Planning for Lower‐Income Households in Privately Developed High‐Density Neighbourhoods in Sydney, Australia

In Australia, as in many other countries, private high‐density housing is typically marketed as the domain of middle‐ and higher‐income residents. But, in practice, it accommodates many lower‐income households. These households often live in mixed‐income communities alongside wealthier neighbours, but, because of constrained budgets, they rely more heavily on access to community services and facilities. This has implications for public infrastructure planning in high‐density neighbourhoods where private property ownership dominates. In this article, we examine two neighbourhood case studies within the same local government area in Sydney that have sizable populations of lower‐income households living in apartments, but which provide markedly different day‐to‐day experiences for residents. We consider the causes of these varying outcomes and implications for neighbourhood‐scale planning and development. The article argues that coordinated and collaborative planning processes are key to ensuring that the needs of lower‐income households are met in privately developed apartment neighbourhoods.