UNSW receives grant to develop Housing Analytics Lab

The City Future Research Centre (CFRC) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has been granted a two-year grant of $1 million by the office of NSW’s chief scientist to develop the Housing Analytics Lab (HAL).

HAL is set to be a hybrid physical/digital facility that will support data-driven housing solutions amid the housing crisis. The lab has been proposed to be located in Tech Central, South Eveleigh.

The UNSW said the university would lead a variety of government, academic, and industry non-for-profits to establish the lab.

The grant is part of the Commonwealth government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) Support Program and is also in partnership with the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network’s (AURIN) NCRIS facility.

The director of the CFRC, Professor Chris Pettit, said the lab was a continuation of the work that the CFRC has completed in the past with AURIN in creating the Australian Housing Data Analytics Platform.

According to the UNSW, the lab will provide insights into:

• Real-time supply pipeline of land zoned for future housing.
• Greenfield lots that are ready for development.
• The delivery of multi-unit apartments (from approval to settlement).
• Housing requirements for affordable and social housing.
• The number of vacant properties per local government area.

The university said the new lab will have access to a database that displays all current and historic planning approvals in NSW and Australia and will have an artificial intelligence tool to understand spatial clusters of housing development activity.

HAL will also have access to a generative AI “virtual housing assistant” that is trained on existing housing literature to provide answers to complex housing policy questions such as “what are the policy options for delivering affordable housing in different contexts?”

The UNSW said that the lab would provide data that was essential to “plan housing policy to match NSW’s needs”.

Speaking on the importance of the development of the lab, Pettit commented: “As Australia grapples with housing affordability and supply, academics, government, industry, and communities need access to the best available analytics and insights to inform decision making.

“Using real-time housing datasets, multiple scenarios powered by big data and machine learning can be rapidly created and compared, allowing decision makers to assess policy options,” he added.

Hugh Durrant-Whyte, NSW’s chief scientist and engineer, said: “We recognise the vital role NCRIS facilities play in supporting the state’s research and development sector.

“These facilities enable the most advanced research and commercialisation opportunities to happen right here in NSW. These activities are a critical driver for innovation in the state’s economy.”

[Related: Housing market ‘far from healthy’: NHSAC]