Would urban consolidation be necessary in the coming years?
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Sydney's population is projected to grow by 40% by 2036, but the average household size will drop from 2.6 to 2.5. This creates the demand for more, but smaller and more affordable, homes. As a result, Sydney will need over 700,000 additional homes by 2036 to accommodate the increasing population - a 46 percent increase on the current 1.68 million homes.
A realistic solution for adjusting to this growing population would be building apartments and other high-density housing to accommodate a larger number of people in a smaller area while saving space for building more houses. On average, a medium- to high-density housing area ranges from 30 to 50 dwellings (apartments) per hectare, meaning that on average around 2400 people can be accommodated per hectare (assuming an apartment holds 20 units and each unit accommodates 3 people). This density suggests that a higher number of residents can be housed in a smaller area with lower building costs.
These statistics suggest that urban consolidation will be needed to accommodate this growing population, however some alternatives may be possible.
A realistic solution for adjusting to this growing population would be building apartments and other high-density housing to accommodate a larger number of people in a smaller area while saving space for building more houses. On average, a medium- to high-density housing area ranges from 30 to 50 dwellings (apartments) per hectare, meaning that on average around 2400 people can be accommodated per hectare (assuming an apartment holds 20 units and each unit accommodates 3 people). This density suggests that a higher number of residents can be housed in a smaller area with lower building costs.
These statistics suggest that urban consolidation will be needed to accommodate this growing population, however some alternatives may be possible.