At Home with Diversity in Medium‐Density Housing

Abstract

Drawing on the narratives of housing providers (planners, architects and developers) this paper describes views of “home” attributed to medium‐density housing in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. The principal dimension of home envisaged for those living in medium‐density housing is their close encounter with diverse neighbours and environments. This contrasts with the “home” seen as appropriate for “families” (understood as adults with dependant children) which is the suburban house with surrounding bounded land, and with the form of belonging claimed for high‐rise apartment dwellers in the city, which is the exciting world outside the apartment, of lifestyle and cosmopolitan consumption. We explore three case studies of medium‐density housing developments in inner Melbourne, focusing on the ways the housing providers see the material, physical form of this housing as contributing to residents being at home with diversity in the inner city.

Keywords:

• Home
• Medium‐density housing
• Narratives
• Diversity
• Housing providers
• Inner city
• Melbourne

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Australian Research Council, whose support we acknowledge.

An earlier version of the paper was presented at the annual conference of the Institute of Australian Geographers, Armidale, in July 2005.