews with the key actors from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast region inform the power relations around negotiation, regulation, provision of choice and feedback, offering insight into housing industry relationships. This paper argues that challenging these industry relationships is necessary for achieving greater housing diversity.

摘要

尽管人们一再呼吁住房多样化，但一种持久的住房产品主导着新郊区:低密度独栋住宅. 本文通过探索住房供应行业内的权力，探讨了延续这种住房形式的制度. 它使用社会技术系统的方法，以确定和检查政府，工业和消费者之间的复杂联系负责绿地郊区. 通过对昆士兰州阳光海岸地区主要参与者的访谈，了解了围绕谈判、监管、提供选择和反馈的权力关系，从而深入了解房地产业关系. 本文认为，挑战这些行业关系是必要的，以实现更大的住房多样性.

KEYWORDS:

• Housing development
• master planned estate
• housing production system
• power
• actormap
• sociotechnical systems

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The main figure or one of the most prominent figures in a situation (OED 2010, protagonist entry).

2. transfer is the mechanism through which decisions are imposed onto the subsequent levels of the process.