Medium density housing : Motivations, attitudes, and preferences

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the motivations, attitudes and housing preferences of urban medium density residents in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. Like the other major cities in New Zealand there is a clear planning objective to increase the density of housing within current city boundaries. This housing intensification is being done in order to accommodate a significant proportion of the expected population growth within existing city boundaries rather than accommodating this growth on peripheral green-field sites. To achieve this increase in density in Christchurch the older inner suburban areas in Christchurch have been zoned for medium density housing. This zoning encourages the replacement of the original existing single level, single family housing stock with medium density terrace housing that is usually 2 or 3 stories high. In order to determine the motivations, attitudes and housing preferences of the residents of this medium density housing a total of 330 interview were undertaken of residents currently occupying medium density housing. The interview sample was taken from residents in the inner city suburb of Addington in Christchurch. This is a suburb which has been subject to significant changes and which should be ideally suited to intensification in housing. This paper summarises the responses to these interviews and draws some conclusions from those responses. Some important findings from the study were that only 20.9% of the residents were currently living in their preferred housing choice and that the appetite for apartment living was limited.