Balancing and blending: new ways to approach property development

The CROSSROADS research findings and survey responses paint a picture of different user groups, facing slightly different challenges, but with one common need; a decent place to call home and community. This presents an opportunity for the developers of places and spaces, whether private, governmental or a hybrid, to craft solutions that provide relevant and resilient communities.

The responses also point to a deeper need connected to housing that goes beyond shelter from the elements; a need for a feeling of agency and influence over other aspects of our lives that are, to a large extent, determined by where we live.

The success of combining ideas such as transport hubs and residential development provides a proof-of-concept in terms of how responding to different aspects of community needs can be blended to solve far more than any singular issue. Bolder strides in the development and reapplication of this blended concept are clearly needed to address future housing challenges.

Developments that intentionally combine generations (e.g. Baby Boomers / Gen Z or Zoomers) to balance the overall cost to all occupants is another interesting strategy to enable intergenerational equity. Both the intangible and tangible social benefits of two very different generations being attracted to a particular community should be explored. The financial benefits – such as a balance in the cost of ownership / usership – are further complement by the social benefits of inter-generational interaction and opportunities to learn from the other.

These models could be explored in numerous formats from new greenfield developments to the reuse or re-purposing of stranded or distressed assets, which exist in almost all geographies. Varying levels and forms of government support for pilot schemes and small-scale trials will allow for refinement and learning about optimal approaches, while demonstrating to populations that the issue of housing and community is being addressed with innovative thinking.

What is clear is doing the same thing, which in some instances is doing very little, will only exacerbate the challenges we face as a global population, wherever we are.